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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Oral Poetry and Political Dissent in Somali Society: The Hurgumo Series
Author:Samatar, Said S.ISNI
Year:1989
Periodical:Ufahamu
Volume:17
Issue:2
Pages:31-52
Language:English
Geographic term:Somalia
Subjects:Somali
oral poetry
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
Literature, Mass Media and the Press
Abstract:The Somali tradition that great events, especially political events, should occasion great outpourings of literary creativity, is still alive and well, to judge by the 'Hurgumo Chain' of poems. The origin of these poems goes back to the beginning months of 1978 when a group of Somali oral poets, sensing their country's lurch towards economic and political disaster, took it upon themselves to articulate the 'nation's ills' through the medium of oral poetry. The Hurgumo consists of seven poems and is a collection of considerable literary merit. A content analysis of parts of the poems demonstrates something about the character and social context of Somali poetry generally. Poetry for the Somalis serves, as the Hurgumo case illustrates, as a social barometer reflecting the thoughts and actions, the realities and fantasies, the aspirations and fears of the Somalis. It also reveals how the urban influences the countryside; urban habits of mind have profoundly affected the pastoral world. Notes, ref.
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