The study area of this paper is hyperbole
in Hausa oral songs. In contemporary Hausa studies, it is named Kambamar Zulaƙe
(exaggeration or overstatement). In the study of the style under review, it is
discovered that the literal and technical meaning of hyperbole is far beyond
exaggeration or overstatement. It is a popular style, deeply rooted in all the
categories of Hausa oral songs. It traces in the most prominent styles in Hausa
oral songs and its popularity in dispensing ideas and presenting facts in
singing profession is a good point to be considered. The contextual meanings of
hyperbole Hausa oral songs present it as evidently beyond mere exaggeration. In
folkloric point of view, many of the said statements are well protected in
worldview…
Hyperbole As
The Peak Of Stylistic Adornment In Hausa Oral Songs
Aliyu Muhammadu Bunza
Department of Nigerian Languages
Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto
mabunza@yahoo.com 0803 431 6508
Being a lead paper presented at the 3rd
Annual Conference and 12th NFS Congress organized by Nigerian
Folkloric Society, Center for Research in Nigerian Languages and Folklore,
Bayero University, Kano, with the theme: Oral Poetry In Nigeria: Prospects And Challenges In The 21st
Century, Monday, October 26th - 27th, 2015 at Musa
Abdullahi Auditorium, Bayero University, Kano.
ABSTRACT
The study area of this paper is hyperbole in Hausa oral songs. In
contemporary Hausa studies, it is named Kambamar Zulaƙe (exaggeration or
overstatement). In the study of the style under review, it is discovered that
the literal and technical meaning of hyperbole is far beyond exaggeration or
overstatement. It is a popular style, deeply rooted in all the categories of
Hausa oral songs. It traces in the most prominent styles in Hausa oral songs
and its popularity in dispensing ideas and presenting facts in singing
profession is a good point to be considered. The contextual meanings of
hyperbole Hausa oral songs present it as evidently beyond mere exaggeration. In
folkloric point of view, many of the said statements are well protected in
worldview and folkloric opinions. In this view, the idea of Kambamar Zulaƙe
must be revisited to capture the true meaning of Kambama under the rating
scale of prominent and potential Hausa oral singers. In this respect, ten
rating scales were carefully looked into through twenty relevant examples from
ten popular Hausa oral singers across Hausaland. The study recognizes traces of
hyperbole/Kambamar Zulaƙe in all the prominent styles in Hausa oral
songs. In addition, its presence in any style would make the style bold and
exalted in the said song. It is discovered that, the masterpieces of all prominent
Hausa oral singers use hyperbole style to enhance the profile of their art. In
the opinion of this paper, hyperbolic adornment is the apex of stylistic
pyramid in Hausa oral song. Hyperbole, once it is employed, is the seal of
stylistic adornment, after which no embellishment necessarily counts. Finally,
I conclude by saying hyperbole is the masterpiece of all styles in Hausa
oral performances.
Introduction:
In all the segments of
Hausa Oral performance, Oral Songs are the most popularly exalted arts in the
history of Hausa Folklore. Singing is of course a very widely spread culture
across the human race regardless of age, gender and social status. Traces of
oral songs are well pronounced in folktales, legends, myths, histories,
storytelling, proverbs, riddles and jokes, ceremonies, rituals and certain
religious activities. In the historical origin and development of Hausa society
from time immemorial to the present period, oral songs dominated a very great
significant aspects of the socio-economic, political, religious and security
awareness in the community. Professional oral singers are the custodian and
preservers of the political culture and the great treasury of the people’s socio-economic
heritage. My paper intends to study one prominent but neglected as well as
misunderstood aspect of style in Hausa Oral songs in the name of “hyperbolic
expression” which I believe to be the umbilical cord of poetic messages in oral
entertainments. The nearest meaning of ‘hyperbolism’ in Hausa is “Kambamar Zulaƙe’. Kambama is “exaggeration” and Zulaƙe stands for “hyperbole” or “overstatements”
in poetic adornment. However, in my argument, the paper sees the concept far
beyond ‘Zulaƙe’ in its technical input and grammatically above “Kambama”
in its contextual functions in the styles of Hausa Oral songs. Thus, the discussion
is addressed in the following context.
Hausa Oral Songs:
Two forms of songs
dominated Hausa song repertoire; oral and written. The former originated from
pre-historic era possibly dated back to the beginning of Hausa society itself;
while the later was a recent development perhaps with the introduction of
writing and reading culture in Hausaland by the Muslim and Christian missionaries.
In the modern study of Hausa poetry, the duo are named as oral song and
literate verse respectively. Historically, the whole business of Hausa songs
was oral and it was from the oral, that the so-called literate verse emerged.
In Hausa language “wak’a” is the literal term for both categories. The
term “mawaqi” “singer” applies to both segments. Though the two shared many things
in common to the extent that, up till now, critics and scholars of both Hausa
songs are yet to come up with any serious dissimilarities in the context and
style of oral and written songs. However, this study is specifically on oral
songs in Hausa, and hence all the relevant examples would be drawn from the
desired target.
Hausa Perception of Songs and Singing:
Hausa perception of
“song” is far beyond the mere literal meaning of “singing a song”. Poetry is
accepted to be a well constructed grammatical expression in a very beautiful
melody pronounced or recited in a charming voice to convey a message to the
audience and entertain them. This may be a fair definition of “Song” “wak’a”
in Hausa. However, it also contains other socio-cultural definitions such as:
(i)
A consistently
empty promise made.
(ii)
Un-redeemed
pledges with no hope to clear it up.
(iii)
Hopeless
prayers/hearsay or a dream that never was.
(iv)
Exaggerated
expressions in folklore.
(v)
Dramatized
story, history, tale or fictitious events.
(vi)
Foregone
issue being revisited with no impact.
(vii)
Pleasant
voice in recitation of a message or prophecy.
(viii) Pronouncement conveyed with the aid of
musical instrument.
(ix)
Song/ poem.
Folkloric concept of song in Hausa society
is beyond mere entertainment. Adorned statements, expressions, hopeful and
hopeless assumptions, are parts of the extended meaning of “Song” in Hausa. To
punctuate this jungle of definitions of a song in Hausa context it can be summed
up as: a song may be the true art of a singer or whatever is beautified to
capture the mind of the listeners or audience; or what cannot be ascertained,
like mere political or misleading statements.
