Illustrations

Frontispiece: The praise singer Mqhyai, distinguished Xhosa imbongi, in traditional garb with staff (photo courtesy Jeff Opland)

Figure 1. Dancer, West Africa (photo Sandra Bornand). xvi

Figure 2. The author on fieldwork in Limba country, northern Sierras Leone, 1964. xxii

Figure 3. Nongelini Masithathu Zenani, Xhosa story-teller creating a dramatic and subtle story (photo Harold Scheub). 4

Figure 4. Mende performer, Sierra Leone, 1982 (photo Donald Cosentino) 8

Figure 5. Dancers from Oyo, south West Nigeria, 1970 (photo David Murray).20

Figure 6. ’Jellemen’ praise singers and drummers, Sierra Leone (Alexander Gordon Laing Travels in the Timmannee, Kooranko and Soolima Countries, 1825). 36

Figure 7. ’Evangelist points the way’ Illustration by C. J. Montague. From the Ndebele edition of Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, 1902. 48

Figure 8. Arabic script of a nineteenth-century poem in Somali (from B. W. Andrzejewski ’Arabic influence in Somali poetry,’ in Finnegan et al 2011). 53

Figure 9. Reading the Bible in up-country Sierra Leone, 1964 (photo David Murray). 55

Figure 10. Tayiru Banbera, West African bard singing his 94

Epic of Bamana Segu (photo David Conrad).

Figure 11. Songs for Acholi long-horned cattle, Uganda, 1960 (photo David Murray). 139

Figure 12. Funeral songs in the dark in Kamabai, 1961 (photo Ruth Finnegan). 147

Figure 13. Limba girls’ initiation, Biriwa, Sierra Leone, 1961 (photo Ruth Finnegan).166

Figure 14. Ceremonial staff of Ogun, Yoruba, probably late eighteenth century. 206

Figure 15. Limba work party spread out in the upland rice farm, inspired by Karanke’s drumming, Kakarima, 1961 (photo Ruth Finnegan). 225

Figure 16. Work company of singing threshers at Sanasi’s farm, Kakarima, 1961 (photo Ruth Finnegan).226

Figure 17.Limba women pounding rice, 1961 (photo Ruth Finnegan). 233

Figure 18. ’Funky Freddy’ of The Jungle Leaders playing hip- hop political songs that were banned from Radio Sierra Leone for their protest lyrics (courtesy Karin Barber). 275

Figure 19. ’The Most Wonderful Mende Musician with his Accordion’: Mr Salla Koroma, Sierra Leone. 288

Figure 20. Radio. Topical and political songs, already strong in Africa, receive yet further encouragement by the ubiquitous presence of local radio (courtesy of Morag Grant). 290

Figure 21.Sites of many Limba fictional narratives 372

entrance to a hill top Limba village, Kakarima
1961 (photo Ruth Finnegan);

start of the bush and the bush paths where
wild beasts and the devils of story roam free, 1961
(photo Ruth Finnegan).

Figure 22. ’Great Zimbabwe’, the spectacular ruins in the south of the modern Zimbabwe, 1964 (photo David Murray). 377

Figure 23. ’Karanke Dema, master story-teller, drummer, musician and smith, Kakarima, 1961 (photo Ruth Finnegan). 378

Figure 24. Thronged Limba law court, site of oratory, Kamaba, 1961 (photo Ruth Finnegan). 433

Figure 25. Masked Limba dancer and supporters, Kakarima, 1962 (photo Ruth Finnegan). 486

Figure 26. Dancing in Freetown— continuing site of oral literature and its practitioners, 1964 (photo David Murray).

At end: Maps of Africa (© John Hunt).