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Gniré Tatiana DAFIA
Gniré Tatiana DAFIA holds a PhD in African Cultural Studies from the University of Abomey, Calavi where she teaches as an assistant. Her research focuses on cultural studies in particular the sacred oral poetry of the Bààtɔ̃̀bu. Author of several books (essays and fiction) and articles including Introduction à la littérature orale bààtɔ̃̀nù (2020), Anthologie commentée de la funeral poetry of the Bààtɔ̃̀bu of North Benin (2020), Aesthetics and poetics of the oral poetry of the Bààtɔ̃̀bu of Northern Benin: from lamentation to funeral song (2020) and Prolegomena to the study of funeral rites of the Bààtɔ̃̀bù (2020), she is also a Specialist in the Collection and Codification of Songs and Dances of Benin. She is a member of the Laboratory of African Studies and Fa Research (LAREFA).
This paper examines the relationship between resistance and memory in the sung epic of Bio Guerra, an emblematic figure of Bààtɔnu resistance. Through epic orality, this work functions as a space for the preservation and transmission of collective memory. The heroic narrative does not merely celebrate a historical figure; it also contributes to the construction of an identity consciousness grounded in courage, dignity, and communal defense.
The study shows how the sung epic transforms historical events into living memory through performance, repetition, and celebration, which are central features of oral tradition. By inscribing Bio Guerra into the collective imagination, the epic song establishes him as an enduring symbol of resistance against domination and cultural erasure.
In connection with the symposium theme, “Diaspora and Memory,” this reflection also highlights the resonances between African memories of resistance and Afro-diasporic experiences. The epic therefore emerges as a site of memory circulation where historical heritage, cultural transmission, and identity affirmation intersect.
Drawing on literary, anthropological, and memory studies approaches, this paper argues that the epic of Bio Guerra transcends its local context and participates in a broader process of preserving and valorizing African and diasporic memories.