. . "A griot (/\u02C8\u0261ri.o\u028A/; French pronunciation: \u200B[\u0261\u0281i.o]), jali or jeli (djeli or dj\u00E9li in French spelling) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet and/or musician. The griot is a repository of oral tradition and is often seen as a societal leader due to his traditional position as an adviser to royal personages. As a result of the former of these two functions, he is sometimes also called a bard."@en .