A Person with a Livelihood Will Never Be Destitute (Mai Sana’a Ba Ya Tsiya)
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| Title | A Person with a Livelihood Will Never Be Destitute (Mai Sana’a Ba Ya Tsiya) |
| Author or Owner | Amīnu Na Baban-Inda Kano Yalwa aka Aminu of Kano (author), Malam Yaro Hakayi Yalwa (scribe), Paden (owner) |
| Subject | Work Ethic, Laziness, Entrepreneurship, Prosperity, Poverty, Respect |
| Content | This poem was written by the tailor, Aminu of Kano, in 1965. Malam Yaro Hakayi Yalwa is the scribe who put it in its current form in 1968. It is dedicated to those who strive to learn a trade/craft (entrepreneurship) for self-reliance. It pays tribute to those that are engaged in any lawful handcraft, business, and so on. On the other hand, the poem condemns those who are arrogant and jobless. The title, “A Person with a Livelihood Will Never Be Destitute,” spells out the poem’s subject matter. The poet highlights the benefits of having a job or engaging in some form of entrepreneurship. These include self-reliance, confidence, honor, respect, and wealth. Conversely, the disadvantages of being jobless/unemployed include overdependence on others, disrespect from the society, enmity, envy, hatred, and the tendency to engage in drug abuse and crime. The poet strongly advises us to be entrepreneurs and shun joblessness and laziness. |
| Genre | Poetry |
| Language | Hausa |
| Script | Hausa Ajami |
| Manuscript condition | 7 pages. 26 x 19 cms. Condition: good |
| Type | Lithograph |
| Publisher | N.M.P., Kano |
| Provenance | Kano, Nigeria |
| Source Reference | Amin Na Baban-Inda, “Mai Sana’a Ba Ya Tsiya” (1965/1968). 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 de Lucia, Babacar Dieng, Rebecca Shereikis, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, Alison Parker, Frank Antonelli, 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 Person with a Livelihood Will Never Be Destitute.” https://sites.bu.edu/nehajami/the-four-languages/hausa/hausa-manuscripts/paden-438-mai-sanaa-ba-ya-tsiya/ |
Manuscript
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Transcription and Translations
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