ORAL POETRY AND SOMALI NATIONALISM by Said S. Samatar ( 9780511735370 )

Item Details

Title:

ORAL POETRY AND SOMALI NATIONALISM
THE CASE OF SAYID MAHAMMAD 'ABDILLE HASAN

By:

Format:

Electronic book text

List price:	£85.00
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ISBN 10:

0511735375

ISBN 13:

9780511735370

Publisher:

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS

Pub. date:

7 May, 2010

Series:

African Studies 32

Description:

This book explores the influence of oral poetry on Somali politics.

Synopsis:

This book explores the influence of oral poetry on Somali politics. By reconstructing the history of the Somali nationalist resistance movement, mainly through the use of political oratory in verse form by its leader, Sayyid Mahammad 'Abdille Hasan', the 'Mad Mullah' of British history, Said Samater shows how an indigenous resource can be harnessed in a non-literate society, not only as a medium of mass communication but also as a tool for acquiring political power. He traces the intimate correlation between language, politics and oral poetry and seeks to suggest to students of African societies ways of examining indigenous forms of communication used by traditional African creators of large-scale organisations in the absence of writing, to influence public opinion. The book is an important contribution to the history of the Horn of Africa and its new material on the role of oral literature in a non-literate society will interest linguists, sociologists and anthropologists, as well as students of folklore and comparative literature.

Publication:

Imprint:

Cambridge University Press (Virtual Publishing)

Returns:

Non-returnable

Some other items by this author:

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ORAL POETRY AND SOMALI NATIONALISM (HB)

ORAL POETRY AND SOMALI NATIONALISM (PB)