DOCSLIB.ORG

AFRICAN POETRY, VERNACULAR: ORAL. Ver• Tion to the Multiplicity of Local Classifications

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
AFRICAN POETRY, VERNACULAR: ORAL. Ver• Tion to the Multiplicity of Local Classifications A AFRICAN POETRY, VERNACULAR: ORAL. Ver­ tion to the multiplicity of local classifications . nacular poetry in Africa is mostly oral, and A basic distinction must be made between the greater part is still unrecorded. The con­ ritual and nonritual forms ; by far the most ventions of oral v.p. belong to the whole per­ important are the ritual forms associated, either formance and its occasion, and are therefore in origin or in present reality, with formal not exclusively literary. Internal classifications customary rites and activities. Modern public within the society have no referellce to the occasions may include traditional ritual forms Western categories of prose and poetry, and suitably adapted. Nonritual forms, of course, Afr. definitions of "literary" do not necessarily belong to informal occasions. In either general coincide with those of Eng .-Am. culture. For category the creative role of the performer(s) instance, Afr. proverbs and riddles are major, is important, for even within customary rites not minor, literary forms for which the term the evaluation is of the contemporary per­ "poetry," if it is applied, need not relate only formance. Ritual forms include panegyric and to the forms with rhyme. The evaluation even lyric, whereas nonritual forms include lyric of these identifiable genres can be made only and, possibly, narrative. by a complete understanding of the signifi­ Panegyric is one of the most developed and cance of any given member (e.g., a particular elaborate poetic genres in Africa. Its specialized praise song) of a genre (e.g., praise poetry) form is best exemplified in the court poetry of within the society at the time of utterance. the Southern Bantu, about which there is a Convention involves not only the verbal con­ large literature by scholars in South Africa. tent, but also such factors as status of the These praise poems have been described as in­ performer(s), nature of the audience, mode of termediary between epic and ode, a combina­ performance, and character of the related arts, tion of exclamatory narration and laudatory especially music, which act interdependently apostrophizing. Similar poems occur elsewhere in the representation of the genre. Literary among the Bantu, notably among the cattle­ distinctions may be irrelevant in a perform­ owning peoples of East Central Africa. While ance which has no overt literary function. praise poems can be concerned with almost Babalola's work on Yoruba poetry, for instance, anything-animals, divining bones, birds, beer, shows that the mode of performance is as clans-the most developed forms are those in significant for the Afr. critic as actual con­ which people, living or dead , are directly tent or structure, and many other cases could praised and addressed. Praise poetry often be cited in support of this. plays an essential part in rites of passage when There are growing signs of a fuller apprecia­ an individual or group moves from one status tion of the extent and nature of Afr. v.p., but to another in society. Self-praises by boys at even now it is only beginning to be established initiation, as among the Sotho or the Galla, are as a serious field of systematic study for Afr. an important aspect of their claim to adult­ scholars . Where the poetic tradition is strong, hood . oral v.p. is adapted to changing conditions, as The eulogies involved in funeral dirges, as in topical and political songs and modern among the Akan-speak ing peoples of southern praise poems. Generally speaking, however, the Ghana, are also included in this category , as extensive corpus of Afr. oral v.p, which forms are oral poems in praise of the Prophet Mo­ the basis for description and discussion today hammed by the Hausa and other Islamic socie­ belongs to, or is derived from , traditional Afr. ties. Finnegan has noted that one cannot al­ society. The relevant language preserves its ways draw the line between Afr. military soul, and in translation the soul is lost. The poetry and panegyric. Southern Bantu praise survival of Afr. v.p, in the future is dependent, poems have war and military prowess as one among other things, upon the status of the of their main themes, and the same blend of vernacular in particular