Some Thoughts on Traditional Hausa Aesthetics, and on Arabic Influence on Yoruba and Hausa Writing Traditions in Nigeria

Abstract

"This paper has two inter-related themes. First, to examine some Hausa written poems within the paradigm of Hausa traditional literary discourse. Secondly, to move on to discuss the role of religion in the development of written language forms in Nigeria, and especially the role of the Arabic script in the Yoruba and Hausa languages, and why such a system is still the most viable one to those people who would prefer to use it in Nigeria if given the opportunity. In this context, I will also outline the involvement of the oral form in the writing traditions of Ilorin, a multilingual, multiethnic community in Nigeria. One can then see that poetic forms continue a long tradition of written-into-oral systems and constitute a refining of the earlier trends."