Au moment de l'indépendance, la mise en place de l'État est un véritable défi pour les nouveaux pays africains. Ce mémoire s'intéresse à la construction étatique entreprise par le premier gouvernement indépendant du Mali. Ce processus s'effectue sous la gouvernance du Parti unique de l'Union Soudanaise du Rassemblement Démocratique Africain (US-RDA), mené par le père de l'indépendance, Modibo Keita. Les dirigeants postcoloniaux du Mali adoptent diverses stratégies pour mettre en place l'État-nation. Notamment, ils opèrent une liaison dialectique entre passé et modernité dans le but d'inscrire la nation malienne dans un processus historique précédant la colonisation. Ensuite, les dirigeants adaptent l'idéologie du socialisme scientifique aux objectifs et aux besoins postcoloniaux. Cette distorsion doctrinale permet de saisir la pensée politique qui guide la construction étatique au Mali. Finalement, la politique culturelle de l'US-RDA illustre le rôle de la culture dans la mise en place de l'État, mais également de la nation malienne. C'est donc à travers le triptyque État, idéologie et politique culturelle, qu'est définie la nature de l'État malien entre 1960 et 1968.

During the independence era in West Africa (1958–1980) many nations embarked on ambitious programmes aimed at rejuvenating their traditional art forms. These programmes were realised through new cultural policies, with music the prime target of the governments’ campaigns. I contend that in the search for an appropriate voice West African governments focussed on one group of musicians, the Mande griots. It was through their musical compositions that the State communicated ideology and doctrine to the public. I assert that to focus on a specific ethnic group and promote them as cultural ambassadors was a policy that conflicted with the core principles of West Africa’s governments, who upheld a doctrine that promoted nationalism over ethnocentrism. It was a neo-colonialist strategy designed to consolidate the rule of the governing party, a contention which I support through an analysis of the role of griots in West African society and an appraisal of the careers of musicians, musical recordings, and musical styles. This thesis represents a historical account of Mande griots in West Africa with respect to their influence on local and national politics. Part of the aim of this thesis is to create a comprehensive and accurate catalogue of West African musical recordings and groups, the results of which are located in the appendices.

During the independence era in West Africa (1958–1980) many nations embarked on ambitious programmes aimed at rejuvenating their traditional art forms. These programmes were realised through new cultural policies, with music the prime target of the governments’ campaigns. I contend that in the search for an appropriate voice West African governments focussed on one group of musicians, the Mande griots. It was through their musical compositions that the State communicated ideology and doctrine to the public. I assert that to focus on a specific ethnic group and promote them as cultural ambassadors was a policy that conflicted with the core principles of West Africa’s governments, who upheld a doctrine that promoted nationalism over ethnocentrism. It was a neo-colonialist strategy designed to consolidate the rule of the governing party, a contention which I support through an analysis of the role of griots in West African society and an appraisal of the careers of musicians, musical recordings, and musical styles. This thesis represents a historical account of Mande griots in West Africa with respect to their influence on local and national politics. Part of the aim of this thesis is to create a comprehensive and accurate catalogue of West African musical recordings and groups, the results of which are located in the appendices.