communities as the praise and interest in battle heroism can be medium for both oral and written forms. At seen in the "heroic recitations" of the Ankole the present time evaluation of recorded texts Hima. In Rwanda military poetry, the form from oral performance is heavily dependent called ibyivugo is panegyric, but the narrative upon nonliterary factors , but it is recognized element is more marked in a second form , that Afr. v.p. has its own artistic features called ibitekerezo, songs preserved by the court analogous to, bill 1I0t always identical with, bards and taught to military recruits. Narra­ literary forms from a literate society. tive poetry as a ritual form is not extensive Although the question of genres has not been enough, however, to be assigned a special cate­ seriousl y discussed, Finnegan has drawn atten- gory. In hunting songs praise and celebration -[ 909 ]- SUPPLEMENT are often reserved for the killing of particu­ establish the existence of narrative as a sepa ­ larly outstanding or dangerous game.A domi­ rate genre of Afr. oral v.p, nant theme in the Yoruba hunting poems The Oxford Library of Afr. Literature, Ox­ called iiata is verbal salute and praise, but ford at the Clarendon Press, presents studies Ambo hunting poetry is lyrical poetry charac­ of particular Afr. traditions of oral v.p., no ­ terized by the mode of delivery. It is not always tably in works by B. W . Andrzejewski and possible to make a firm distinction between I. M. Lewis (Somali), S. A. Babalola (Yoruba) , ritual and nonritual forms. There are derived T . Cope (Zulu) , A. Coupez and T. Kamanzi forms, like the nonritual praise songs of the (Ruanda), D. Kunene (Southern Sotho), H. F. Hausa itinera nt singers, which are relatable to Morris (Ankole) , and I. Schapera (Tswana).­ the ritual ltir4ri, a sung proverb, traditionally W. R. Bascom, "Folklore and Lit ," in The Afr. performed as court poetry. World: A Surve y of Social Research , ed . R. A. Lyric, probably the most common genre of Lystad (1965); The Mwindo Epic from the oral poetry in Africa, has a great variety of Ban yanga , tr . and ed. D. Biebuyck and K. C. forms, but basically it is a short poem sung or Mateene (1967); R. Finnegan, Oral Lit. in recited either antiphonally or by an individual. Africa (1970). L.H. As a ritual form, lyric has as its most common WRITTEN . Except for the v.p. derived directly occasions rites of passage such as birth, child­ from oral poetry and written in roman script. naming, initiation, betrothal, marriage, acquir­ like the v.p. of South Africa and Ethiopia, ing a new title or status, and funeral cere ­ Afr. written v.p, as a direct literary activity is monies. The occasions for lyric are extended a feature of Islamic societies. Arabic speakers, in urbanized Afr. society to informal, non­ mostly in North Africa, outnumber the speak­ ritual occasions, like the drinking and dancing ers of an y other single vernacular on the Afri· town songs of the Zulu and the Sotho in South can continent. Besides written v.p, in Arabic Africa . The radio provides opportunities for there is the Islamic written v.p. of non-Arabic nonritual lyrics to be performed. It is a com­ speaking peoples, particularly the Fulani, the mon pattern for a prose narrative to be marked Hausa, and the Swahili. North Afr. written structurally from time to time by the inclusion v.p. in Arabic was no doubt a vehicle for the of a song, led by the storyteller and sung by spread of Islamic poetry in West Afr. vernacu­ the audience. The song is relevant to the lars , while in East Africa Swahili written v.p. story, but mayor may not forward the narra­ derives from the popular Islamic poetry of the tive. The subjects of lyric are about every Hadramawt and the Persian Gulf. Some of conceivable topic in the Afr. experience. Songs the same popularizations are found wherever the about, or attributed to, birds are very common, v.p. is Islamic, as, for instance, vernacular but the main interest is human life and con­ adaptations of early Arabic magazi (raids) duct. Love poetry has a rich tradition among literature occurring in North Africa (Arabic) certain peoples, and is often by women, as and in East Africa (Swahili) , as well as muM ­ among the Zulu of South Africa and the Luo diya, poems composed in honor of the Proph­ of Kenya. Songs to accompany rh ythmic work et's birth, occurring in North Africa (Arabic seem to occur in all Afr. societies . and Berber) and in West and East Africa