A singer is though
considered a great philosopher and a teacher with versatile experiences of human
problems and solutions; he is accepted as a gifted person, learned in the
exchange of ideas and the dispensation of knowledge to the appropriate audience.
A singer is considered to be a man of the people in his art and always a solid
reference to the community through the prophecy of his art and the
philosophical assessments in his master piece and popular songs. In this view,
a singer is a great man in the society as his art are committed and well
preserved in the mind of elders, intelligent and right thinking people in the
society. In a nut shell, everybody is a singer when it comes to expression of
wisdom and adopting worldviews in apprehending issues at stake. We all sing to
remember certain issues, forget calamity, reduce anxiety, refresh our memory
and thought, accept or contest issues at stake. Singing culture largely
dominated major aspects of our folkloric activities from ancient period to the
present civilized era of development. Therefore, minus singing we are alone, if
not hollow. We either sing to dispense messages of our beloved professional
singers or we sing to confront challenges in our routine activities or to
correct anomalies confronting our progress. In human tradition, a wicked person
is too reserved, very isolated, and always mute in ugly shape. Should he try
singing or listen to songs these bad moods must disappear. The best antidote
for anger is laughing and smiling, which are the central messages in singing.
The Hausa saying: “ban tava jin wak’ar wane ba” (I never heard him singing) means he is
wicked to the highest order. Therefore, without singers and songs, the
atmosphere is assumed to be unfriendly and the affected community remains a
difficult environment to enjoy.
Style in Oral Songs:
The art of singing is a gifted wisdom
granted to very few individuals in the society. To compose a song means to
create an idea carefully studied and verified with relevant facts as it takes up
the task of confronting challenges and providing counter arguments. Thus, the building
bricks of a potential singer are the scientific facts in his orature, and
popular philosophies of the great philosophers. These materials would be
reduced into poetic language to form a pyramid which we call song. The
process of diluting these great ideas to convey the appropriate messages in
poetic devices is what is known as styles. These styles are adornments
which build up a well constructed poetic pyramid of any serious song. In the
struggle to create any attractive style within the styles of pyramids,
hyperbole would be the terminal adornment which this paper considered “the apex
of the pyramid”. Hyperbole style is a basket of poetic styles; all the
prominent poetic styles are within its territory hence its traces are very
common in enhancing colours to the study area in songs. Styles are the
techniques and methodologies of injecting poetic ideas into the minds of
listeners. It is from the attributes of the styles that we accept or reject the
idea chanted in a song. It is the style’s technique that makes audience to
laugh, cry, shout, or even run mad in words and actions. Anything provocative
in a song has something to do with its style. It is the beauty of the style
that makes a song to answer its name as song and not a grammatical in flow of
speech or lecture. In the whole district of style, hyperbole is the district
head in the province of oral song. I very much pray that from today’s discussions,
hyperbole would be upgraded to kingdom in the historic land of Hausa oral
songs.
Hyperbolic Adornment:
After a very thorough and
careful study of hyperbolic expression in Hausa oral songs from different
categories of Hausa Songs by Hausa oral singers and varieties of their songs; I
discovered that hyperbolized expression in its literal meaning is an exaggeration
or overstatement. Exaggeration is the act of exaggerating; overstatements;
hyperbole. The verb “exaggerate” is to describe or represent beyond the bound
of truth; to over state or to increase or enlarge immoderately. In the art of
folklore, hyperbole is a poetic or rhetorical over statement.
In Hausa oral songs,
hyperbole is named “Kambama” and at its extreme end it is popularly
named ‘Kambamar Zulaƙe”. In Hausa literary studies, hyperbolic
expressions are very common in oral songs and fictitious works. “Kambamar
Zulaƙe” refers to an expression or statement beyond the bound of human
imagination, scientifically contestable, and indeed completely impossible. In
literary studies, these are marked as stylistic devices to beautify poetic
expressions in the event of entertainment.
Hyperbolic expressions
are intentional statements, purposely concocted by the singer to express the
extent of his feeling, assessments or knowledge of the subject under review. it
is the apex of stylistic pyramid in Hausa oral songs. Hyperbolic statements in
Hausa oral songs are purposely staged in the performance to demonstrate any of
the following:
(i)
To elaborate
issues beyond any shadow of doubt.
(ii)
To beautify
statements in poetic assessment.
(iii)
To add more
colour in decorating and enlarging a point or fact under review.
(iv)
To attract
attention of audience to the very point in the song.
(v)
To perfectly
demonstrate facts in the singer’s poetic opinion.
(vi)
To entertain
the audience accurately and satisfactorily.
(vii)
To demonstrate
language expertise in the art.
(viii) To express the extent of the singer’s
poetic analysis and level of commitments in the very song.
(ix)
To mark the
apex and extreme boundaries of stylistics adornments in the very subject of the
song.
Traces of Hyperbolic Adornment in Hausa Oral Song:
In poetic opinion,
hyperbolic adornment is not exaggeration nor can it be condemned as half-truth
or overstatement as per its literal meaning in relation to the content of the
message therein. In each hyperbolic statement, the poet makes a special
observation on the cultural values attached to it. In the stylistics analysis
of Hausa oral songs, hyperbolic adornments appear under the guise of:
1.
Praising.
2.
Condemning.
3.
Evaluation.
4.
Narrating
tale/story/history.
5.
Expertise.
6.
Impact.
7.
Supernatural.
8.
Death.
9.
Boasting and
Swanking statements.
10.
Religion
Praising:
Praise songs composed by
praise singers are fond of many traces of hyperbolic adornments especially in
praising heroes in their professional right. To praise any hero, certain
qualities of braveness are usually escalated to add more weight to his
personality and capability. Bawa ‘Dan’anace’s words in praising Muhammadu Shago ‘Yarkahoji the leading hero in the world of
traditional boxing in Hausaland had the following colours:
Jagora: Lahira a kai miki gawa
:Yaro
hattaranka ga sababi nan
:Ka da
aradu ta far ma
:Halan
dai ba ka san halin
:Qanen
ajali ba?
