Unit 5: Ousman Kijera 2

Videos
Community Images
Pedagogical Activities

Metadata

TitleConversation with Ousman Kijera 2
InterviewerFallou Ngom, Bala Saho
SubjectDefending local Islamic traditions, higher Islamic education, foreign influences in African Islamic culture, scholarly collaboration
ContentOusman Kijera was born in 1989 in Banjul, The Gambia. He spent part of his Quranic studies in The Gambia and another part in Casamance, Senegal. He worked as a Quranic teacher for years. During that time, Mr. Kijera spent ten years researching healing methods based on African medicine and Quranic methods of healing. He learned from the elders healing methods based on plants and Islamic medicine, and practiced many of them. He serves now as a Mandinka Ajami writer, poet, singer, and healer with a focus on herbal and Islamic medicine. Mr. Kijera  has written on various topics related to culture, moral values, and African cultural rules. In this interview, Mr. Kijera discusses the dangers of foreign influences to African Islamic culture, and the ways to strengthen and cultivate local knowledge and its transmission. He criticizes his local Muslims who study abroad and return with new religious views, disrespect local Islamic traditions, and create tension in their communities. He calls for respect for the legacy of local elders who cultivated peace, unity, piety, and knowledge, and not conflict and division.
LanguageMandinka
ScriptMandinka Ajami
LocationJeeda Kayrakunda, Birikama, The Gambia
Pedagogical content/applicationIncludes relevant linguistic, stylistic and cultural skills as identified in our assessment guidebook/ ACTFL guidelines
Access condition and copyrightThese materials are subject to copyright and are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 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).
ContributorsFallou Ngom, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, Bala Saho, Ablaye Diakite, Mamadou Aw Ndiaye, Ousmane Cisse, Alison Parker, and Frank Antonelli.
Required citation informationFallou Ngom (PI), Daivi Rodima-Taylor, Bala Saho, Mamadou Aw Ndiaye, Ousmane Cisse, Ablaye Diakite, and other contributors. 2022. “Conversation with Ousman Kijera 2.” https://sites.bu.edu/ria/mandinka/mandinka-unit-5/

Videos

Mandinka with English Subtitles

Mandinka with Latin Script Subtitles

Community Images

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  • Bala Saaho niŋ a dimmaalu, Brusubi, Gambiyaa. || Bala Saaho and his children, Brusubi, The Gambia.

  • Busumbaala Sila baa kaŋ, Gambiyaa. || On the main road, Busumbala, The Gambia.

  • “Gambiyaa la poliisi kafoo be looriŋ ila tankoo aniŋ ila suturoo le kunna.” Banjuuluu, Gambiyaa. || “The Gambia police force cares about your safety and security.” Banjul, The Gambia.

  • Yusufa Dembaa, Mandinka kaŋ safeeroolu kisi-kisilaalu la jaatiimaa, aniŋ Kambaani ndiŋo doo miŋ be ataaya taboo la. Birikaama, Gambiyaa. || Youssoufa Demba, facilitator of the fieldwork team, with a young man making tea. Brikama, The Gambia.

  • Too niŋ telefonoo yirikoo miŋ be safeeriŋ Mandinka kaŋo la wandi bundaa to: “635394-Afaŋ Laŋ Saane, Jaara Daasalaame.” Birikaama, Gambiyaa. || A name and phone number in Mandinka Ajami at someone’s door: “635394. Afaŋ Laŋ Saane, Jaara Dasalaame.” Brikama, The Gambia.

  • IQRA Karambuŋo la karandiŋoolu laadulaa, Kitty, Gambiyaa. || IQRA Boarding School, Kitty, The Gambia.

  • Siloo muŋ tambita Bijilo, Gambiyaa. || A road passing through Bijilo, The Gambia.

  • Kayirabaa Siloo, Seerekundaa, Gambiyaa. || Kairaba Avenue, Serrekunda, The Gambia.

  • Sila baa kaŋ i ka miŋ kili “Palma Rima Junction.” Gambiyaa. || On the main road called “Palma Rima Junction.” The Gambia.

  • Jaameŋ ndiŋo muŋ be Birikaama, Gambiyaa. || A small mosque in Brikama, The Gambia.

  • Kisi-kisilaalu niŋ Kijeera la suukono nkoolu be siiriŋ kaccaa la ala suu bundaa to. || Fieldwork team members discussing with Kijera and his family in front of his house.

