A Dogon Song Cycle (2025)

Van Beek, W. E. A., Oumarou S. Ongoiba, and Atimè D. Saye. Dogon Songs of Life and Death: A Performance of the Baja Ni Funeral Cycle in Tireli, Mali. African Sources for African History 19. Leiden: Brill, 2025.

“Though the Dogon are well-described, their culture still holds surprises. One of these is the cycle of songs called baja ni, which is at the heart of their funerary rites. Surprisingly, these songs have a historic author, a blind poet/prophet who roamed the area in the 19th century and left a huge heritage of songs and prophecies. This book gives the full text of one performance of this legacy. The lyrics cover a range of topics, from comments on historical events to philosophical musings about life and death, and from remembering the departed to celebrating the joys of being alive.”

Text from the publisher’s website.