The History of Muhammadu Foodee Kuli Silla (Muhammadu Foodee Kuli Silla la Taariko)
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| Title | The History of Muhammadu Foodee Kuli Silla (Muhammadu Foodee Kuli Silla la Taariko) |
| Author or Owner | Arfang Karamo Sylla (owner and translator of the original Arabic text into Mandinka Ajami), Muhammadu Foodee Kuli Silla (author of the Arabic original) |
| Subject | History, Biography, Mandinka Society, Marriage, Revelation, Healing Power, War |
| Content | The manuscript is a biography of the Mandinka scholar Shaykhu Muhammadu Foodee Kuli Silla (1752-1843). It is based on an Arabic original. It was updated and translated into Mandinka Ajami by the current owner, Arfang Karamo Sylla, who is a great grandson of the author. The manuscript traces the origin of Shaykhu Muhammadu Foode Kuli Silla to Eastern Senegal, a region called Bunduŋ or Boundou. It describes how he traveled to the region of Pakaawu in Casamance (southern Senegal) and was taken in by a local host family. His host’s daughter had a wounded foot that Shaykhu Muhammadu Foodee Kuli Silla healed, thus earning the daughter’s hand in marriage and fulfilling a prophecy he had heard before he left Bunduŋ. Their son, Foodee Saamaŋ Silla, also called Silla Baa [The Great Silla in Mandinka], became an Islamic scholar renowned in the region. He took part in the battle of Manduwaar in March 1843 and died several months later. |
| Genre | Poetry |
| Language | Mandinka |
| Script | Mandinka Ajami |
| Manuscript condition | The manuscript is in good condition |
| Type | Handwritten |
| Publisher | Unpublished |
| Provenance | Sedhiou, Senegal |
| Source Reference | British Library: https://eap.bl.uk/archive-file/EAP1042-14-1; Ngom, Fallou, Castro, Eleni, & Diakité, Ablaye. 2018. African Ajami Library: EAP 1042. Digital Preservation of Mandinka Ajami Materials of Casamance, Senegal: https://open.bu.edu/handle/2144/37438 |
| 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, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, Eric Schmidt, Rebecca Shereikis, Alison Parker, Shawn Provencal, and Mark Lewis. |
| Required citation information | Fallou Ngom (PI), Ablaye Diakite, Bala Saho, Ousmane Cisse, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, and other contributors. 2022. “The History of Muhammadu Foodee Kuli Silla.” https://sites.bu.edu/nehajami/the-four-languages/mandinka/mandinka-manuscripts/muhammadu-foodee-kuli-silla-la-taariko/ |
Manuscript
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Transcription and Translations
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