Oral Poetry from Africa
A poem by Adjei Agyei-Baah, composed for Professor Wole Soyinka and the notable mane that adorns his crown.
This poem was presented to Professor Soyinka on the occasion of his 80th birthday in 2014 at an event held at the State Banquet Hall in Accra, Ghana, to launch the book Crucible of the Ages: Essays in Honour of Wole Soyinka at 80 by Ivor Agyeman-Duah & Ogochukwu Promise.
There’s something mystical
About your grey hair, Baba…
My thanks to Dele A Sonubi for this translation into English of another poem from the verses of the Yorùbá religious corpus, Odù Ifá.
The 16 Major Odù of Ifá record the dialogues of Òrúnmìlà with each of his 16 disciples. In the following verses we hear the boastful self-praises of one of these disciples.
“I, a man with the strength of three men,
The wall that stands erect amidst raging fire…
My thanks to Dele A Sonubi for sharing with us another translation from the verses of the Yorùbá religious corpus, Odù Ifá.
Òrúnmìlà is the Yorùbá sage from whom the Ifá corpus originates and in this Odù he receives instruction from Ọba’lúayé, the “King of the World”, one of the Yorùbá pantheon of gods.
It has been said of Ọba’lúayé that “When we come to earth it is because he permits our arrival, and it is because of him we merge with the earth when we depart.”
Some Yorùbá myths describe Òrúnmìlà as a historical figure who lived around 500 B.C., but in other myths he is deified as a spiritual being who came from heaven to teach mankind the secrets of the cosmos through Ifá. The following Odù describes Òrúnmìlà consulting Ifá before making the journey to Earth and receiving instruction from Ọba’lúayé as to the sacrifices he should make to ensure that his path is not obstructed by the negative supernatural forces that he might encounter in the World.
“Make way for me to pass, make way,
Be there wizards that are ahead of my way today, make way for me to pass…
My thanks to Dele A Sonubi for this translation into English of a poem from the verses of the Yorùbá religious corpus, Odù Ifá.
Although frequently mythologised as a deity, Òrúnmìlà appears to have been a historical figure. Some histories claim that he was born in the town of Òkè Igèti within Ilé-Ifẹ̀, the ancient Yorùbá city in south-western Nigeria, around 500 B.C. As an adult, Òrúnmìlà became known as an exceptionally wise sage who took on sixteen apprentices. The names of these sixteen disciples became the titles of the 16 Major Odù of Ifá, with each Odù recording the teachings of Òrúnmìlà as expressed through discussion with his students.
Later generations contributed their own interpretations of the 16 Major Odù, expanding the teachings into a vast corpus of classical Yorùbá philosophy containing over 400,000 verses.
The poem that follows is a translation of one of these verses. Òrúnmìlà advises that individuals should always follow their own true nature, but points out that acting with kindness to others is in itself inherently rewarding.
Those who are kind should be ceaseless in kindness,
Those who are unkind should be ceaseless in their unkindness,
It is kindness and not unkindness that is inherently rewarding…
There have been a couple of great radio/podcast shows broadcast in the past month that I thought readers of this site will enjoy.
The first is a treat for lovers of the music and oral poetry traditions of Mali, brought to us by Afropop Worldwide. Professor Chérif Keïta (teacher of Francophone literature of Africa and the Caribbean at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota) expertly guides us through the early history of Mali, up through the end of the 20th century, told through the music of the country’s great musical artists, Salif Keita, Toumani Diabate, Ali Farka Toure and others.
As well as covering the music of Mali, Professor Keïta also explores the history of the djeli or griot poets. We discover the origins of the oral poetry traditions in Mali and the roles the djeli played historically and today.
The second is from the podcast 2centspnf presented by Lindsay Thebe. In this episode Lindsay guides us through an introduction to the poetry of Ghana, covering the ancient and pre-colonial oral traditions through to modern day poets, including an interview with frequent contributor to AfricanPoems Adjei Agyei-Baah.
L’Orchestre Kanaga De Mopti take their name from the Kanaga mask worn by members of the Awa Society of Masks, an initiatory society of the Dogon people of Mali.
The orchestra leader, Sorry Bamba (1938–2022), was born in Mopti, a town in the Inner Niger Delta region of Mali. He turned to music at the age of 10 after the passing of his parents, finding solace in playing a six-holed flute, imported from France, which was gifted to him by a friend.
As a young man he explored the surrounding regions of Mopti, studying the music from the Niger River, the Fulani camps, and the Bandiagara cliffs in the heart of Dogon Country. Bamba gained the elders’ approval to perform the music of the Dogon ceremonies and named his group after the Dogon ceremonial mask that symbolizes Amma, the supreme creator god in the Dogon religion.
Well…
Brothers and sisters, speakers of Fulfulde,
Listen and listen again to how the story of “Gambari” came to be…
