African Traditional Poetry
Poetry
is meant to be recited or sung orally. The written forms and attendant theories
that have been formulated about poetry represent developments in the medium in
response to the growth and the complexity of human societies and the problem of
communication. Recent studies of the traditional literature of many societies
have revealed that African communities have always had their own ideas of the
nature and function of poetry. Among the Somali the poet is revered and poetry
has been long recognised as a serious and functional form of art. The Swahili
Utenzi shows clearly that poetry is known and appreciated as a special form of
art practised by the gifted. Among the Yoruba the Ewi describes this art form,
while Awoonor has shown in Guardians of the Sacred Word that poetry is a
well-known art in traditional Ghanaian society.
Traditional
poems are a serious art form dealing with the range of human experiences: they
conjure up whole worlds, are rich in figurative language and present beautiful
pictures in words. They contain deep reflections about the world and man’s
place in it, and treat the relation between man and his environment and nature.
These themes are found in oral poetry composed as religious poetry, songs and
lyrics, dirges, praise-poetry, occupational poetry, the poetry of abuse,
satires and celebratory poetry. Although we refer to them as traditional poems,
they continue to be composed in the various contemporary indigenous African
languages, illustrating the dynamism of the forms.
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