A Poem in Honor of the Emir of Kano (Waƙar Sarkin Kano)
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| Title | A Poem in Honor of the Emir of Kano (Waƙar Sarkin Kano) |
| Author or Owner | Abd al-Wahhab Adam al-Falaki (author), Umar Falke (owner) |
| Subject | Literature, Eulogy for the Emir of Kano, Abdullahi Bayero, Diplomacy, England |
| Content | This is a short poem praising Abdullahi Bayero (1881-1953), who reigned as Emir of Kano from 1926-1953. The poem deals with the Emir’s trip to England in 1953, shortly after Elizabeth II ascended to the throne. The poem starts off with a doxology, seeking Allah’s assistance. It then goes on to mention the great qualities of the Emir – being educated, charismatic and worthy of recognition. The reader of the poem is made to believe that the poet composed the song while the Emir was on a trip to London. Although the name of the poet is not stated, it is likely written by one of the Emir’s kinsmen, since Emirs always traveled with some kinsmen. In the poem, reference is made to British diplomats, officials, residents, and the Queen of England. These, the poet says, all stood in ovation to honor the Emir of Kano Abdullahi Bayero. |
| Genre | Poetry |
| Language | Hausa |
| Script | Hausa Ajami |
| Manuscript condition | 1 leaf. 17 x 22 cm. //2 pp. of text. Condition: Exercise book paper folded in the middle. Partially vocalized. |
| Type | Handwritten |
| Publisher | Unpublished |
| Provenance | Kano, Nigeria |
| Source Reference | Abd al-Wahhab Adam al-Falaki, “Waƙar Sarkin Kano Abdullahi Bayero” (nd). Courtesy of Northwestern University Libraries. Click here for the source link. |
| Access condition and copyright | These materials are subject to copyright and are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 License, which permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. For use, distribution or reproduction beyond these terms, contact Professor Fallou Ngom (fngom@bu.edu). |
| Contributors | Jennifer J Yanco, Mustapha Hashim Kurfi, Garba Zakari, Lori deLucia, Babacar Dieng, Rebecca Shereikis, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, Alison Parker, Mark Lewis, Shawn Provencal, Eric Schmidt. |
| Required citation information | Fallou Ngom (PI), Jennifer Yanco, Mustapha Hashim Kurfi, Garba Zakari, Babacar Dieng, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, and Rebecca Shereikis. 2022. “A Poem in Honor of the Emir of Kano.” https://sites.bu.edu/nehajami/the-four-languages/hausa/hausa-manuscripts/falke-2729-wakar-sarkin-kano/ |
Manuscript
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Transcription and Translations
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