Poem on Current Issues (Balukuu Suukuwo)
Quick Jump: Manuscript || Transcription/Translations || Multimedia
| Title | Poem on Current Issues (Balukuu Suukuwo) |
| Author or Owner | Bafode Diaby (author and owner) |
| Subject | Culture, Education in Mandinka, Ajami Writing, Self-sustenance |
| Content | This poem is an appeal to Mandinka speakers to study and learn their own language just as Westerners do. It discusses how learning and studying in one’s mother tongue can create deeper understanding of oneself and ways and means to develop one’s society. It also talks about the deterioration of traditions due to “modernity,” while exhorting the youth to depend on themselves and pray to Allah for salvation. It warns Mandinka people of relying too much on Westerners, not only for language and culture, but also for food, sustenance and development. It argues that this reliance has led to rifts forming between the generations because of new ways of spending time like football, dancing in nightclubs and drinking tea for hours as common in Senegambia. It appeals to Mandinka people to focus on cultivating their own language and culture with the help of God in order to ensure the long-term strength and vibrancy of Mandinka society. |
| Genre | Poetry |
| Language | Mandinka |
| Script | Mandinka Ajami |
| Manuscript condition | The manuscript is in very good condition and legible. |
| Type | Handwritten |
| Publisher | Unpublished |
| Provenance | Mandina Wandifa, Senegal |
| Source Reference | British Library: https://eap.bl.uk/archive-file/EAP1042-17-2; Ngom, Fallou, Castro, Eleni, & Diakité, Ablaye. 2018. African Ajami Library: EAP 1042. Digital Preservation of Mandinka Ajami Materials of Casamance, Senegal: https://hdl.handle.net/2144/37583 |
| 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 | Fallou Ngom, Ablaye Diakite, Bala Saho, Ousmane Cisse, Martin Aucoin, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, Eric Schmidt, Marie Binta Badji, and Alison Parker, Frank Antonelli, Shawn Provencal, and Mark Lewis. |
| Required citation information | Fallou Ngom (PI), Bala Saho, Ablaye Diakite, Ousmane Cisse, Martin Aucoin, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, and other contributors. 2022. “Poem on Current Issues.” https://sites.bu.edu/nehajami/the-four-languages/mandinka/mandinka-manuscripts/balukuu-suukuwo/ |
Manuscript
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Transcription and Translations
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Multimedia