Narrative in oral v.p., in the sense of a rela­ (Hausa and Swahili, respectively). tively long narrative poem, is of infrequent In Arabic written v.p, of North Africa the occurrence. Finnegan considers that although term qasida (q.v.) has a much wider range of many of the lengthy praise poems , particularly application than the classical form, with re ­ those of South Africa, do contain some narra­ placement of classical monorhyrne by a stan ­ tive elements, narrative poetry does not seem zaic structure and multiple rhyme scheme . The to be a typically Afr. form. The most frequent two most conspicuous features are profusion mentions come from the equatorial areas of of rhyme and absence of inflection. The em­ .th e Congo, but even there the traditional pat­ phasis on rhyme in non-Arabic written v.p.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • (Sarah) Margaret Fuller
    (SARAH) MARGARET FULLER MARCHÉSA D’OSSOLI US’S 1ST FOREIGN WAR CORRESPONDENT [PER EDGAR ALLAN POE, HUMANITY WAS ONCE UPON A TIME DIVIDED INTO “MEN, WOMEN, AND MARGARET FULLER”] AS A COMPARISON PARTITION, CONSIDER “MAN, WOMAN, AND NABISCO” HDT WHAT? INDEX (SARAH) MARGARET FULLER THE MARCHESA D’OSSOLI 1808 The French army occupied Rome, and invaded Spain seizing Barcelona and Madrid. Joseph Bonaparte, who had been King of Naples, became King of Spain, and General Joachim Murat, began to rule in Naples in his stead (he would hold that job until 1815). There were widespread uprisings in Spain, and British troops landed in Portugal. Henry Crabb Robinson, sent by the Times of London to report on the Peninsular War, became the 1st war correspondent (Margaret Fuller, 1st female war correspondent, wasn’t yet born). #1 Male #1 Female HDT WHAT? INDEX (SARAH) MARGARET FULLER THE MARCHESA D’OSSOLI 1810 May 23, Wednesday: Sarah Fuller was born in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts.1 King Solomon II was deposed as the Kingdom of Imeret’i (in Georgia) was annexed by Russia. Friend Stephen Wanton Gould wrote in his journal: 4th day 23 of 5 Mo// The mind again refreshed with the Springs of Life. This eveng in looking forward to Y Meeting while setting at home with my dear H, my feelings were quite raised to a lively sensibility that I seldom have. I rememberd some favord seasons, at that time & as from present apperiences We shall be more at liberty to enjoy the company of our friends than the last. There seem’d something encourageing in the prospect, but how will be cannot tell, sickness or other disappointments may assail us & all our promised enjoyment be frustrated, but be that as it may I hope we shall be favord with the Life of Religion ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS 1.
    [Show full text]
  • A Bibliographical Guide to the Study of the Troubadours and Old Occitan Literature
    A Bibliographical Guide to the Study of the Troubadours and Old Occitan Literature Robert A. Taylor RESEARCH IN MEDIEVAL CULTURE Bibliographical Guide to the Study of the Troubadours and Old Occitan Literature Medieval Institute Publications is a program of The Medieval Institute, College of Arts and Sciences Bibliographical Guide to the Study of the Troubadours and Old Occitan Literature Robert A. Taylor MEDIEVAL INSTITUTE PUBLICATIONS Western Michigan University Kalamazoo Copyright © 2015 by the Board of Trustees of Western Michigan University All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Taylor, Robert A. (Robert Allen), 1937- Bibliographical guide to the study of the troubadours and old Occitan literature / Robert A. Taylor. pages cm Includes index. Summary: "This volume provides offers an annotated listing of over two thousand recent books and articles that treat all categories of Occitan literature from the earli- est enigmatic texts to the works of Jordi de Sant Jordi, an Occitano-Catalan poet who died young in 1424. The works chosen for inclusion are intended to provide a rational introduction to the many thousands of studies that have appeared over the last thirty-five years. The listings provide descriptive comments about each contri- bution, with occasional remarks on striking or controversial content and numerous cross-references to identify complementary studies or differing opinions" -- Pro- vided by publisher. ISBN 978-1-58044-207-7 (Paperback : alk. paper) 1. Provençal literature--Bibliography. 2. Occitan literature--Bibliography. 3. Troubadours--Bibliography. 4. Civilization, Medieval, in literature--Bibliography.
