Excerpt from: Collected works of Nana Asma’u, daughter of Usman ‘dan Fodiyo (1793-1864)
Files
Nana Asma'u poetry excerpt
Date
1997
DOI
Authors
Asma'u, Nana
Version
OA Version
Citation
Collected Works of Nana Asma'u, Daughter of Usman 'dan Fodiyo (1763-1864), edited by Jean Boyd and Beverly Mack.
Abstract
This manuscript is a collection of poems written by Nana Asma'u Bint Usman 'dan Fodiyo, a nineteenth-century Muslim scholar, who lived in the region now known as northern Nigeria and was an eyewitness to battles of the largest of the West-African jihads of the era. The preparation and conduct of the jihad provide the topics for Nana Asma'u's poetry. Her work also includes treatises on history, law, mysticism, theology, and politics, and was heavily influenced by the Arabic poetic tradition. Asma'u rallied public opinion behind a movement devoted to the revival of Islam in West Africa, and organized a public education system for women. The poems are written in Fulfulde Ajami.
Description
The entire manuscript is available for download as a single PDF file. Higher-resolution images may be available upon request. For technical assistance, please contact open-help@bu.edu.
Fieldwork Team: Jean Boyd.
Technical Team: Jean Boyd and Beverly Mack.
Access Condition and Copyright: Ajami script samples courtesy of Michigan State University Press, reproduced from Collected Works of Nana Asma'u, Daughter of Usman 'dan Fodiyo (1763-1864), edited by Jean Boyd and Beverly Mack.
Provenance and Condition of the manuscript (Provenance/Custodial History):
Original ajami manuscripts are owned by Fodiyo family, Sokoto, Nigeria; reproduced in Collected Works by permission.
The manuscripts have been collected and copied by Jean Boyd in Sokoto, Nigeria, 1970s.
Condition of manuscripts: copies only provided.
License
Ajami script samples courtesy of Michigan State University Press, reproduced from Collected Works of Nana Asma'u, Daughter of Usman 'dan Fodiyo (1763-1864), edited by Jean Boyd and Beverly Mack.