Oral Poetry from Africa
An extract from a Kanuri Praise-Poem from the ancient kingdom of Bornu in northern Nigeria. The Sultan had three official praise singers, who walked beside him procession, or stood before him in audience.
You, son of Gumsu, Gumsu Amina,
daughter of Talba, you Ibrahim,
Have attained to your father’s place among the great…
A Kanuri Praise-Poem from the ancient kingdom of Bornu in northern Nigeria. Kaigama was the title of the Sultan’s chief slave, commander in chief of the army and responsible for the defence and general administration of the southern part of the Bornu kingdom.
Kaigama Anterashi,
Star of the morning…
An extract from a Kanuri Praise-Poem from the ancient kingdom of Bornu in northern Nigeria (see also The Sultan of Bornu). The Gumsu was the chief wife of the king of Bornu, and the Gumsu praised in this poem was the wife of Sultan Arri Umarmi, 1645–85.
Queen Gumsu,
owner of Maradi town,
never looks behind her…
A Kanuri Praise-Poem from the ancient kingdom of Bornu in northern Nigeria. The Yerima was an official responsible for the defence and general administration of the northern part of the Bornu kingdom, and was invariably the grandson of a Sultan.
Hi! Young lady!
Be careful young lady!…
The Sultan of Bornu, A Kanuri Praise-Poem from the ancient kingdom of Bornu in northern Nigeria. The poem, which was recorded in 1926, describes an individual king, Sultan Momadu Ajimi, who reigned in 1737–51. But it is also a statement of what an ideal king should be like, providing the Sultan with a pattern that the official Praise-Singer implies he should follow.
Carefully weave the acts of kingship
Hear all and weave…
