Title: Poetry, Performance, and Art:<i>Udje</i>Dance Songs of Nigeria's Urhobo People
Abstract:The Malian philosopher Hampaté Bâ states that in Africa, "a dying old man is a burning library" (qtd. in Sallah 35). Traditional African culture is oral, and the literature in the forms of epic, legen...The Malian philosopher Hampaté Bâ states that in Africa, "a dying old man is a burning library" (qtd. in Sallah 35). Traditional African culture is oral, and the literature in the forms of epic, legend, folktale, song, and others is transmitted by word of mouth from one generation to another. Ba's metaphor of a burning library underscores both the limitations of an oral culture such as the traditional African and the urgent need to retrieve as much of the folklore as possible for study and preservation before its aged custodians die with their vast knowledge. While much is known of the poetic forms of African majority ethnic groups such as Akan dirges, Yoruba oriki and ijala, and Zulu izibongo, little is known of poetic creations of minority groups such as Urhobo udje dance songs, undoubtedly one of the most poetic of Africa's indigenous poetic forms.Read More
Publication Year: 2001
Publication Date: 2001-06-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 9
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot