Praise Poetry

Photos by Allen S. Coleman Basotho dancers at the historic Morija Archive and Museum in Lesotho perform a traditional Basotho dance.

African tradition celebrates leaders, history and culture

Through the technology of cameras and computers, Ohio State researchers have captured a centuries-old African tradition.

CD-ROMS, DVDs and an interactive Web site will eventually provide access to more than 60 hours of cataloged video of praise poets performing in the Republic of South Africa and the Kingdom of Lesotho.

Praise poetry can take on several forms, but primarily it is a form of eulogy addressed to an individual, frequently a king or noble, which focuses on that individual's attributes. It is commonly performed at state functions, but is also sometimes presented at events such as funerals or festivals.

When the project is completed, students and researchers will be able to view performances from multiple camera angles, watch interviews conducted with the poets, read translations of the poetry, and be guided through lessons on culture, history and literary style.

"There is a lot of work on oral literature in Africa and elsewhere, but in this case, we're breaking new ground," said F. Abiola Irele, professor of African American and African studies and lead investigator for the project. "This is the first time this material has been recorded systematically on a large scale. It captures the performance aspect, such as how the audience reacts and what setting the poetry is presented in."

A Zulu praise poet recites the praises of Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi at the King Shaka Day celebrations in South Africa.

Irele's co-investigator is Lupenga Mphande, associate professor of African American and African studies. The College of Humanities project has included collaborations with Humanities Information Systems, led by Diane Dagefoerde, director of academic technology, and with WOSU-TV34. Funding is provided by a National Endowment for the Humanities grant.

Irele traveled with Allen S. Coleman, digital media developer for the College of Humanities, to South Africa and Lesotho for five weeks in 2000. They returned with Mphande for two more weeks in 2001. Camera crews from the University of South Africa and the University of Natal worked under the direction of the Ohio State team to make the recordings.

The team recorded poets reciting in the Zulu and Sesotho languages. The video collections include Zulu poets in leopard skins reciting the praises of their chief at King Shaka Day celebrations in Kwa-Zulu Natal province in South Africa and a colorfully-attired high school chorus singing traditional songs at a festival held at the Basotho Cultural Village, in the Drakensberg Mountain range in South Africa.

Work on the project is progressing in stages. A half-hour television special about praise poetry was produced with WOSU-TV34 and aired locally in June. The show's companion Web site, http://aaas.ohio-state.edu/praisepoetry/, offers sample video clips, explanations of praise poetry and digital photos.

Work is under way at Ohio State and at the University of South Africa transcribing the videos, and then translating the texts into English. Humanities Information Systems staff are building a Web-accessible multimedia database for the video footage, which will serve as a prototype for additional projects in the college, and will assist in cataloging, editing and converting the video content to digital format for use on the Web, CD-ROMs and DVDs.

"The video database is being built now. Our goal is to have a portion of it ready by September," Coleman said.

Basotho praise poets recite poetry for an audience, left. Ohio State researchers took two trips to Africa in 2000 and 2001 to record praise poets for a multimedia project funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. To view video examples, visit http://aaas.ohio-state.edu/praisepoetry/

Irele hopes the praise poetry project will help shed light on a form of literature that has received limited scholarly attention.

"First of all, this is essentially a performance genre. People think of literature as only written, but this is poetry spoken, composed and recited entirely without recourse to writing," Irele said. "We are going to be emphasizing the literary nature and the humanistic character of these texts and also relate them to other texts, the idea being that oral literature is a phenomenon that is not just African."

They also hope to highlight the social and political functions of the poetry, he said, as well as examine the historical significance of the narratives.

"This poetry is part of the cultural capital of these people. It is a body of literature that provides a sense of history and of society," Irele said.

It is not a stagnant tradition -- it includes narratives 400 years old that are sometimes updated with references to modern leaders, as well as entirely new pieces.

Irele envisions future trips to Africa to collect poetry from other ethnic groups and countries, including potentially his native Nigeria.

"I'd read the poetry, but to go over and see it, I really felt vindicated," Irele said. "This has been an exciting project, but of course, this isn't the end. I feel like pressing on into other areas where I know there is a whole tradition waiting."

Wearing his heart on his sleeve

By Kevin Fitzsimons Kelly Kennedy, machinist I, donates blood while holding a T-shirt given to him as a thank-you from the American Red Cross. Kennedy was one of hundreds who gave blood at the annual "Give Someone a Schott at Life" event held Aug. 12 at the Schottenstein Center.

Blackwell is speaker at summer quarter commencement

Roger Blackwell, professor of marketing and logistics, will be the speaker for summer quarter commencement on Aug. 30. Approximately 1,800 students will receive degrees at the ceremony, which begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Jerome Schottenstein Center. A nationally recognized expert on marketing and consumer behavior, Blackwell is also a popular teacher, a noted lecturer and a prolific author. The Blackwell at Fisher College was named in 2001 in recognition of his $7 million gift to the college.

Blackwell joined the Ohio State faculty in 1965 and has earned a reputation as a favorite among students. He has won many teaching awards, including one of the highest honors bestowed on faculty, the Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Blackwell is also president of Roger Blackwell Associates Inc., a consulting firm in Columbus, through which he works with many of America's most successful companies.

Commencement Awards

Honorary Doctor of Science awards will go to Harold A. McMaster, Libbey-Owens-Ford, and Andre Wambersie, visiting professor at the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. Distinguished Service Awards will be presented to George W. Hairston, Baker & Hostetler LLP, and Curtis J. Moody, Moody/Nolan Ltd. Inc.

next page...