Mwindo Vs Sundiata Essay

What makes a good leader? is it the power he owns or the value he upholds? Sundiata, an epic from old Mali, describes the journey of a hero named Sogolon Djata as he overcame several trials using his ethics, and ultimately became one of the greatest rulers of Mali. Mwindo, on the other hand, is the tale of a powerful child who became a hero by fighting his father and liberating his people. Although both Sundiata and Mwindo share similarities in that they both faced several trials, they differ in the way they responded to these trials because Mwindo responded with power while Sundiata responded with values. Even though Sundiata and Mwindo both faced supernatural trials, they differ in the way they overcame these trials. Sundiata overcame his trials through values whereas Mwindo overcame his through power. “I bear you no ill will.”(26) Sundiata said this to the witches that tested him with the intention of killing him. The witches tested Sundiata by observing …show more content…
“There’s one that would make a great king. He forgets nobody.”(34) King Soumaba Cisse said this after his first interaction with Sundiata. Sundiata attracted people with his courage, bravery, curiosity, gratitude and compassion. These qualities allowed him to impress different individuals and instigate the belief that he was a good leader. According to the griot, “Mwindo sang taunts of his greatness to Nkuba while the pair climbed slowly up into the air.”(10) Mwindo never showed any quality convincing enough to think of him as a good leader. He exhibited little respect and no gratitude to the people that helped him. This behavior hindered his progress, and made the gods deal with him because of his poor attitude. Mwindo’s narcissism and bad traits such as disrespect and arrogance made him less of a good leader according to the conventional traits of good