:Sannu
da d’ibas shed’a
:Mutuwa
ke daxe kina kashe bayi
:In da
lahira ana aza dambe
:Da
Wanakiri ya ji wal! Ga gaba nai.
Translation:
Leader: Netherworld recipients
of expire body
:Oh you boy! Be aware of advancing tragedy
:Lest the thunder bolt fall on your (head)
:Aren’t you aware of the brutality of minor
death?
:I salute you! For the fatal instances
wickedly conducted
:Mr. Death you have the records of a very
long tragic episode
:Should there be a chance to stage boxing
in the hereafter
:The body of (angel) Wanakir would suffer the
severity of your punch!
What a wonderful
adornment for a boxer to be named “world beyond”, “tragedy”, “thunder”, “minor
death”, just to praise his braveness and brutal action in physical
confrontation. All these statements portray the consequences awaiting
challenges and dear contestants by the anticipated tragic end in the contest.
The worse terminal consequence of any war or physical confrontation is “death”
and so the name of the hero. Who would dare to meet such a terrible end
unceremoniously? The objective is to distinguish the hero with all the best and
highest qualities of greatness in the human world. In ‘Dan’anace’s assessment Shago is a mysterious conqueror and the only hero during his
hay days. In this respect, the apex of the pyramid in boxing profession is
being reached by the boxer Shago.
Alhaji Gambo Fagada the
notorious praise singer of thieves uses varieties of hyperbolic statements in
praise of his men in the dirty business. The song of Manu Dahin Gumbire most
exalted brigand in the Western region of Hausaland, Gambo master piece, Manu
surpasses all the highway bandits as per his courage, fearlessness and confidence
in the highway operation. Gambo addresses the client in the following terms:
Jagora: Ko bataliyas soja
:Tas
shiga daji in hwad’a maka
:Manu
Dahi na xan taya ta.
Translation:
Leader :Even if a military
platoon (troop) were to
:Enter
the thick forest/bush (Manu’s abode)
:Manu
will try his luck to chase it.
The highest security
measure in any civilized society is the one provided by the military. Police and
the rest of security personnel are meant to monitor internal security and
arrest any unwanted situation. It is only when these able personnel were
overpowered and run back for dear life, that military would be invited to
extinguish the wonderful booming flame and restore peace at all cost. In
Gambo’s opinion, the fire brigade approach and military style of soldiers in
wars and battles is like a child’s play to Manu Dahi provided they meet in the
bush while he is on duty (robbery) on a particular road. A criminal who can
single handedly chase a military battalion out of a forest while conducting robbery
is certainly unbelievable. The apex of security pyramid is military and in
Gambo’s evaluation Manu Dahi dominated the game by his courageous effort to
disarm the team and operate successfully. What a wonderful Manu Dahi and his
intelligent singer!
Condemnation:
In an attempt to praise
(anything) singers do condemn its opposite to balance the poetic equation
properly. The message content of condemnation is mostly as hyperbolic as in
praising. Hyperbolic ingredients in condemnation would tell the audience how
serious is the rating scale of the singer to the subject under review. During
the field work research of this paper, I met a 4 - 6 year old boy at Birnin
Kebbi ‘Yaryara area singing a song to a rival friend saying:
:Tarmani yar riqe shi sauro yam marai
:Kai ku riƙe shi kar takaici ya
kashe shi.
Translation:
Leader: You did mentioned
that your younger brother is not a weakling?
:How
comes an ant held him up and (Mr.) mosquito slapped him
:Oh
my dear! Hold him (properly) it is sad, let him not die from lamentation.
In Hausa society, a weakling
is a calamity to the whole family and nobody wants to be recognized as a lazy
guy. In all the categories of oral songs the lazy person used to be the target
of attack and condemnation. Against all odds, a lazy man is incapable of managing
his foolishness and stupid habit of poor performance at-least to survive in
hardship. In Hausa perception, ants and mosquitoes, are the smallest creatures
in the human world, it is obvious that even a frog or lizard can swallow
hundreds of such creatures. However, our guest singer is saying that the idiot
lazy guy is being trapped and bundled by an ant which invites mosquito to slap
him up. What a terrible laziness indeed! Certainly, it is an un-imaginable tale,
but a singer has all the rights to entertain his beloved audience. To the best
of my knowledge, there is nothing lower than this level of un-seriousness which
is metaphorical comparison evinces. Therefore, the apex of the style is
perfectly reached with this terminal example.
In the songs of Gero
Zartu Argungu a public singer, be coined an excellent example in the song “Ka Ji
Rincimi”. His words in condemning an unnamed prostitute, was very hyperbolic in
assessing her sexual life with very keen emphasis to her carnal unpleasant
condition in the following:
Jagora: Durin wance ko ƙafar katafila
Yara : Bai
fi shi garace ba
Gindi : Ka
ji rincimi Allah koro da masoyina.
Translation:
Leader: The horrible cracks
in her vagina
:Is worse than the ridges of caterpillar.
How can this testimony be
testified? The singer is at the extreme side, and the audience has nothing to
add. Those who assess must be able to defend their position or else decline to
do so. We cannot dispute the assessment by the experienced hand, but the level
at which it is assessed is at the high side. The comparison is only to indicate
the gravity of the situation and nothing else.
Evaluation
Singing ministry is a
school of high education; of evaluating facts and fallacies in human world.
Oral singers mastered the art of evaluating what they believed in or what they
loved to do or see, or the ideas they wish to present in their songs. As usual,
master piece of many songs usually carry such messages. In the study of Hausa
perception of beauty and love, Muhammadu Sani Xanbolxo punctuates the issues in details in his
masterpiece: “Song of the Divorced” “Wak’ar Zaura”. In the ballad, Sani
exposes traditional notion of the meaning of “beauty” and “handsome” in Hausa
tradition which centered specifically on the length of the “nose” and colour of
skin, sometimes accompanied with “golden eyes”. Sani being from the heart of
Hausaland Zamfara hold the popular notion that “nose” is the best yard stick
for women’s beauty. He narrates:
Jagora: Farar fatat ta ka rud’a ni
:Dun
nar rice
:Tsawon
hancinta misali nai
:Ya kai mil goma misalin dogon hanci.
