THE ROOTS OF ALEX HALEY & EBOU MANGA
Ebou Manga in character as "The Griot" in the miniseries, Roots: The Next Generation.
The inscribed dedication to Ebou Manga by Alex Haley in the first edition of "Roots".
Ebou Manga & Alex Haley
at Hamilton College,
where Ebou presented Alex
with his honorary doctorate.
After his 1965 Autobiography of Malcolm X was published, Alex Haley's next book project would focus on his own family's history based on family lore that he needed to confirm, since it led back to the first paternal enslaved African ancestor. Ironically, while he was guest lecturing at New York's renowned Hamilton College, Haley met Hamilton student, Ebou Manga of the Gambia, who not only helped Alex identify Mandinka phrasing, but through Ebou and his own family's Gambian contacts, Alex was eventually introduced to the Mandingo griot that connected the ancestral dots to Alex's 7th great-grandfather, Kunta Kinte. That connection led to award-winning iconic book, Roots, followed by the same-titled Emmy-winning, history-making miniseries, and its sequel, Roots: The Next Generations ("Roots: TNG").
In fact, Roots: TNG depicted the journey that Alex and Ebou began, with their being respectively played by Oscar-nominated actor, James Earl Jones and revered Senegalese actor, Johnny Sekka. In the miniseries, Ebou, himself, also portrayed the Griot that Alex had met. It is moving that by the time Roots: TNG aired in 1979, Ebou and Alex had an over ten-year friendship, that became lifelong—as indicated by Ebou presenting Alex with his honorary doctorate from Hamilton College, as well as Alex ensuring the media's acknowledgement of Ebou's role re: Roots. Media that ranged from The New Yorker to The New York Times to Ebony Magazine.
Today, Alex's and Ebou's bond is being carried on by Ebou's American-born son, Malick Manga and Alex's grandson, Bill Haley, Jr., that is also being manifested through select Inherited Roots Project initiatives. Their friendship is especially meaningful in 2026, which marks several milestone anniversaries related to Roots: the 259th Anniversary of Kunta Kinte's arrival via the slave ship, Lord Ligonier; the 60th Anniversary of Ebou and Alex meeting, as well as their first trip to the Gambia; the 50th Anniversary of the book Roots and the 49th miniseries debut on ABC; and the 49th Anniversary of Ebou presenting Alex with his Hamilton College Honorary Doctorate. In addition, 2026 is respectively the 34th Anniversary and the 9th Anniversary of Alex Haley and Ebou Manga passing... It is in honor of those milestones and the memory of Ebou and Alex that Malick and Bill will continue the legacy of their inherited roots...
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