POETIC EXPRESSOIN LELNA SONGS
POETIC EXPRESSOIN LELNA SONGS
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Date
1994-08
Authors
PENI, SAMUEL ANGO
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Abstract
ABSTRACT
Very l i t t l e has been written about the h i s t o r y or
c u l t u r e of the Lelna people of Zuru Emirate in Kebbi State
of Nigeria. The s i t u a t i o n is worse in the area of Lelna oral
l i t e r a t u r e , where nothing significant has over been documented
or analysed. This work is an attempt to f i l l t h i s gap and to
make Lelna o r a l l i t e r a t u r e available to those who do not
understand C ' l e l a (the language of the Lelna). The work
focuses on songs, the most dominant form of Lelna o r al
l i t e r a t u r e , end discusses three genres of Lelna songs, namely:
C 'Bomo, C'Kemgte, and Nam C'Debe, corresponding r e s p e c t i v e ly
to the categories in English known as the p r a i s e , blame and
lament genres. This six-chapter study demonstrates the
s t y l i s t i c devices which the a r t i s t s use to espouse Lelna
world view, values and b e l i e f s . The composers make e f f e c t i ve
use of the i n t r i n s i c q u a l i t i e s of poetry to impart t h e ir
messeages permanently in the minds of their l i s t e n e rs
The f i r s t chapter gives a general background of
Lelna people and the socio-cultural context of their songs-
After reviewing the available l i t e r a t u r e on oral poetry,
as well as on African oral l i t e r a t u r e in general, the
work's theoretical framework, methodology and scope are
stated. In the presentation of the material, a chapter each
i s devoted in turn to the three genres of Lelna songs.
Ix.
One chapter presents the training and career of
Lelna a r t i s t s and the conclusion discusses the functions
of Lelna songs, the problems and prospects of the continued
existence of Lelna oral poetry and possible areas of further
research.
Description
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL,
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA, IN FULFILMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF
MASTER OF ARTS IN LITERATURE
Keywords
POETIC, EXPRESSOIN, LELNA, SONGS