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Cultural Demarcation of Hausa Song and Poetry Tradition*

The aim of this article is to discuss the ethnic criteria for the classification of the Hausa literary genres of song and poetry. In terms of texts, no remarkable difference is noticed between song and poetry. In fact, Hausa has a single term, wak'a (plural wak'ok'i) for both types of literary expression. All wak'ok'i share certain things in common such as sung oral presentation (not spoken recitation) and strict metrical (or rhythmic) patterns. Nevertheless, one can draw a distinction between these two types of traditions: song is orally composed, whereas poetry is composed in written form, then sung or performed on the basis of a written text. In addition to these differences in modes of composition, one can discern other differences in types of meters, verse structure, performance style, rhyme pattern, themes and origin. This article will discuss these features and arrange them into three main categories: cognitive features, expressive features and social features. The primary emphasis of the discussion will be placed on how song and poetry can be culturally conceived as distinct literary entities. An analytical model proposed by Dan Ben-Amos in his study ‘Folklore in African society’ will be the methodological framework of this article, which arguably suggests that some theories developed in the field of folklore studies may also be efficiently employed in the field of literature studies.