Ramadan in Djibouti Daily Life & Popular Religion

All over the world Muslims observe and celebrate Ramadan, but how they do so varies greatly. This article describes everyday life in Djibouti during the recent month of Ramadan and brings into focus the differences between rich and poor, men and women, local Muslims and foreign soldiers, as well as the government’s support for Sufi Islam to counter the influence of fundamentalist Islam

Somali Women's Songs for the First Ladies of Early Islam

When a Somali woman is about to give birth, older women often arrange a ceremony to call blessings on the mother-to-be, in which they sing sittaat - songs of praise for the leading women of early Islam, especially Faduumo (Fatima), daughter of the Prophet. Although there is no doubt that this genre of songs is old - it may even have a relationship to non-Islamic Oromo songs for the goddess of fertility - scholarly references date back only to the late nineteenth century and do not include song texts

Somali Women's Songs for the First Ladies of Early Islam

When a Somali woman is about to give birth, older women often arrange a ceremony to call blessings on the mother-to-be, in which they sing sittaat - songs of praise for the leading women of early Islam, especially Faduumo (Fatima), daughter of the Prophet. Although there is no doubt that this genre of songs is old - it may even have a relationship to non-Islamic Oromo songs for the goddess of fertility - scholarly references date back only to the late nineteenth century and do not include song texts

African historiography written by Africans, 1955-1973: The Nigerian case

In the first part of this essay the development of the study of African history is sketched, and the historical studies written by professional African historians from 1955 to 1972-3 are analysed. Special attention is paid to the manisfestoes of the 1960s, programmatical declarations of what African history should be and how it should be written. Part two traces in detail what historical studis were actually produced in the fifteen years that followed independence in one particular West African country, NigeriaASC – Publicaties niet-programma gebonde