Oral Poetry from Africa
A poem sent to us by Amore David Olamide, praising the Ijebu people of Yorùbáland. The Ijebu kingdom was formed around the fifteenth century and due to its position on the trade routes between Lagos and Ibadan became wealthy and powerful in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Ijebu have historically been praised for their business acumen and talent for trade.
If Ijebu prefer,
They will weave it a bit…
A modern poem in praise of Efunsetan Aniwura, a Yorùbá woman who rose to a position of great wealth and political power in Ibadan, Nigeria, during the mid-19th century.
Elegbe, let us not toy with a raging fire
for if the thumb get burnt,
all fingers shall suffer…
A modern poem in the traditional manner of an offering and petition to one’s gods and ancestors, sent to us by Adjei Agyei-Baah.
We have come to you with our gourd of tears
take, accept and make us men of huge testicles…
A modern poem in the traditional manner of a praise for one’s clan, sent to us by Adjei Agyei-Baah. Here the history of the Ashanti people is celebrated with reference to the richness of their land, their gods, and their traditional rulers.
The edenic garden on a fertile land of gold
Ashanti!..
A poem sent to us by Adjei Agyei-Baah on the theme of the Ashanti royal house. The Ashanti people live within a wealthy, gold-rich region of Ghana. Otumfuo is an honourary title bestowed upon Ashanti rulers when they ascend the throne. The Ashanti Empire was officially established in 1701 by the Ashanti King Osei Tutu and his adviser and High Priest, Okomfo Anokye.
He who knows not the Otumfuo
Let me present him…
Another in our series of Modern Poetry in the Oral Manner, this one about one of the most prominent Òrìṣà, Ṣàngó also known as Shango (see also In Praise of Shango) or Xango in Latin. The following poem not only addresses his encounter with the Owu people, now concentrated in Abeokuta, but also portrays Ṣàngó’s personality ranging from his birth, life and wives, to his controversial end.
Jakuta, son of Aganju,
Violent ruler, grandson of Oduduwa…
