The Ballad of Princess Minna

​As a wedding present, my Gambian family brought a griot to sing my ballad.

Together we shared a 20-minute journey through vivid imagery and poignant pauses. He wove exquisite scenes of a princess who worked hard for her people. She was very much loved by her father and her people. The princess, however, upset the people by doing things differently. Much to her father's dismay, the people called for her expulsion and destruction. Although it made him very sad, he sent the princess to the beach where she was tied to a rock and left to be devoured by the sea monster. 

Deep in the belly of the beast, she met a handsome prince who fell madly in love with her. He decided to keep her safe by never allowing her to see her people. In time, the people grew to realize they had made a mistake and became very sad. They missed their lovely princess very much, but they never saw her again,

At this point, I began to cry and shake my head. My griot smiled gently and quietly changed the closing verse of the song so that the princess could see her people once or twice a year...