“Sheikh Umar” by Abubakar Tafawa Balewa within the context of Hausa religious literature

Authors

  • Анастасия Викторовна Ляхович St. Petersburg State University, 7-9, Universitetskaya nab., St. Petersburg, 199034, Russian Federation

Abstract

The article reads “Sheikh Umar” by Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as one of important monuments which marks the transition from medieval literature to the modern fiction. The main focus is given to specific features of “Sheikh Umar” such as religious didactics, concepts (mutumin kirki, ‘good man’) etc. which are deeply rooted in Hausa religious literature. One of the primary ideas states that destiny determines the life of human being. So the heroes of “Sheikh Umar” do not have any freedom to choose. The structure of “Sheikh Umar” also bears similarities to homiletic literature. Innovative idea of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa allows possibility of integration between fiction and religious work. Fictional framing of “Sheikh Umar” is based presumably on the stories of the Arabian “One thousand and one nights”. Refs 8.

Keywords:

Hausa, religious literature, modern fiction, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa

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References

Литература

Furniss G. Poetry, prose and popular culture in Hausa. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press for the International African Institute, 1996. 338 p.

Пригорицкая Ю. В. «Песнь о Багауде» и жанр рифмованной хроники в литературе хауса: дис. … канд. филол. наук. СПб., 2002. 260 с.

Mischlich A., Lippert J. Beiträge zur Geschichte der Haussa-Staaten // Mitteilungen des Seminors für orientalische Sprachen. 1903. Bd 6. S. 137–242.

Rattray R. S. Hausa Folk-Lore, Customs, Proverbs, etc.: collected and translated with English translation and notes. Vol. I–II. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913. URL: www.najaco.com/books/folklore/hausa.htm

Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. Shehu Umar / transl. by A. N. Skinner. London: Longmans, 1967. 80 p.

Добронравин Н. А. Исторические рассказы Северо-Западной Нигерии. СПб.: Изд-во С.-Петерб. ун-та, 2004. 154 с.

Тысяча и одна ночь: в 8 т. М.: Гослитиздат, 1959.

Kirk-Greene A. H. M. Mutumin Kirki: Th e Concept of the Good Man in Hausa. Indiana, 1974. 41 p.

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Published

2014-09-22

How to Cite

Ляхович, А. В. (2014). “Sheikh Umar” by Abubakar Tafawa Balewa within the context of Hausa religious literature. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Asian and African Studies, (3), 73–80. Retrieved from https://aasjournal.spbu.ru/article/view/2128

Issue

No. 3 (2014)

Section

Literary studies

License

Articles of "Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Asian and African Studies" are open access distributed under the terms of the License Agreement with Saint Petersburg State University, which permits to the authors unrestricted distribution and self-archiving free of charge.

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