How is Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali similar to western heroic stories? How is it different?

Sundiata is described by the griot as heroic because of several qualities: his intelligence, his compassion, his bravery, his sense of justice, his charisma, his piety and his strength. These are similar traits that one might find in Westerns. Balla Fasséké tells him to be a "man of action" so that his deeds will be remembered, and Sundiata certainly lives up to his destiny. I think the story differs in the sense that forgiveness and compassion are underlying strengths in the protagonist rather than the vengeance one might encounter in a western.