“Griot to DJ: Remixing and Blending Globalizing Culture”
by Sarah Djos-Raph

3rd Place
2021 Crossroads Digital Humanities Contest

Sarah Djos-Raph (née Denslow) is from Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. She received a BA in International Affairs, concentrating in Women's Studies, and a BA in French from the University of Maine. Interested in African Literature, Sarah is currently focusing on questions surrounding African identity and West African diaspora at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She is a past Peace Corps Volunteer, Killiam Fellow, and Rotary exchange student, and is a current Rotarian.

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In her paper, “Griot to DJ,” she discusses the mutilation and transformation of the traditional functions of the West African griot, who is the central figure of orality, and furthermore suggests that DJs serve as modern-day digital griots through technological influences and the circumstances surrounding global current affairs.