ABSTRACT
Voice and Power, ed. R.J.Hayward & I.M.Lewis (ALC Supplement 3, 1996): 205-212.
Few African oral literatures have had as their major western exponents linguists who were themselves distinguished poets in their own language. Here B.W.Andrzejewski was quite exceptional and his poetically inspired research on Somali language and oral poetry has brought the hitherto largely hidden riches of Somali poetry to the attention of the world. As he would be the first to acknowledge, despite his impressive achievements1 and the work of those who have followed in his footsteps,2 there is still a great deal to be done on traditional genres, their range of contents, and their social contexts, before the scope of this remarkable heritage can be considered to be comprehensively charted. One of the most glaring lacunae here is that the poetry of the Rahanweyn which, up to the present, has remained essentially undocumented and generally unknown both amongst the Somalis of other clans and non-Somali scholars. This is all the more remarkable in a way since the role of the bard (laashin) as a professional specialist, is more clearly developed amongst the Rahanweyn (or Reewin-as they call themselves) than in any other Somali group. Protected as well as alienated from other Somalis by their very distinctive speech (not mutually intelligible with ‘Common Somali’),3 despite their national economic importance as grain producers, these clans, with their substantial population, have remained since colonial times largely marginal to the traditionally pastoralist majority who have sought to dominate them. Among the latter, poetry is less professionalized and poetry composition is so widespread that it might be described as a national pastime.