    [Show full text]
  • Published Papers of the Ethnomusicology Symposia
    International Library of African Music PAPERS PRESENTED AT THE SYMPOSIA ON ETHNOMUSICOLOGY 1ST SYMPOSIUM 1980, RHODES UNIVERSITY (OUT OF PRINT) CONTENTS: The music of Zulu immigrant workers in Johannesburg Johnny Clegg Group composition and church music workshops Dave Dargie Music teaching at the University of Zululand Khabi Mngoma Zulu children’s songs Bongani Mthethwa White response to African music Andrew Tracey 2ND SYMPOSIUM 1981, RHODES UNIVERSITY (OUT OF PRINT) CONTENTS: The development of African music in Zimbabwe Olof Axelsson Towards an understanding of African dance: the Zulu isishameni style Johnny Clegg A theoretical approach to composition in Xhosa style Dave Dargie Music and body control in the Hausa Bori spirit possession cult Veit Erlmann Musical instruments of SWA/Namibia Cecilia Gildenhuys The categories of Xhosa music Deirdre Hansen Audiometric characteristics of the ethnic ear Sean Kierman The correlation of folk and art music among African composers Khabi Mngoma The musical bow in Southern Africa David Rycroft Songs of the Chimurenga: from protest to praise Jessica Sherman The music of the Rehoboth Basters Frikkie Strydom Some aspects of my research into Zulu children’s songs Pessa Weinberg 3RD SYMPOSIUM 1982, UNIVERSITY OF NATAL and 4TH SYMPOSIUM 1983, RHODES UNIVERSITY CONTENTS: The necessity of theory Kenneth Gourlay Music and liberation Dave Dargie African humanist thought and belief Ezekiel Mphahlele Songs of the Karimojong Kenneth Gourlay An analysis of semi-rural and peri-urban Zulu children’s songs Pessa Weinberg
    [Show full text]
  • Pablo Neruda - Poems
    Classic Poetry Series Pablo Neruda - poems - Publication Date: 2011 Publisher: Poemhunter.com - The World's Poetry Archive Pablo Neruda(12 July 1904 – 23 September 1973) Pablo Neruda was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean poet and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He chose his pen name after Czech poet Jan Neruda. Neruda wrote in a variety of styles such as erotically charged love poems as in his collection Twenty Poems of Love and a Song of Despair, surrealist poems, historical epics, and overtly political manifestos. In 1971 Neruda won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez once called him "the greatest poet of the 20th century in any language." Neruda always wrote in green ink as it was his personal color of hope. On July 15, 1945, at Pacaembu Stadium in São Paulo, Brazil, he read to 100,000 people in honor of Communist revolutionary leader Luís Carlos Prestes. During his lifetime, Neruda occupied many diplomatic positions and served a stint as a senator for the Chilean Communist Party. When Conservative Chilean President González Videla outlawed communism in Chile in 1948, a warrant was issued for Neruda's arrest. Friends hid him for months in a house basement in the Chilean port of Valparaíso. Later, Neruda escaped into exile through a mountain pass near Maihue Lake into Argentina. Years later, Neruda was a close collaborator to socialist President Salvador Allende. When Neruda returned to Chile after his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Allende invited him to read at the Estadio Nacional before 70,000 people.
