Oral Poetry from Africa
Oumou Sangaré became the first international star and populariser of the Malian musical style known as wassoulou in the early 2000’s.
The following song, Ah Ndiya (“Oh My Love”), is from Oumou Sangaré’s first album Moussolou. A translation of the lyrics follows.
Oh my love,
The best part of a journey is returning home…
Jābir Ibn Samura, one of the Companions of Muhammad, described the Prophet’s face as like the Full Moon in the night sky and this allegory reappears in the following devotional poem by Shaykh Ibrāhīm Niasse (1900–1975). The poet, inspired by a night of reciting and chanting poetry until tears flowed from his eyes, praises the Prophet and the illumination of his message as his neighbours sleep.
Enslaved in love, the heart turns away from everything else
Bound in longing for the Prophet, bewildered…
Salif Keïta’s melancholy song of praise for the first president of Guinea, Sékou Touré, was composed at a time when both the artist and the president felt under siege.
Mandjou, don’t cry
Son of Alpha Touré, don’t cry…
Jarabi (also spelled Diarabi) is a love song that first became popular with many kora players and guitarists in Mali, Gambia and Guinea in the early 1960’s.
Forgive me, mothers, but money cannot buy love
It’s true, forgive me, fathers, no riches can buy love…
Axmed Shiikh Jaamac (1942–2014) was a Somali academician, writer, poet and politician. He taught at the Ministry of Education of the former Republic of Somalia, before moving to Yemen to publish a weekly column for the journal Al-Miithaaq. Axmed eventually returned to Somalia to work as director of the Puntland Ministry of Information, Telecommunications, Culture and Heritage in Garowe.
The following poem was translated from Somali into English by Maxamed Xasan ‘Alto’ and Sarah Maguire.
You belong in the grave like all your kin from the Djinn
False hope, you’re used by the Devil to hide all his schemes…
