Afrax, Maxamed Daahir (2013) Between Continuity and Innovation: Transitional Nature of Post‐Independence Somali Poetry and Drama, 1960S – the Present
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Afrax, Maxamed Daahir (2013) Between continuity and innovation: transitional nature of post‐independence Somali poetry and drama, 1960s – the present. PhD Thesis. SOAS, University of London http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/18432 Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non‐commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this thesis, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", name of the School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination. Between Continuity and Innovation: Transitional Nature of Post-independence Somali Poetry and Drama 1960s – the Present Mohamed Dahir Yusuf AFRAH Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD in African Studies 2013 Department of the Languages and Cultures of Africa SOAS, University of London 1 Declaration for PhD thesis I have read and understood regulation 17.9 of the Regulations for students of the School of Oriental and African Studies concerning plagiarism. I undertake that all the material presented for examination is my own work and has not been written for me, in whole or in part, by any other person. I also undertake that any quotation or paraphrase from the published or unpublished work of another person has been duly acknowledged in the work which I present for examination. Signed: ___ ____________________Date: __8/9/2013_______________ 2 Abstract This study explores the transitional nature of post-independence Somali poetry and drama. It examines this in the context of the historical, political and social changes that have taken place in Somalia in the period leading up to and following independence in 1960. This is viewed as a period of transition from a traditional way of life to a modern one and from pre-colonial and colonial systems to an unsuccessful nation-state building. The purpose of the study is to examine the salient features of post-independence Somali poetry and drama with a view to determine whether these features display evidence that these two forms are both in a state of transition. To achieve this goal extensive research, collecting data and analysing it, was undertaken. This study, which explores a subject that has never been studied before, draws on original sources of Somali poetry and drama. Different research methods were applied, including examination of source texts, interviews, archival research and conversations with people involved in the field. This led to the conclusion that post-independence Somali poetry and drama, both of which are the product and expression of a historical period of transition, appear to be in a transitional state. The term ‘transitional’ is used in the sense that the poetry and drama in question are in a passage between traditional and modern ways of cultural expression, between orality and writing and between conformity to tradition and responding to the pressures and influences of a changing, modern life. By exploring, for the first time, the significant changes in post-independence Somali poetry, which gave it the stated transitional character, this thesis makes an original contribution to the study of Somali literature. Another original contribution emerges from the uncovering of the nature of Somali drama as an art form in transition. Highlighting the links which the stated literary developments have with the unprecedented, political, social and economic changes and crisis that have taken place in post-independence Somalia, may help towards better understanding of Somali realities and the root causes of the current Somali predicament. 3 CONTENTS Abstract 3 A note on the spelling of Somali names 8 Acknowledgements 9 CHAPTER 1 11 INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY 11 1. 1 Introduction 1.2 research question and objectives 14 1.3 the structure of the study 16 1.4 situating the transition: contextual background 18 1.5 situating the transition: conceptual background and definitions of the terms 23 1.6 review of the existing literature 33 1.7 methodology 47 1.8. summary 54 CHAPTER 2 55 DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED IN THE CATEGORISATION AND NAMING OF SOMALI POETRY 55 2.1 Introduction 55 2.2 ‘genre’ and ‘form’ 56 2.3 ‘classical’ and ‘miniature’ genres 61 4 2.4 Maanso vs. hees 66 2.5 Heello or hees? 70 2.6 Conclusions 84 CHAPTER 3 88 TRANSITIONAL NATURE OF POST-INDEPENDENCE SOMALI POETRY: CHANGING ASPECTS 88 3.1 Introduction 88 3.2 Predominance of the gabay challenged 89 3.2.1 Position of the gabay in former times 91 3.2.2 Emerging precedence of short-lined genres 94 3.2.3 The jiifto as the gabay successor 97 3.2.3.1 Jiifto or masafo? 