    [Show full text]
  • Neruda and Borgej
    PER.'ONALHIJTORY NERUDAAND BORGEJ No tzuoLatin-Anerican writers couldbe more important. No tttso ztsriterscould bemore diferent. Hou did the authorbecorne the friend and translatorof both? BYALA.'TAIR REID f f TuoN I first went to Spain, in country, to Andalusia, to Gibraltar and l/l/ 1953.I knew little about l'4orocco, to Pornrgal-looking and lis- Y Y thelivingcountryandbarely tening a lot, and I wrote the fust of a se- a word of the language.But my senses ries of chronicleson Spain for The New were in good working order, and I was Yorker.Soon after it appeared,I had my instanth' drarvn in by Spain'srhythms Spanishpress credentials withdrawn, but and its landscapes-the burned, sun_.- that made little difference,for Spain ex- stainedearth, the silver-blueclarig,of istedthen on rumor and speculation.Liv- Nlediteranean light, the warm s,rle.nnity ing there felt like belonging to an exten- ofthe peopie,the sparenessofvillage life. sive whispered conspiracy against the Existencewas honed down to its essen- Franco regime. Spain was at something tials,making the dayslonger, time more of a standstill,still in shockfrom the Civil abundant.So I returnedto Spain,and re- War and the long isolation that followed turned, and eventu'allywent to live there it, threadbarecompared to the rest of Eu- in 1956, setting out to learn thg country, rope. Censorship,both moral and politi- and slowly absorb the Spanish senseof cal, hung heavy over the press,over the time. Spaniardshave a gift fbr exiranding universities,and overwriters and publish- the present,around a meal or a conver- ers, and the police had sharp antennae sation; and they are mastersof the cos- out for any sign of dissidence.The writ- mic shrug that shedsall preoccupations ers I knew complainedthat yearsofcen- exceptthose immediatelyat hand.
    [Show full text]
  • The Surreal Voice in Milan's Itinerant Poetics: Delio Tessa to Franco Loi
    City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects CUNY Graduate Center 2-2021 The Surreal Voice in Milan's Itinerant Poetics: Delio Tessa to Franco Loi Jason Collins The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/4143 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] THE SURREALIST VOICE IN MILAN’S ITINERANT POETICS: DELIO TESSA TO FRANCO LOI by JASON M. COLLINS A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Comparative Literature in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2021 i © 2021 JASON M. COLLINS All Rights Reserved ii The Surreal Voice in Milan’s Itinerant Poetics: Delio Tessa to Franco Loi by Jason M. Collins This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Comparative Literature in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy _________________ ____________Paolo Fasoli___________ Date Chair of Examining Committee _________________ ____________Giancarlo Lombardi_____ Date Executive Officer Supervisory Committee Paolo Fasoli André Aciman Hermann Haller THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii ABSTRACT The Surreal Voice in Milan’s Itinerant Poetics: Delio Tessa to Franco Loi by Jason M. Collins Advisor: Paolo Fasoli Over the course of Italy’s linguistic history, dialect literature has evolved a s a genre unto itself.
    [Show full text]
  • By Way of Old Petersburg: Desmond O'grady and Russian Poetry
    VTU Review: Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences Volume 5 Issue 1 2021 “St. Cyril and St. Methodius” University of Veliko Tarnovo By Way of Old Petersburg: Desmond O’Grady and Russian Poetry Alla Kononova University of Tyumen The article takes on a direction which has great potential for further studies of contemporary Irish poetry: studying the work of Irish poets through their relation to Russian literature. It focuses on the reception and reimagining of Russian poetry in the work of Desmond O’Grady, one of the leading figures in Irish poetry, who started writing in the mid-1950s. The article studies three poems by O’Grady which are ad- dressed to his Russian counterparts: “Missing Andrei Voznesensky,” “Joseph Brodsky Visits Kinsale,” and “My City,” a translation from Anna Akhmatova’s “Poem without a Hero.” None of these poems has yet been subject of thorough critical analysis. Each of the poems has become a signpost on O’Grady’s poetic map and an important element of his own “private mythology.” When analysed in the wider context of Irish poetry, they help form a clearer picture of the influence Russian literature has had on contemporary Irish poets. Keywords: comparative literature, Irish literature, contemporary Irish poetry, Desmond O’Grady, Irish-Russian literary connections, Andrei Voznesensky, Joseph Brodsky, Anna Akhmatova. Desmond O’Grady (1935–2014) is one of the most remarkable figures in Irish poetry of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. He is sometimes described as a phenomenon “unusual among Irish poets of his generation for both his interest in modernist experimentation and his immersion in the poetry of other cultures” (Mills).
