Women's Songs from West Africa

13 - Patriarchy in Songs and Poetry by Zarma Women

13 j Patriarchy in Songs and Poetry by Zarma Women Aissata Niandou Those unfamiliar with women’s songs from the Sahel may be surprised at first by the subversive nature of the lyrics, as evidenced in songs recorded by many other researchers. Zarma society is not an exception to that trend, with women functioning within their own subculture. In their songs, as well as in other forms, they raise their voices against what they see as the unfair constraints of patriarchy that dominate Zarma society. But their songs raise a basic question: can they, in their verbal art, divest themselves of the patriarchal values that permeate not only their society, but also their own language and the deeper values that it conveys? In this study, I will examine examples from a corpus of twenty-five poemsongs sung by Zarma women that are, on the surface, quite subversive of patriarchal values. But a close study of the poem-songs will offer evidence for a more nuanced view of the subversion conveyed by these poem-songs, and may suggest the need for new analyses of women’s songs from other peoples in the Sahel. Before going any further, however, it is important to provide both context and parameters for this study. As Finnegan points out, songs, like other categories of verbal art in Africa, do not “fit neatly into the familiar categories of literate cultures” (Finnegan 1976, 1). This is why I prefer to use the compound word poem-song, because it better conveys the diversity of the lyrics I shall analyze . Some of the songs are recited as incantations, others are sung with musical accompaniment, while one also finds those that are performed without music. These songs constitute a dynamic verbal art form which, unlike written genres, functions to a large extent as a regulator of society. Sorgho (1984) explains that Patriarchy in Songs and Poetry by Zarma Women 213 cette régulation s’exerce dans le domaine moral . . . , dans le code de conduite sociale, dans la pédagogie qui est une didactique de la transmission du savoir, et même dans les domaines tels que la politique au sens platonicien du terme. [This regulation works in the moral domain . . . , in the social behavior code, in pedagogy which is a means for conveying knowledge, and even in domains such as politics in the Platonian sense.] (70–71, my translation) As Finnegan points out, “several dimensions, not necessarily valid in writing , are significant in the analysis of these works: the performing dimension, and the personal aspect, room for improvisation that might change the rendition of the work” (1976, 7). The songs presented here will be analyzed on two levels. First, evidence from a corpus of songs will reveal the subversive nature of the lyrics. Second, the songs will be reexamined at a deeper level to determine to what extent the same lyrics convey the values of patriarchy that permeate Zarma society. The first set of poem-songs deals with contemporary concerns such as marriage , arranged marriage, the right of the woman to choose her life partner, and polygyny. Although these themes are important today, they are deeply rooted in Zarma society—as well as in cultures across the Sahel—and are not the result of recent influences from the West. The first poem-song comes from a teenage bride pounding millet on a rainy season day. Korsal wate annasara The white man of the rainy season No ka ci somno gollo Is last year’s millet stalks Din na ceeri humburora You break them in the mortar A man nan ka gombol They only bend Din na dooru mo a kay beene You take them out of the mortar Ka ce kogandi They stand on their straight legs Waayi Inna da Baaba Oh Mommy and Daddy Kan man nan ay ma beeri Who did not wait till I’m grown Waayi Baaba Kan na Oh Daddy Zambar waykindigu ta Who took 75.000 CFA [U.S.$150] Ba kan a na ta mo Though he took them Manci hala a na nwa no He never spent them Li saayo da li boogo He had to buy the yellow and green bed Da fatilla kwaray A white lamp To ima dan doodo mo And for good measure Ga ne mo nyum yan bidayze Even a wash-up gourd This is the cry of a twelve- to fourteen-year-old girl who finds it too hard to prepare the food for a large family...