(Waƙar Zaura)
Translation:
Leader: I was confused by
the white colour of her skin
:I
submitted to her unconditionally
:The
length of the nose as I see it
:It
is about ten miles that is the moderate believe you me!
Muhammadu Sani was enamored of the girl he
falls in love with. Her nose was the only visible organ he recognized from the
face. He managed to convince the lady to visit his family and they met the very
day. He invited the wife of his elder brother to come and see her and possibly
examine the class of the lady. The family gathered by the side of the entrance
of hut/room (zaure) of the house facing the lady and the singer. The story
goes:
Jagora: Nac ce: “Kulu zo ga zaura na samu”
:Tac ce:
“Sai na ga ta Mamman in ta k’warai ta”
:Nal
lalla’bo ta tas shiga zaurenmu
:Kulu
tar ra’ba bakin darni
:Tac ce: “Bar kak ki da hutawa yarinya”
:Da zaurar
tad d’aga hancinta
:Da ta
ture su da zaure duk sun fad’i.
Translation:
Leader: I said: “Kulu come
and see the divorcee I got”
:She
said: “I must see her to ascertain her class”
:I
convinced her to enter into the hut
:Kulu
came along, with others to see her
:She
welcomed her: ”Lady how are you doing?”
:When
the divorcee raised her nose up to answer
:The
nose was about to pull down the family and the hut all together.
It is supposed to be; ‘When she raised her
head up.” However, the singer was so blind of all the organs attached to her
head, beside the attractive nose. Alas! The whole head is considered ‘nose’ and
the only visible movable organ to the best of Xambalxo’s poetic opinion. All his actions in the
said song are hyperbolic in nature, but the nose carries the highest
expression.
If you doubt the
assessment of Sani Xambalxo as per the length of his beloved nose, now
the evidence at the meeting with his family is a pointer to the fact mentioned.
Of course, the aim is not to exaggerate the nose nor the beauty, but to
convince the audience that: “Hankali ka gani ba ido ba”; “the sight is
in the mind and not in the eyes”, if you fall in love with anything, it is
difficult to give a fair, moderate, or accurate assessment of it. What you love
much would always remain in your mind as a dream and it always appears in your
eyes as the only object under the sky. The Hausa cultural perception of beauty
is in the shape of the “nose” and, it must be reasonably long, approaching the lips
and mouth. If the pyramid of beauty is the face, then for the face to be
recommended as beautiful, its apex “the nose” must satisfy all the necessary
cultural parameters. Indeed, Sani is not beyond the bounds of truth in his
hyperbolic adornment of the nose of his dear lover. In actual sense, the nose
is within the limit of the human level and up to the pass mark of Hausa cultural
score card of beauty. In examination, the score for distinction grade is
between 70-100, the gap between the figures is 30. But in scoring ‘A’ grade no
special heed is paid to the extra 25 points, once you reach 70 it is as equal
as score 100. What is wrong in adding extra points to the lady’s nose, hence
she got the distinction grade of 70 points in Xambalxo’s assessment? The apex of beauty is the
nose, minus the nose, it is a fail grade, but plus the nose, the sky is the
limit. Thanks to Professor Xambalxo.
Expertise:
In praise of experts and
their handwork some elements of hyperbolic adornments are applied to balance
the assessment. Professionals in crafts and industries had their professional
singers who are well familiar with their professions and areas of their expertise.
It is un-usual to praise an expert without adding extra colour to his area of
specialization to entertain him, his professional colleagues and their clients.
In a ceremonial song of “Tashe” Ayya Taqaji, the ‘Tashe’ singer elevated the position
and the experience of Jikan Hako the chief of barbers of their village in the
barbing profession as follows:
Jagora: Jikan Hako Wanzamin wanzammai mutane
Yara: Shi
yaw wa kunkuru k’aho
:Sauro ya yi beli yax d’ebe mai
Translation:
Leader: Jikan Hako the barbers’
barber, oh my people!
:He conducts
cupping to a tortoise
:And amputates
mosquito’s uvula successfully
The pointer here is to
buttress the handwork of the barber and his wonderful records of experience.
Cupping a tortoise is like cupping a stone which is un-precedented. Conducting successful
uvula amputation on a mosquito is completely impossible. To be an expert, is to
handle extra ordinary issues to a successful completion, and so the Jikan Hako
in the barbing profession. The science of cupping is to reduce excess and wastage
blood from the body. Where can this be possible at the back of a tortoise? Uvula
is in the throat and way down to the middle of the neck. To catch or apprehend
a mosquito is not a problem but to trace its neck and throat with naked eyes
and human hands is out-rightly impossible, let alone the tools to conduct the
alleged operation. All these attributes may be seen as hyperbolic, but the real
message is to qualify Jikan Hako as a well skilled barber and also the leading
figure in barbing profession in their domain.
In the song of Amali
Sububu we have a clear picture of hyperbolic adornment in narrating the
expertise and the struggle of his careful driver. Their journey from Bauchi,
and Borno to Kano was a very pleasant one. It was in Kano they met a serious
hold up as he narrates:
Jagora: Mun taso da Borno
:Ga mu
muna son mu kwan gida
:Mun
kawo cikin Kano
:Mun
ishe an yi go solon
:Rannan
na ga wautarka
Yara: Wai kac ce ina za mu bi?
Gindi: Mu zo ganin Shehu ya saba da canjin
giya
:Da hawa da gangara duk bisa hankali za shi yi
Jagora: Mun taso da Bauchi
:Ga mu
muna son mu kwana gida
:Munka biyo
cikin Kano
:Mun
ishe an yi goslon
:Rannan
na ga laifin ka
Yara: Wai ka ce ina zamu bi?
Gindi: Mu zo ganin Shehu ya saba da canjin
giya
:Da hawa da gangara duk bisa hankali za shi yi
Jagora: Tafi rutsa cikin su!
Yara: Shiga dai Allah Ya kama muna
Jagora: Ta fi kutsa cikin su!
Yara: Tafi dai Allah Ya kama muna
Gindi: Mu zo ganin Shehu ya saba da canjin
giya
:Da hawa da gangara duk bisa hankali za shi yi
Jagora: ‘Yansanda suna faxin
Yara: Alhaji kak ka sava muna!