    [Show full text]
  • CONTEMPORARY CHINA: a BOOK LIST (Winter 1999 — FIRST ON-LINE EDITION, MS Word, L&R Margins 0.9") by Lynn White
    PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: Woodrow Wilson School, Politics Department, East Asian Studies Program CONTEMPORARY CHINA: A BOOK LIST (Winter 1999 — FIRST ON-LINE EDITION, MS Word, L&R margins 0.9") by Lynn White This list of items in English has several purposes: --to help advise students' course essays, junior papers, policy workshops, and senior theses about contemporary China; --to supplement the required reading lists of the seminars WWS 576a/Pol. 536 on "Chinese Development" and Pol. 535 on "Chinese Politics," as well as the undergraduate lecture course, Pol. 362; --to provide graduate students with a list that can help their study for comprehensive exams in Chinese politics; a few of the compiler's favorite books are starred on the list, but not too much should be made of this, because some such books may be too old for students' purposes or the subjects may not be central to present interests; --to supplement a bibliography of all Asian serials in the Princeton Libraries that was compiled long ago by Frances Chen and Maureen Donovan. Students with specific research topics should definitely meet Laird Klingler, who is WWS Librarian and the world's most constructive wizard. This list cannot cover articles, but computer databases can. Rosemary Little and Mary George at Firestone are also enormously helpful. Especially for materials in Chinese, so is Martin Heijdra in Gest Library (Palmer Hall; enter up the staircase near the "hyphen" with Jones Hall). Other local resources are at institutes run by Chen Yizi and Liu Binyan (for current numbers, ask at EAS, 8-4276). Professional bibliographers are the most neglected major academic resource at Princeton.
    [Show full text]
  • The Rich Heritage African Americans North Carolina
    THE RICH HERITAGE OF AFRICAN NORTH CAROLINA AMERICANS HERITAGE IN North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development Department of Commerce NORTH 301 N. Wilmington Street, Raleigh, NC 27601-2825 1-800-VISIT NC • 919-733-8372 www.visitnc.com CAROLINA 100,000 copies of this document were printed in the USA at a cost of $115,000 or $1.15 each. Dear Friends, North Carolina is a state rich in diversity. And it is blessed with an even richer heritage that is just waiting to be explored. Some of the most outstanding contributions to our state’s heritage are the talents and achievements of African Americans. Their legacy embraces a commitment to preserving, protecting, and building stronger communities. The North Carolina Department of Commerce and Department of Cultural Resources acknowledge I invite you to use “The Rich Heritage of African Americans in North Carolina” as a guide to explore the history the generous support of the following companies in the production of this booklet: of the African American community in our state. If you look closely, you will find that schools, churches, museums, historic sites, and other landmarks tell the powerful story of African Americans in North Carolina. Food Lion Remember that heritage is not just a thing of the past. It is created every day. And by visiting these sites, you can be part Miller Brewing Company of it. Consider this an invitation to discover and celebrate the history that is the African American community. Philip Morris U.S.A. Its presence has made – and continues to make – North Carolina a better place to be.
    [Show full text]
  • PDF Du Chapitre
    Ruth Finnegan Oral Literature in Africa Open Book Publishers 10. Topical and Political Songs Publisher: Open Book Publishers Place of publication: Open Book Publishers Year of publication: 2012 Published on OpenEdition Books: 7 February 2014 Serie: World Oral Literature Series Electronic ISBN: 9781906924720 http://books.openedition.org Electronic reference FINNEGAN, Ruth. 10. Topical and Political Songs In: Oral Literature in Africa [online]. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers, 2012 (generated 26 avril 2021). Available on the Internet: <http:// books.openedition.org/obp/1197>. ISBN: 9781906924720. 10. Topical and Political Songs Topical and local poetry. Songs of political parties and movements: Mau Mau hymns; Guinea R.D.A. songs; Northern Rhodesian party songs. It has been well said that oral poetry takes the place of newspapers among non-literate peoples. Songs can be used to report and comment on current affairs, for political pressure, for propaganda, and to reflect and mould public opinion. This political and topical function can be an aspect of many of the types of poetry already discussed—work songs, lyric, praise poetry, even at times something as simple as a lullaby—but it is singled out for special discussion in this chapter. It is of particular importance to draw attention to this and to give a number of examples because of the common tendency in studies of African verbal art to concentrate mainly on the ‘traditional’—whether in romanticizing or in deprecating tone—and to overlook its topical functions, especially its significance in contemporary situations. There have been a few admirable exceptions to this attitude to African oral literature, notably Tracey and others associated with the African Music Society (see esp.
