In Keita, the West Africa of the thirteenth century Sundjata Epic and of today coexist and interpenetrate, as if past and present were joined in an unbroken circle. The film parallels the quest of the legendary Sundjata Keita to realize his heroic destiny with that of his distant descendant, a contemporary Burkinabe boy, Mabo Keita, to "learn the meaning of his name." A griot arrives at the home of Mabo Keita to retell the epic as his forebears have done for each new generation of Keita. Becoming caught up in the colorful tale of his ancestors, Mabo begins skipping school, causing tensions in the household. The film makes a passionate case for the continuing validity of Afrocentric education. Mabo comes to understand his place in Mandé history and to find in Sundjata a role model for his future. Director Kouyaté, the son of the griot who appears in the film, through this work succeeds in fulfilling "the meaning of his name."