Jagora: Mun ka hito cikin Kano
:Nad
duba cikin gilas
:Dan
nan nag ga motarsu
Yara: An ce mai da mu za su yi
Gindi: Mu zo ganin Shehu ya saba da canjin
giya
:Da hawa da gangara duk bisa hankali za shi yi
Jagora: In sun mai da mu Kano ko
:Kul suka mai da mu Kano
Yara: Duka ba ka oda sukai
Jagora: To da su mai da mu Kano
Yara: Gara ka je da mu lahira!
Gindi: Mu zo ganin Shehu ya saba da canjin
giya
:Da hawa da gangara duk bisa hankali za shi yi
Jagora: Yac ce dahe k’orenka
:Kuma dai kama bakin ka
:Kai dai kama yaranka
Yara: Yau motar ga tashi ta kai
Gindi: Mu zo ganin Shehu ya saba da canjin
giya
:Da hawa da gangara duk bisa hankali za shi yi
Jagora: Alhaji yag galale ta
Yara: Hat tak kai garin yin hira
Jagora: Alhaji ya azabe ta
Yara: Hat ta kai ga tashi sama
Gindi: Mu zo ganin Shehu ya saba da canjin
giya
:Da hawa da gangara duk bisa hankali za shi yi
Jagora: Sai babbansu yay yi tsawa
:Yac ce ku
dakata ba mota ba ce
Yara: Ashe aljannun qasar Bima ne.
Gindi: Mu zo ganin Shehu ya saba da canjin
giya
:Da hawa da gangara duk bisa hankali za shi yi
Translation:
We left Borno
Aiming to reach
home same day
As we reached
Kano only to meet
A serious hold
up
That day you
behaved foolishly
You asked me,
where to penetrate?
That day I was
not pleased with you!
For asking me
where to penetrate in?
Carry on and
move in steadily
In God’s name we
would be through
Fire on and move
ahead courageously
We pray for
God’s helping hand
Police are
cautioning your action
“Alhaji mind
your driving!”
As we came out
from Kano
I peep through
the mirror
I saw their car
chasing us
To drive back to
Kano again!
If we accept going
back to Kano
You will be
prosecuted and surcharged
Thus,
we choose to head to the world beyond than to go back to Kano!
He said: “Mind
your mouth”
He said: “Okay
take care of your calabash”
Mind your boys
Today this car would
fly up!
He keeps putting
pressure
Until it is
virtually suspended from the ground
He fired on very
seriously
To the extent it
flies up
The team leader
(of the police) shouts!
Oh! It is not a
car as we assumed
It is a gang of
Jinns from Bima town
What a joking entertainment!
In the history of Nigerian driving profession this is the first driver to break
the record of successfully flying and landing with an ordinary car. In Hausa
oral songs in praise of driving by drivers’ singers, this is the only place we
noticed such a hyperbolic adornment. Should driving profession be promoted to
air space affairs, this driver deserves all the qualities and experiences to be
recruited first among others. In Sububu’s opinion, the police assumption is a
mere trick, it is when they finally gave up any hope to apprehend him they
consider the issue as supernatural. If the speed of a driver is beyond the
normal limit, the usual Hausa comment to such driving is “Kamar mai tashi
sama” or “Kamar wanda zai je sama”. Meaning “the speed is too
abnormal as if he intended to fly up” it is this figure of speech Amali employed
in his song to tell his audience that their dream is now a reality to what he
witnessed in Shehu Direba’s driving speed. Kano drivers and police have no
point to disqualify Subugu’s remarks as a living witness; because none of them
was able to get rid of the driver when he refused to obey traffic orders. In
the advert of Mercedes Benz, they used to lament that “flying is the only
difference between a Mercedes Benz and an airplane”. Therefore, for Subugu to
bridge the gap is not a hyperbole but additional extra marks to the credits
already obtained.
Death:
Death appears in a very
attracting style in the varieties of Hausa oral songs. It is used to portray a
fantastic example of hyperbolic adornment to the apex of the pyramid. Humans’ greatest
hope is life, with life nothing is impossible and without life nothing is
possible. Many Hausa oral singers are used to the style of re-awakening their
dead heroes/actors back to the theater/arena to perform actively. In some
selected instances, the actors would assure their singers that they would be
back whenever there is need by the singer. The statements in this style are
meant to entertain the listeners even though it is unbelievable and far beyond
human reasoning.
Kassu Zurmi was always
proud of his dangerous client Qwazo. A great magician and brave hunter, Qwazo promises Kassu Zurmi that even after his dead body is lying in his
grave, if he calls his name and his praise-epithet he would stage a
reappearance to perform if the following citation is recited:
Jagora: Qwazo sabattacce!
:Sabattacce, Sabattacce!
:Sai ya ƙaƙƙalle
itacenai
:In ba Wanakiri ya d’aurai ba
:Katin! Kan! Kan! Katin! Kan! Kan!
Translation:
Leader: Ƙwazo the tyrant!
: Ƙwazo the tyrant!
:He would pulled out his graves woods
:Provided he is not shackled by the angel of
punishment.
Eternal life after death
is a well known religious dogma in Christianity and Islam but to physically come
back to the human world and continue the usual activities, is hearsay. A very
similar episode was narrated by Alhaji Gambo Fagada in the encounters of Bawa
Makau and villagers at Gummi central market. Gambo reviews the episode as
follows:
Na tabbata Allah bai barin Bawa
Amma kashi na bari nai
Wata rana an tas sai kasuwar Gummi
“Kai ku kashe”. Kowa ka cewa
Babu guda mai kawo ceto
Mai zare takobi masu adda
Wansu icen zana da sanda
Na dubi tarin dutsi gaban Bawa
Na ga tarin nan yai hakan ga
Xakin jinya da an ka kai Bawa
Likita na dafar cikinai
Ya dahi gabanai har wuyanai
Yac ce: “Wannan kashi ya kashe shi”
Aka ce: “A bid’o Gambo mawaqinsu ƙila shi gane wane na”
Nag ga mutane sun rage haka
Jini na idanu nar cire mai
Wanda ab bisa riga na ije mai
Nac ce: “Kaicon na kaina!
Na ishe Makau nan garin Gumi
Za ni barin Makau garin Gumi
Kwance mutane sun kashe Bawa
In nat tai mi za ni cewa?”
