Scholars and Scholarship in the History of Borno

 

Hamsatu Zanna Laminu's Scholars and Scholarship in the History of Borno, a study of the ulama in the history of Borno, is an intriguing work of scholarship. Although unable to read Arabic texts or manuscripts herself, the author had local connections and was able to supplement her sources with field work. Presumably fluent in the relevant local languages and able to access important works of local and Nigerian scholars such as Muhammad Nur Alkali, including locals willing to translate or summarize Arabic manuscripts for her, she was able to create a coherent overview of the ulama's role in Borno. Although less impressive than Bobboyi's dissertation, which likely benefitted from greater resources and research funding, Laminu was able to explicate in just under 100 pages the development of the ulama, the different roles of court-affiliated ulama and independent ulama, and, finally, explore the life of the first Shehu as an example of the ulama's important role in the annals of Kanem and Borno. 

Undoubtedly, this work was unable to go into great depth like Bobboyi. Thus, we are lacking an attempted tabaqat of scholars of Borno from c. 1500-1800. Perhaps not engaging with the works of Lange on a more accurate chronology for the Sayfawa limited her ability to contextualize different ulama in their respective eras. To be fair, Muhammad Nur Alkali, Kyari Tijani, Shaykh Abubakar al-Miskin, and the unavoidable H.R. Palmer are all drawn upon as sources, with Palmer's translated mahrams. In the case of this 1992 monograph, the lack of Dierk Lange's work among her sources on the Diwan may have been an additional impediment to establishing a clearer chronology. Yet the usual references provide enough for a schematic overview of the Islamization of Kanem and the role of Muhammad b. Mani. Later episodes in the relation of the ulama and the Sayfawa are also explored through the mahram texts as well as chronicles such as the work of Ahmad b. Furtu. Fieldwork complements this as Laminu's travels around Borno and discussions with various descendants of the Borno ulama shed additional insights into their evolution and social, cultural, and political roles in an Islamic state and society. 

Where one would have wished for more nuance or analysis is Laminu's suggestion that Islamic education was an avenue for social mobility, even open to the lowly peasant. She did not stress the point, but the extent to which that was true is suggestive. Despite their close ties to the state through the majlis and the state or elite-affiliated networks of the ulama operating sangaya who received land, tax exemptions, gifts, slaves, and livestock from the Sayfawa and other political elites, charismatic malams could develop a popular following. Their importance as educators and participation in marriages and a number of other rituals and rites required interactions with the ruled. If some of them also came from the lower classes, that could be an additional factor in understanding why the independent ulama could, as in the case of the Manga revolt of 1824, lead movements against the central government. 

On the Great Mosque of Djenne

 

We recently saw this short video from a 2005 BBC program on Djenne, Mali. The video shows parts of the Great Mosque of Djenne that are not often shown, such as the system of ventilation on the roof of the structure. It is truly remarkable as an example of mud architecture.

Tired of Being Alone (with Chicago)

Randomly encountered this video of Al Green singing "Tired of Being Alone" with Chicago. It shows Green in his prime. 

81st Street

 

The recent passing of Abdullah Ibrahim has forced us to revisit his albums again. We were pleasantly reminded of "81st Street" from the 1960s, a recording with Gato Barbieri of Argentina. With just the introspective style of Dollar Brand and Gato Barbieri's inventive wailing on saxophone, it is impressive how "81st Street" sounds as if it was recorded by a larger band.

The Word Is Murder

After enjoying the adaptations of Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders, we decided to read some of Horowitz's novels. Since we were never fans of his other works, we were not sure what to expect here. But this was a fun, suspenseful read featuring Horowitz himself as a central character. Serving as the Watson to Hawthorne, a police consultant with a keen eye for detail, our sleuth must solve the murders of an older woman and her famous son, an actor. As an occasionally quite hilarious metafictional narrative, we were laughing at the sometimes tense relationship with Horowitz and Hawthorne. It was quite amusing to read Hawthorne's barbs, implying Horowitz was a fool or idiot. Yet, in his own way, Horowitz's character stumbles upon some major clues. As for the actual mystery, this mystery does a good job laying out the red herrings and misdirects with a complex narrative structure and an old, tragic case connected to the current murders. We were not able to solve the case and actually committed some of the same errors as Horowitz's character. 

She Walks At Night

Unfortunately, She Walks At Night by Seishi Yokomizo, was a little underwhelming. Although the great sleuth with shaggy hair, Kosuke Kindaichi, is in the story, his role is quite marginal and he only appears significantly late in the story. Instead, the novel recycles an idea that was famously used by Agatha Christie in the 1920s. The narrator is a third-rate mystery novelist who is the belitted play-thing ("friend") of a man from a wealthy family which once ruled his peasant ancestors. Our narrator, who covers the series of gruesome murders (including decapitations) that take place in the Koganei and Okayama estates of his wealthy friend's family (Sengoku, but they were the actual power behind the Furugami, an old "feudal" clan), writes a report of the crimes as if it was a detective novel. There are some fun meta references to the mystery writer here and perhaps Seishi Yokomizo was poking fun at the way some may not have taken the genre seriously. But the real weakness here is the little screentime for Kindaichi's character. He has his moments, such as being regarded as a joke by the narrator and Naoki, and there is even an interrupted denouement that is taken in a different direction. But something was amiss here. The little "screentime" of Kindaichi is undoubtedly part of it, yet the actual case itself was not as developed as it should be. It was also difficult to understand why Tokyo cops let the family go to their rural estate without solving the first murder.

Soul Plane 2: The Blackjacking!

Rewatching the The Boondocks while rereading the comic strip has reminded us of this hilarious film trailer. The fictional film, Soul Plane 2: The Blackjacking! combines some of the best elements of the comic strip's relentless criticism of black movies and TV of the 1990s and early 2000s with the more extreme and uncensored satire of the TV show. One can see how Aaron McGruder was able to show how completely absurd and over the top UPN, BET, and the infamous black movies of the late 1990s and early 2000s really were.