Pedagogical Activities

Glossary
Notes
Exercises
Mandinka Keyboard

Glossary

  1. Aadoolu: Traditions, customs (singular aadoo)
  2. Arijanna, arijana, alijanna: Heaven, paradise, from Arabic al-jannah
  3. Bankoo: Land, country, ground
  4. Banta, bantoo to: Out, outside (not to be confused with ‘finished’)
  5. Bii: Today, now, nowadays
  6. Caaboo: Key
  7. Daajikoo: Behavior, habit, manner, personality
  8. Daawa, dawa: Preaching, invitation to the Islamic faith, from Arabic daʿwa
  9. Deŋ: To hang
  10. Duwaa: Supplication, prayer, blessing
  11. Fatafiŋ, fata-fiŋo: Black skin, black people, black race
  12. Fatakoyi, fata-koyoo: White skin, white people, white race
  13. Fitinoo: Fight, strife, dispute, trouble, from Arabic fitna
  14. Furee: Corpse, dead person
  15. Hijjoo: Pilgrimage to Mecca, from Arabic ḥajj
  16. Horomo: Respect, consideration, honor
  17. Ka a horoma: To respect, consider, honor
  18. Ka a lakura: To finish, end, complete, be ready
  19. Ka a ñuŋ: To carry, to take responsibility of something
  20. Ka a puruca: To disparage, show contempt
  21. Ka a saamu: To classify, categorize, pile up goods for sale
  22. Ka a sika, ka a cika: To raise, lift up, pick up
  23. Ka a soosoo: To deny, quarrel  
  24. Ka a tulu buŋ, ka a tuloo buŋ: To hit someone’s ear, slap
  25. Ka dendeŋ: To lean on, lurk, put aside
  26. Ka jaakali: To worry, be concerned, be anxious
  27. Ka jii: To get down, land, descend, climb down
  28. Ka kambeŋ: To unite, get along
  29. Ka ñoo muta: To unite, respect each other
  30. Ka ñoo-muta, ka ñoŋ muta: To support each other, help each other
  31. Ka ñoo-saba, ka ñoŋ saba: To quibble, quarrel, fight, dispute
  32. Ka sonka: To fight over, argue
  33. Ka waalii: To oppose, differ, disagree
  34. Kaabakuyaata, kaabakuyariŋ: Problematic, complicated, puzzling, mysterious
  35. Kajafiroo: To slander, insult, from kajafi (insult, slander)
  36. Kummaayaata, kumaayaata: Important, prominent
  37. Kunuŋ: Yesterday, in the past
  38. Londoo: Knowledge, education, founding
  39. Lonnaa: Erudite, learned person, knowledgeable person, scholar
  40. Mooyaa: Commonsense, decency, humanism, generosity
  41. Ñimma: Beautiful, pretty, nice
  42. Ñoo kanuriŋ: Loving one another
  43. Ñoo moyiriŋ: Hearing one another, getting along
  44. Sañoo: Back below the neck, upper back
  45. Silaŋo: Fear
  46. Soosooroo: Denial, disagreement
  47. Tooroo: Harm, suffering
  48. Waaliyo: Difference, conflict, disagreement
  49. Wula: Bush, forest, overseas, abroad, foreign land

Notes

  1. Aadoolu ñimmaa: “Beautiful traditions.” This refers to local virtues and traditions that form the Mandinka moral philosophy.
  2. Bidaa, bidaa: Sinful innovations in Islam that conservative Muslims reject because they believe that they diverge from Prophet Muhammad’s traditions. It comes from the Arabic word bidʿa.
  3. Bii moolu: “Today’s people.” This refers to the contemporary generation. It contrasts with kunuŋ alfaalu (literally, elders of yesterday), meaning the older generations, predecessors, or ancestors.
  4. Fatafiŋ bankoolu: Literally, “Black people’s lands.” This refers to Black African countries, in contrast to Fatakoy bankoolu (literally, White people’s lands).
  5. Ka a sañoo sika: “To lift one’s upper back.” This expression means to show off, to boast, to pretend to be better than everyone else, to be arrogant.
  6. Mashriqi: From the Arabic word al-Mashriq (the East); used in the video to refer specifically to local Muslims leaders who studied in Saudi Arabia and follow the Saudi understanding of Islam.
  7. Saama Luŋo: Literally, “The Day of Tomorrow,”  meaning the Judgement Day in Mandinka.

Exercises:

Comprehension || Writing || Listening / Speaking and Conversation || Cultural Competence

Comprehension: Video

Comprehension: Image

Writing

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For exercises 1-6 below, open the Mandinka Ajami keyboard, type text, and copy-paste it into the box.
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Listening / Speaking and Conversation

  • Podkastoo niŋ Widewoo: Podkastoo ke ñiŋ widewoo kaccaa-kuma-kaŋoolu kunna, waraŋ i ye widewoo sutuŋoolu ke minulu be widewoo la kaccaa-kuma-kaŋoolu koyindi la.

Cultural Competence

  • Teyaataroo safee aniŋ Mandinka safeeri-kuloolu la muŋ be aada kummaayaariŋo yitandi la.