Arfang Cisse Manuscript Collection
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Item Biniiboo aniŋ Booroo: Panegyric Poetry and Medicinal TextCisse, Kalifa; Diadji, AlphaConsists of two manuscripts. The first is an Arabic panegyric poem celebrating the life and work of Prophet Muḥammad, which contains numerous Arabic glosses. The original author is Alpha Diadji, a famous Mandinka scholar. The second document is a bilingual Arabic-Mandinka Ajami text dealing with prayers and numerological formulas to cure several ailments. The medicinal recipes discussed in the text include the use of lemon, eggplant, some roots, and tree barks.Item Suukuwo: Mandinka Ajami PoetryDabo, SitokotoThe manuscript is a copy of the original written in Mandinka Ajami by Arfang Boubacar Dabo, also known as Arfang Sitokoto Dabo. Sitokoto Dabo is the most famous Mandinka Ajami poet in Senegambia. His poems are widely known and chanted in Mandinka communities in the region. He was born in Oudoucar in the region of Sedhiou and spent many years in the town of Diao-Soukoutoto before relocating to The Gambia, where he lived until his death. The poem gives tribute to God for His glory and mercy and prays for the faithful. The end of the poem includes a personal note with the French Western calendar date structure ‘le 31 juillet 1996’ (July 31, 1996), written in Mandinka Ajami and the equivalent date in the Mandinka calendar is also provided. There is an additional page in this collection that is not part of the poem. It is a prayer for protection from witchcraft.Item Images of manuscript owner Arfang Cisse (right) and Mosque in Diattircounda(2018-07-22) Ngom, IbrahimaImages of manuscript owner Arfang Cisse (right), Ibrahima Yaffa (left), and Mosque in Diattircounda, Kolda, Senegal. Taken during the manuscript digitization work done in July 2018.