Sai mugu yat ta
da kai haka
Yac ce: “In don haka d’ai na
Kak ka damu
Na lahe na ban mace ba
Don kar jama’ar banza su cutan
Cikin sha’anin banza da wofi
Ka dinga faxin Allah tsare gaba
Wanga rutsin dai mun wuce shi.”
Translation:
I am certain by Allah, Bawa would not leave
ever lastingly
No brutal beating can lead him to rest
A day he was chased in Gummi market
Everybody was saying, “get rid of him”
None is helping the situation
Many with naked swords and cutlasses
Others with bamboo sticks
I saw a very high of stones in front of
Bawa
It is surely a huge amount of stones
When he was taken to accident and emergency
room
Doctor was busy checking his stomach
Pressing his chest and neck
He
confirmed him dead, oh my dear!
They said: “Only Gambo can identify him”
I was invited, I look at the corpse in ugly
mood
I pretend, as if I don’t know him
When the crowd reduces
I cleaned up the remnant blood on his face
The blood on his garment I cleaned it up
I cry oh my dear!
I met Makau here in Gummi (town)
I would leave Makau in Gummi town
Condemned and killed by people
What a sad news to convey back home?
[Instantly] the wicked raised up his head
Saying: “Don’t worry yourself for the
episode
I dogged and pretend dead, I am still alive
Keep praying for the future anticipated
happenings
For today’s fate we scaled through.”
We know that people are
led to rest not because they are tired of living any longer in the world but
because they reached their terminal end. In all cultures and religions, death
is believed to be a total collapse of the active organs of the body which
terminates all physical and mental activities everlastingly. A dead body is expired
and so it is named “remains”. If we considered worldly life as a pyramid of all
the living things, its apex must be “death”, hence our journey in the human world is temporal, the
last day would be the day we meet our “death”, which translates our journey in
the world thus: “from grace to grass”. Grave is our final board, and once confirmed
dead by experienced and expert medical personnel nothing can reinstate the life
any more. Qwazo was buried for several days (if not years), Bawa Makau was confirmed dead
by a doctor in Gummi General Hospital, but were all back instantly by Kassu Zurmi
and Gambo Fagada. These hyperbolic statements are well addressed and translated
by Ibrahim Narambad’a in his song “Toya Matsafa Sadauki na Bello” as
follows:
Jagora: Narambad’a ba ya zuwa lahira,
:Ko ya zo dawowa yakai
Yara: Zaman kun san d’auke mai akai
Gindi: Toya Matsafa Sadauki na Bello
:Baban Isa baban Buwai
:In don ni ka gama lafiya
Translation:
Leader: Narambad’a would not go to the netherworld
:Even if he did he will be back again
:I know it would be waived for him
Chorus: Destroyer of the
shrine strong man of Bello
:Father of Isa and Buwai
:I wish you all the best
In almost all praise
songs composed for heroes, this style is being used to show that the hero had
made a name and it remains popular forever. Bawa was perhaps confirmed dead by
un-qualified medical personnel but his trick to escape death was a popular
episode in Gummi town and beyond. Qwazo’s name remains a star among Tauri magical
players in Hausaland. This is the logic behind Narambad’a’s philosophy that they would remain alive
for ever; death has nothing to do with their names and their arts. This
research undoubtedly assumed a fact in support of their prophecy, as we
gathered today we are fully entertained by their songs. In the academia they
are alive, and equally so in the spheres of our socio-economic activities.
Impact:
In oral songs, traces of hyperbolic
expressions are very common in demonstrating the impact of a point or
elaborating examples in its support or against it. Bawa ‘Dan’anace’s assessment of Shago’s performance indicates this:
Jagora: Duna bugunka ya fi bindiga zafi
:Ya d’ara dutsi nauyi
:Ba ni naf fad’i ba Sanin Kamma.
Translation:
Leader: Heavy black, your
punch is hotter than a gun-shot
: It is heavier than (a big) stone
: This is never my assessment, it is Sanin
Kamma’s experience.
No matter the strength of
a wicked boxer, his punch cannot be same with the damage inflicted by a gun
shot. Force of a punch to be heavier than a big stone is unlikely. However, in
the experience of Sanin Kamma, who was once a victim, it may likely be same.
The point is only a warning to the contestants for the trouble ahead if they dare
wish to be counted among the victims. In narrating his fictional ordeal of a
scorpion sting, Garba Maitandu Shinkafi is of the opinion that:
Jagora: Ikon Allah mutane
Yara: Ikon Allah mutane
Jagora :‘Yar abu ‘yat tsito
Yara :Gara
harbin jaki bakwai
Yara :Da
takin ta cikin kure
Gindi :Kunama
zan wa kid’i
:Zama ciwo
ag gare ta
:Ta harban na jiya.
Translation:
Leader: Oh my God it is surprising
Chorus: Oh my God it is surprising
:A very small tiny thing
:Worse than seven fierce kicks of donkey
:On stepping on it mistakenly
:This music is for scorpion alone
:It is very painful
:I was a victim with the experience.
Certainly, scorpion sting
is painful and can some time be fatal. Nonetheless, to compare it with seven kicks
of a donkey may be questionable. The singer is entertaining us to know the
gravity of the pain of the scorpion sting, which compared to the pain received
from a donkey is mild. As for the scorpion, it is an injection of death with a very
prolonged pain that can last for twenty four hours if not more. The ambiguity
of the hyperbolic statement of “harbin jaki bakwai” is that; it may mean
seven kicks of a donkey or kicks of seven different donkeys delivered all at
once. In whatever context, the statement is not hyperbolic in its technical
meaning.
In narrating anticipated
impact, the hyperbolic nature may tend to be high. Find a song of a strong
relationship between two children one being cheated by the other, the defeated
or cheated chap, sings:
:Ubanka ya yi tusa
:Bakin gidan Bature
:Ba ta kai ba anka dwaxe
:Da ta kashe Bature
Translation:
Your father had a bad flatulence
At the gate of a white man
It was quickly intercepted
Had it gotten to the house it would have killed
the white-man.
