Afriky Lolo stages ‘Sundiata: The King of Mali’ for its 20th anniversary

In March, St. Louis’ own Diádié Bathily wowed the Oscars crowd with a spellbinding showcase of Zaouli, a traditional mask dance from his home country of the Côte d’Ivoire during a musical performance of Sinners’ “I Lied to You.”

Now, the West African dancer triumphantly returns to the stage with Sundiata: The King of Mali, an original performance with his nonprofit dance company Afriky Lolo and the University of Missouri–St. Louis Music department, on stage at the Touhill Performing Arts Center (1 Touhill) July 17 & 18. Adapted from a legendary West African historical epic, Sundiata will tell the story of Sundiata Keita, the real founder of the Mali Empire. 

Following the griot tradition—a West African art form that blends historicity, storytelling, and oral tradition to create a lasting impression on cultural memory—the production will follow Sundiata as he perseveres through numerous childhood hardships. Sundiata is born disabled, and his mother is despised and viciously abused by his father’s co-wives. The two are eventually forced into exile. When Sumanguru Kanté (the historical king of the Sosso people after the fragmentation of the Ghana Empire, but portrayed as a sorcerer-king in the epic) threatens Sundiata’s home, he strikes back by organizing the smaller surrounding nations into an army, and is crowned emperor of the new Mali Empire.

“It’s about different groups of people learning how to get along, and then move forward,” Bathily says. “Different tribes in West Africa can learn to lead together, with all the differences they have.”

Bathily’s choice to portray such a legendary and meaningful epic (one he learned in elementary school) is not random. In addition to celebrating the epic, Afriky Lolo will also be celebrating its 20th anniversary. 

After Bathily immigrated from the Côte d’Ivoire to the United States in 1998, he wanted to share the traditional dances of his home country, as well as Mali, Senegal, and Ghana. Working as a teacher, performer, and choreographer in St. Louis as well as throughout the Midwest, he works to inspire African Americans to embrace the beauty of their heritage, and to encourage all other Americans to learn about West Africa’s rich culture. 

Afriky Lolo, a company of 75 (ranging in age from 6–60), plus eight drummers, serves as the primary space for the St. Louis area to do just that. Each annual performance shows the students and the community just how much they have learned.

“By coming to the show, an audience can know what we are learning in school, our culture, our history through dance and music,” Bathily says. “That’s amazing.”

Bathily, who cares deeply about authenticity, often travels between West Africa and the United States to bring back authentic masks, textiles, and beads for the dancers, going so far as to ensure that every costume worn is sewn by a specialist in West Africa or himself. His attention to detail and desire for authenticity extended to this production as well, as he traveled to West Africa to gather details for the show.

“I interviewed people from West Africa, in different countries that have the Sundiata story,” he says. The show, according to Bathily, is the product of reading several books (English and French, both of which he is fluent in) and conversations with folks in several different countries, creating a cohesive blend of each country’s traditional Sundiata story. Translating the story into the language of dance transformed it into a universal experience, Bathily says.

His purpose, ultimately, is to encourage others to learn about culture from around the world.

“Please keep learning, because this world is so big,” he says. “It’s sad not to learn about what the world has, and its history and culture.”