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Bezig met laden... The Epic of Askia Mohammed (African Epic)door Thomas A. Hale, Nouhou Malio
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Askia Mohammed is the most famous leader in the history of the Songhay Empire, which reached its apogee during his reign in 1493-1528. Songhay, approximately halfway between the present-day cities of Timbuktu in Mali and Niamey in Niger, became a political force beginning in 1463, under the leadership of Sonni Ali Ber. By the time of his death in 1492, the foundation had been laid for the development under Askia Mohammed of a complex system of administration, a well-equipped army and navy, and a network of large government-owned farms. The present rendition of the epic was narrated by the griot (or jeseré) Nouhou Malio over two evenings in Saga, a small town on the Niger River, two miles downstream from Niamey. The text is a word-for-word translation from Nouhou Malio's oral performance. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)896.5Literature Literature of other languages African languages Nilotic, Nubian, Sudanic and Saharan languagesLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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The first half of the epic tells of the birth and rise to power of Mamar Kassaye, as Askia Mohammed is called in the text, the founder of the Askia dynasty of the Western African Songhay Empire.We start with Mamar's mother, Kassaye, conceiving via an encounter with a water spirit and hiding her son from the current ruler who was given a prophecy that one of Kassaye's children will grow up to kill him and become ruler; Mamar fulfills the prophecy, goes on pilgrimage to Mecca, has adventures, and founds a dynasty.
The second half deals with Mamar's descendants, and I have to admit I got kind of lost there. There's a long genealogy given before we get to any more action, and I had very little idea of who anyone was and why they were important. Having notes alongside the text rather than at the end of the book probably would have helped a great deal.
Despite my difficulty with the second half, I did enjoy the epic and hope it becomes more widely known. ( )