No matter the odour of a fart,
it cannot be fatal. The overstatement is only to explain or to give the
abnormal wonderful odour of the fart in question. In breathing such an
unpleasant odour of flatulence, the Hausas used to comment: “Wa ya kashe mu da
wari?” (Who is threatening our lives with terrible odour like this?). The
culture of escalating flatulence to be fatal is not a new thing in Hausaland.
It is very right to say that the statement is not hyperbolic in its literal meaning;
it is only mentioned to impress the point properly.
Supernatural:
Pre-historic Africa was
full of supernatural activities in its folkloric world. Supernatural issues are
being employed in oral songs to protect hyperbolic statements in many occasions
by Hausa oral singers. In Gambo’s odd category songs, Hantsi Hore, a popular
farm product thief was said to have the following magical qualities:
Jagora: Varawon damma ba ni so nai
:Allah bar min Hantci Hore
:Magu mai yanka da baki
:Goga mai halben haqora
:Ko ba shi da yuƙa bai da lauje
:Ko da gudu yat ratsi laba
:An shaida ana xaurin tamanin.
Translation:
Leader: I hate the thief of bundle
of grains
:Oh! Allah prolong life of Hantsi Hore
:The wicked one who uses his mouth to cut
off head of millet
:Expert with very sharp teeth for the
business
:Devoid of knife and sickle
:If he runs across a fertile land
:Eighty bundles of the grains would be reported
missing
It is a usual thing for a
thief to conduct his dirty business with one bundle, at most two bundles (of
millet/corn/let millet etc) at a time. This cannot be possible without knife or
sickle to rip or cut the ears of the grain and bundle it together. Hantsi
Hore’s approach to the business is mysterious, all he wants is to run
across any farm withi minimum delay eighty bundles would be made ready only for
Hantsi to pack and go. What a magical performance indeed! Hantsi is the seal in
the said profession; this is the logic behind the exaggeration. The
supernatural forces attached to the performance unveiled the exaggeration.
To add more colour to the
overstatement issues of charms, magic spell and oracles are in some instances
mentioned to protect the hyperbole in the style. Bage Xansala, a prominent Oral singer in Kebbi, in his master piece of ‘Yarkala Varauniya” he lyricizes thus:
Jagora: ‘Yan yara ka kala
:Tsohuwa lauje tab bid’a
Yara: Haw wata yuqa gare ta
:Ga ‘yar laya laƙe
Da ta shiga gonanka
:Ba ka ƙara ganin shegiya
Gindi: ‘Yarkala varauniya
:Ta zage hatsin Sama
:Ta bar soje garai.
Translation:
Leader: Gleaning of children
is a child play
:The old women possess a knife
Chorus: With a small charm
attached
:If she enters into your farm
:She will disappear forever .
The charm alleged to be
possessed by old women in a popular charm of “baduhu” a chain which
makes the possessor invisible. Without the charm she would have no place to
hide in the farm. The charm is employed into the style to admonish the miracle
of the old women in the business. It is the charm that hyperbolized the
statement which makes the old women a star in gleaning. In any performance, supernatural
is the apex of entertainment.
Boasting or Swanking Statement:
In an attempt to praise
or condemn an issue, oral singers are fond of attributing overweening behavior
to their clients in defence of their poetic illustrations. The statements may
look very odd or swanking as per the content of presentation. To complicate
issues further, no supernatural forces would be attached to the input. Consider
the following song by Abubakar Imam in his imaginative literature a tribute to “Uban
Ba’u” in the song as follows:
Bai gaza ba Uban Ba’u
Bai gaza ba a qaro mai
Tuwon dami dubu shi lashe shi
In ya yi gyashi a yanka shi
Furar dami dubu ya shanye ta
In ya yi gyashi a yanke shi
Bai gaza ba a qaro mai.
Translation:
Uban Ba’u is still active
He is active add more (food)
A food of one thousand bundles of grain he guzzles
A pap of one thousand bundles he gulps down
If he belches he should be slaughtered
He is yet to be tired, give him more
please.
It is unnatural for even
a town to reach such a level of consumption let alone a single man. One
thousand bundles of grain is the apex of any farmer’s productivity per annum.
It is hard to get one of such hard working farmer in a year in a province or a
district. A farmer who is capable of obtaining such a credit is the king of
farmers and would be ceremoniously crowned to receive the staff of office. Now,
you can imagine the hyperbolic nature of the adornment in the style of the
song. In Hausa counting process “dubu” (thousand) is named “iyakar qyarga” meaning it
is “the highest figure”. In my assessment, the poet is alluding the statement
to Sarkin Noma chief of farmers which he assumes Uban Ba’u to be. Consumption
capacity of a human being is around 40 to 60 bundles per annum. You can now
imagine the capacity ascribed to Uban Ba’u. Certainly, Imam is trying to tell
us that, “one thousand” is the highest figure in Hausa counting system, anything
that reaches one thousand has reached its peak. This is the message he wished
his readers to pay heed to.
In the song of Abdu Gamji
Xanmalka of Geza, Argungu District, in praise of drug addicts. “Wak’ar ‘Yan Qwaya” he went
beyond expectation in assessing the quantity of pills they require to perform
actively in public gathering. They need enough drugs to entertain their
audience, and so the debate of the quantity of the drugs required run thus:
Jagora: Qwarya guda ka ta da mu?
Yara: Wa
ƙwarya guda ga ta da mu?
Jagora: Qwara dubu ka ta da mu?
Yara: Wa
kwali dubu ga aikin ga!
Jagora: Kai sai kamfani ka ta da mu
Yara: A
tas suwa mu gurfana
Jagora: Shi zazzago mu sa baki
:In sun zubo mu rugikke
Yara: Daga nan ba a koma yin ƙwaya.
Translation:
Leader: Is one hundred tablets
okay for us?
Chorus: A hundred tablets
cannot wake us?
Leader: Is one thousand tablets
okay for us?
Chorus: Never thousand of
cartons cannot reach our gauge
Leader: Only the producing
company we contest
Chorus: While production is
in progress we all be on our kneels to await
Leader: As the drugs are
processed out we open our mouths
When the machine is feeding the pills out we
swallow all
Chorus: Thus mark the end of
the production forever
Unbelievable in reality
but poetic indeed! Counting number of pills is no longer a style; approaching
production site of the company is the only solution. The aim is to reach the
terminal level of addiction, and if the whole product is being consumed by the
gang the terminal addiction is attained.