    [Show full text]
  • AC Vol 40 No 10
    23 July 1999 Vol 40 No 15 AFRICA CONFIDENTIAL ALGERIA 3 ORGANISATION OF AFRICAN UNITY Alger l'Africaine President Bouteflika reestablished Tougher talk Algeria's anti-colonial credentials when he hosted the OAU summit Africa's big three - Algeria, Nigeria and South Africa - focused the and marketed his country as a summit on peace talks and ending military rule dynamic economy at the junction of Africa, Europe and the Middle For once, the Organisation of African Unity caught the mood of the continent, balanced uneasily East. He wanted to show visitors between hope and despair. Hope that, after shaky ceasefire agreements in Congo-Kinshasa and that national reconciliation was Sierra Leone, the Algiers OAU summit (12-16 July) might progress towards resolving the conflicts working and convinced many. ripping through over one-fifth of Africa’s 53 states. Despair that good intentions are far from realisation, as economic weakness persists and old conflicts linger on in Angola and Sudan. Yet by FRANCE/OIL 4 the standards of summits in general and OAU summits in particular, it was constructive. Zambia’s President Frederick Chiluba flew off to Congo-K to persuade the quarrelling rebel Totally elfin factions to sign the 10 July Lusaka peace accord; Nigeria’s President Olusegun Obasanjo flew to For decades the oil company Elf meet embattled President José Eduardo dos Santos in Luanda; United Nations Secretary General Aquitaine has played a key role for Kofi Annan flew back to New York (via Slovakia) with proposals for UN help in peacemaking in French policy in Africa. After its Congo, Sierra Leone and Eritrea-Ethiopia.
    [Show full text]
  • The Elements of Poet :Y
    CHAPTER 3 The Elements of Poet :y A Poetry Review Types of Poems 1, Lyric: subjective, reflective poetry with regular rhyme scheme and meter which reveals the poet’s thoughts and feelings to create a single, unique impres- sion. Matthew Arnold, "Dover Beach" William Blake, "The Lamb," "The Tiger" Emily Dickinson, "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" Langston Hughes, "Dream Deferred" Andrew Marvell, "To His Coy Mistress" Walt Whitman, "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking" 2. Narrative: nondramatic, objective verse with regular rhyme scheme and meter which relates a story or narrative. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "Kubla Khan" T. S. Eliot, "Journey of the Magi" Gerard Manley Hopkins, "The Wreck of the Deutschland" Alfred, Lord Tennyson, "Ulysses" 3. Sonnet: a rigid 14-line verse form, with variable structure and rhyme scheme according to type: a. Shakespearean (English)--three quatrains and concluding couplet in iambic pentameter, rhyming abab cdcd efe___~f gg or abba cddc effe gg. The Spenserian sonnet is a specialized form with linking rhyme abab bcbc cdcd ee. R-~bert Lowell, "Salem" William Shakespeare, "Shall I Compare Thee?" b. Italian (Petrarchan)--an octave and sestet, between which a break in thought occurs. The traditional rhyme scheme is abba abba cde cde (or, in the sestet, any variation of c, d, e). Elizabeth Barrett Browning, "How Do I Love Thee?" John Milton, "On His Blindness" John Donne, "Death, Be Not Proud" 4. Ode: elaborate lyric verse which deals seriously with a dignified theme. John Keats, "Ode on a Grecian Urn" Percy Bysshe Shelley, "Ode to the West Wind" William Wordsworth, "Ode: Intimations of Immortality" Blank Verse: unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter.
    [Show full text]