African Poems

Oral Poetry from Africa

Oral Poetry from Africa

Filed Under: Blog

The Malawi Folktales and Folksongs Database

With the launch of the Malawi Folktales and Folksongs Database, Malawi has emerged as a trailblazer in leveraging digital technology to preserve its intangible cultural heritage and sharing this rich legacy with the world.

The Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) was one of the first national radio stations in Africa to digitise its deteriorating reel-to-reel tapes. This initiative safeguarded an invaluable archive that was on the brink of being lost and has been followed by similar digitisation projects across the continent, including in Ghana, Kenya, and Rwanda. Continuing this tradition of innovation, Malawi broke new ground in October 2024 with the launch of the Malawi Folktales and Folksongs Database.

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Filed Under: Blog

Da Kali: The Pledge to the Art of the Griot

When listening to the “gale-force vocals” of Sory Kandia Kouyaté or the soaring vibrato of Hawa Kassé Mady Diabaté, I have often wondered how these griot artists master their crafts and what kind of training they undergo. Thus, discovering the documentary “Da Kali: The Pledge to the Art of the Griot” is a revelation.

Guided by Lucy Durán — an ethnologist, record producer, radio broadcaster, and Professor of Music at SOAS — the film crew returns to Mali annually to document the progress of four children from esteemed griot families as they undergo their apprenticeships. This approach offers viewers a rare glimpse into how the griot’s art is handed down, to be both preserved and enriched by each new generation.

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Filed Under: Protest & Satirical Poems

Che Poison

Born in 1936, Joseph Nangalambe was a prolific composer, guitar player and singer who disguised the underlying meanings of his songs through coded metaphors and allegory.

In the following track, Nangalambe sings in the Yao language about a mysterious man called Che Poison. The singer describes travelling to stay overnight in different districts of Malawi, knowing that when he awakes he will find Che Poison there. But who is this mysterious man Che Poison? 

Che Poyi, makes me wonder, makes me wonder
Poison makes me wonder…

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Filed Under: Modern Poetry in Oral Manner

World In Dangerous Times

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the son of the esteemed Yorùbá poet, Lanrewaju Adepọju (1940 — 2023), for providing both the transcription and translation into English of a poem from Chief Adepọju’s collection (see also Ìlú le! and I Dreamt of Riches).

“Ibi A Baye De L’ewu” (translated here as “World in Dangerous Times”) is crafted in the manner of a “fire and brimstone” sermon, employing vivid imagery of judgment and eternal damnation to call for repentance. Adepọju scrutinizes his society, denouncing the hypocrisy and vice he perceives around him.

In translating his father’s ewì verses into English, Olayiwola Adepọju adopts a rhyming couplet format, a structure absent in the original poem. Yet, through this adaptation, Olayiwola captures the fervor of the original, conveying the force of Lanrewaju’s admonitions with remarkable intensity.

It’s foretold, when the world’s end draws near,
Younglings of three shan’t flee the lash in fear…

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Filed Under: Protest & Satirical Poems

The One With The Horn

This is a Makuleya song from Malawi that tackles the theme of superstition in a satirical manner. The song revolves around accusations of witchcraft, specifically whether a person who owns an animal horn filled with magical charms should be allowed to remain in the community.

The women singers who open the song state that the one who possesses the witchcraft horn should be allowed to stay. But the chorus states to the contrary that the one who does not possess such a horn be allowed to stay. This contradictory message can be interpreted in various ways.

The one with the horn should stay
The one with the horn should stay today
The one with the horn should stay…

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Filed Under: Modern Poetry in Oral Manner

Òjó Yeuke

Within the Yorùbá culture, there exists a tradition of bestowing upon children names that reflect the extraordinary circumstances of their birth.

Known as “Names brought from heaven” (Orúkọ Àmútọ̀runwá), these appellations are imparted upon the newborn by individuals like asagbẹ̀bí (midwives), or occasionally by parents or grandparents who played a role in the birthing process. It is these individuals who, having witnessed the circumstances surrounding the child’s arrival, are entrusted with the responsibility of proclaiming a name that resonates with the event. 

The following new poem by Amore David Olamide is in praise of Òjó, a name traditionally given to a male child born with the umbilical cord round the neck.

Òjó Yeuke
You who multiplies wealth like a bountiful harvest…

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