Religion:
In human cultures, religion is the most
sensitive culture which influences all our routine activities. What we believed
in, is always our yardstick in addressing our problems. In religious dogma, a
statement cannot be termed as exaggeration or beyond bound of truth provided it
is protected within the dogma of the particular belief. In contrast, it may be
considered hyperbolic if it contradicts the cardinal principles of its
teachings. In praise of Alhaji ‘Dandurgua popular merchant in Qaura Namoda, Narambad’a was very bold as he praises Xandurgu:
Jagora: Ga gidanka guda duniya
:Guda na Firdausi an yi
:Alhaji ‘Dandurgubabu hwashi
Yara: In Allah Ya nufa
Gindi: Alhaji ‘Dandurgu taimakon Allah ag
garai
:Na lura da duniya akwai namijin arziki
Translation:
Leader: You have a house
here in the world
:And the other house in the exalted heaven
:Alhaji ‘Dandurgu there is no doubt, certainly!
:Your abode is paradise
Chorus: God willing
:Alhaji ‘Dandurgu had God’s helping hand
:With clear discernment, this world
certainly holds a man of good will.
Confirming ‘Dandurguwith house in exalted heaven, and categorically
awarding him a certificate of going to paradise, is a hyperbole in Islamic
religious context. Neither Narambad’a (the poet) nor the ‘Dandurgu(the client) is certain of his balance sheet. However, the hyperbole was
abrogated by his chorus who agitated: “God willing”. Getting the reward of “the
exalted heaven” - Firdausi is the peak of the reward of all the good
deeds specifically meant for the prophets, saints, and the most honest devotees.
Perhaps, ‘Dandurguis neither of the three, but to Narambad’a he is. Narambad’a’s boys were not in the same school of
thought with him and so they insisted: “God willing”. In God we trust. The
chorus negation to Narambad’a’s pronouncement abrogates the hyperbolic
elements therein making it acceptable in religious context. In an attempt to
compare worldly life and that of hereafter, Walga Bunza a popular Tashe
musician was of the opinion that:
Jagora: Da duniya da Lahira duk d’ai
Yara: Kowak kwanta dama bai ji dad’i ba
:Sha kixinka Walga mai turu
:Walga qanen Magaji duniya dad’i
Translation:
Leader: (Life) in the world
and that of hereafter are same
Chorus: Alas! Whoever is led
to rest is in discomfiture
:Enjoy your music very well oh Walga the
drummer!
:Walga the younger brother of Magaji our
very world is enjoyable
Arguments of Walga’s
chorus is religiously bias, for they knew only the most pious among men would
enjoy the hereafter. Their ground of defence is stronger than their master but
he refuses to decline. Perhaps he was influenced with ‘Dan’anace’s views that:
Jagora: Da duniya da barzahu duk d’ai
:Aikin da kay yi shi ka ishe ma
Translation:
Leader: Living in the world
and the grave are same
:It is your very deeds you will meet
Walga and ‘Dan’anace’s presentations are hyperbolic in the religious
context of their assumptions. To balance the calculation, Walga’s chorus
contested vehemently. ‘Dan’anace abrogated his hyperbole instantly. All the
aforementioned hyperboles were religiously motivated and same religious creeds
were employed to clear up the ambiguities and appropriate the hyperbole to an
acceptable statement.
Results:
The existence of Kambama and Kambamar Zulaƙe in Hausa oral songs
is undisputable. However, the early assumption of Kambama and Zulaƙe is hitherto revisited to capture the updated
meaning of the term and its input across the categories of oral songs. In this
attempt, about twenty popular songs of about fifteen prominent singers in
Hausaland were examined. The study successfully observed the following:
i.
Hyperbole is a special style in Hausa oral songs far above mere
exaggeration or overstatements. In its essence, it is purely poetic and should
be treated as such.
ii.
Hyperbole is a basket of poetic styles. It is a style in which traces of
many styles combine to make its voice louder. In the examples cited, there are
traces of personification, comparison, negation, poetic liences ballad, linguistic
and grammatical styles all in abundance.
iii.
In an attempt to conjugate the hyperbolic styles in Hausa oral songs,
this paper carefully observed that, hyperbole in Hausa oral songs can be
recognized under ten different varieties, namely: Praising, Condemning,
Evaluation, Narrating tale/story/history, Expertise, Impact, Supernatural,
Death, Boasting and Swanking statements and Religion.
iv.
Hyperbolic adornment in Hausa oral songs are translations of Hausa
perceptions of the scientific realities of some issues. Thus, proverbs,
worldviews, and great philosophical views are part of the ingredients in
building up a well constructed hyperbolic adornment.
v.
Presence of a hyperbolic adornment in any given song is a pointer to the
potentiality of the singer and standard of the song in Hausa rating scale of
oral songs. The accuracy of the hyperbole and its relevance to the thematic
approach of the song is a good credit to the singer in the art of singing.
Conclusion:
Hyperbolic adornment is a special style in
Hausa Oral Songs. It was earlier discovered as ‘Kambamar Zulaƙe” at the
level of exaggeration only. The hidden input of the style gives a different
message beyond a mere overstatement. In the study of hyperbolism, the theme of
the songs under review is the first relevant yardstick. The point being
hyperbolized is equally important to the discussion. The place of the
hyperbolized point to the general subject matter of the song is what makes the
style to be the apex of stylistics pyramid in the given song. An ancient
literal meaning of “wak’a” song in Hausa is literally called overstatement
or exaggeration. Professionally, poetic language is extra-ordinary. Right from opening
and closing doxology, grammatical constructions, singing methodology, musical
instruments; the accompanying tonal voices of the songs and even the phonological
aspects of singing a song are all hyperbolic in nature. In the opinion of this
paper, hyperbolic adornment is the zenith of poetic styles, the best
entertaining device in poetic performance and the most engaging of stylistic
embellishment. Without hyperbolized statements, poetry remains a mere flow
of speech undecorated, hollow and empty speech. In making the impossible,
possible, and possible impossible, hyperbolic statements toppled all the
adornments of stylistics in oral songs.
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