98 3.2.3.2 The jiifto takes the lead: the case of the public forum poetry (maanso-goleed) 109 3.2.3.3 The jiifto takes the lead: the case of the modern song (hees-casri) 118 3.3 Disappearance of melodic chant (luuq) 124 3.4 Poetic introduction fading away 129 3.5 The poets’ use of different techniques in different contexts 143 3.6 Transitional method of poetry transmission 148 3.7 Conclusion 152 CHAPTER 4 154 TRANSITIONAL NATURE OF POST-INDEPENDENCE SOMALI POETRY: CHANGE-DEFYING FEATURES 154 4.1 Introduction 154 4.2 Fundamentals of miisaan and the development of Somali metrical studies 154 4.3 Alliteration and its unchanged use to date 159 5 4.4 On the border between tradition and modernity 167 4.5 Conclusion 175 CHAPTER 5 BETWEEN CONTINUITY AND INNOVATION: TRANSITIONAL NATURE OF SOMALI POST-INDEPENDENCE DRAMA 177 5.1 Introduction 177 5.2 Conflicting influences of the old and the new in earlier post-traditional literature 179 5.3 Innovators yet keepers of the word: transitional content of contemporary plays 182 5.4 Use of traditional techniques in plays with modern themes 193 5.5 Production methods in transition 199 5.6 Conclusion 204 CHAPTER 6 TRANSITIONAL NATURE OF SOMALI POST-INDEPENDENCE DRAMA AS OBSERVED IN THE PLAY SHABEELNAAGOOD 205 6.1 Introduction 205 6.2 Brief background and a synopsis of the plot 206 6.3 The message in focus 217 6.3.1 Xasan’s metamorphosis into a committed playwright 218 6.3.2 Thematic emphasis and the playwright’s message-orientedness in the play 224 6.3.2.1 Poetic inserts as dramatic action 233 6.3.2.2 Prologue and epilogue as theatrical magnifiers 240 6.3.2.3 Subordinate plot for thematic emphasis 251 6.3.2.4 Didactic instruction veiled with humour 256 6.4 Engaging traditional culture to dramatise modern themes 262 6.5 conclusion 273 6 CHAPTER 7 275 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 275 7.1 Introduction 275 7.2 Main arguments and conclusions 276 7.3 Summary of the relevance and contributions of this study 280 7.4 Limitations and recommendations for further research 282 REFERENCES 284 7 A note on the spelling of Somali names Due to the absence of an official system for writing Somali before 1972, the name of a Somali author may be found written in confusingly different ways, depending on the language used in writing the work in hand. For example, one may find the first name of the well known historian, Shiikh Jaamac Cumar Ciise, written in different sources using different languages as Shiikh Jaamac (Somali), Sheikh Jama (English), Cheek Djama (French) or Sceek Giama (Italian). To minimise such a confusion, libraries with substantial holdings in the Somali field have adopted a system for cataloguing Somali entries recommended by the late Professor Andrzejewski (1980) based on the official Somali script and customary naming order. In Somali tradition, surnames are not used. Persons are identified by their given names followed by the names of their fathers and grandfathers. In accordance with this and in conformity to the above mentioned system proposed by Andrzejewski, names of Somali authors in this study are not inverted. All Somali names are given in the official Somali orthography, unless a different spelling of the name of an author is used on the title page of his or her work. For the reader unfamiliar with the Somali orthography, most sounds are pronounced more or less the same as in English apart from the following: ‘c’ is the voiced pharyngeal fricative, the ‘ayn of Arabic, ‘x’ is used for the voiceless pharyngeal fricative, ‘q’ is used for the uvular stop which may be pronounced voiced or voiceless according to context, ‘kh’ is the voiceless uvular fricative (only found in Arabic loan words) and ‘dh’ is the voiced retroflex plosive. Short vowels are written with a single letter and long vowels with a double vowel letter. Many Somali authors are best known by their nicknames, sometimes used as pen- names as well. The use of nicknames is generally very common in Somali tradition. Many people use it for purposes somewhat parallel to those for which surnames are used in Western cultures. To turn this rather confusing anomaly into a potential advantage, I propose to treat in this study Somali nicknames as though they were surnames, i.e. to begin entries on the references list (where relevant) with the author’s nickname followed by a comma, followed by his official name (e.g. Hadraawi, Maxamed Ibraahim Warsame). This may help faster reference to the author in question, given the extensive use of nicknames by Somalis, who may only identify persons with their nicknames.