As promised to Sybellah and Thiendella, this thread is dedicated to the Songhai.

'The Songhai (also Songhay or Sonrai) are west Africans who speak Songhai languages, the lingua franca of the Songhai Empire which dominated the western Sahel in the 15th and 16th century. The Songhai are found primarily throughout Mali in the Western sudanic region (not the country). The name Songhai is historically neither an ethnic nor a linguistic designation, but a name for the ruling caste of the Songhay Empire. Speakers in Mali have adopted it as an ethnic self-designation[1] but other Songhay-speaking groups identify themselves by other ethnic terms such as Zarma (or Djerma, the largest subgroup of the Songhai) or Isawaghen. The dialect of Koyraboro Senni spoken in Gao is unintelligible to speakers of the Zarma dialect of Niger, according to at least one report.[2] The Songhay languages are commonly taken to be Nilo-Saharan but this classification remains controversial: Dimmendaal (2008) believes that for now it is best considered an independent language family.[3]

It was from one of Mali's former conquests, the kingdom of Gao, that the last major empire of the western Sudan emerged. Although the city of Gao had been occupied by a Songhai dynasty prior to being conquered by Mansa Musa's forces in 1325, it was not until much later that the Songhai empire emerged. The empire saw its pre-eminent rise under the military strategist and influential Songhai king, Sonni Ali Ber. It began its rise in 1468 when Sonni Ali conquered much of the weakening Mali empire's territory as well as Timbuktu, famous for its Islamic universities, and the pivotal trading city of Djenné. Among the country's most noted scholars was Ahmed Baba—a highly distinguished historian frequently quoted in the Tarikh al-Sudan and other works. The people consisted of mostly fishermen and traders. Following Sonni Ali's death, Muslim factions rebelled against his successor and installed Soninke general, Askia Muhammad (formerly Muhammad Toure) who was to be the first and most important ruler of the Askia dynasty (1492–1592). Under the Askias, the Songhai empire reached its zenith.[4]

Following Askia Muhammad, the empire began to collapse. It was enormous and could not be kept under control. The kingdom of Morocco saw Songhay's still flourishing salt and gold trade and decided that it would be a good asset.'

Songhai languages:

The Songhay or Songhai languages (pronounced [soŋaj], or [soŋoj] are a group of closely related languages/dialects centered around the middle stretches of the Niger River in the west African states of Mali, Niger, Benin, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria. In particular, they are spoken in the cities of Timbuktu and Gao. They have been widely used as a lingua franca in that region ever since the era of the Songhai Empire. In Mali, the government has officially adopted the dialect of Gao (east of Timbuktu) as the dialect to be used as a medium of primary education.[1]

As regards interintelligibility of Songhay languages, the dialect of Koyraboro Senni spoken in Gao is unintelligible to speakers of the Zarma dialect of Niger, according to the Ethnologue.[2]

For linguists, a major point of interest in the Songhay languages has been the difficulty of determining their genetic affiliation; they are commonly taken to be Nilo-Saharan, as defined by Greenberg in 1963, but this classification remains controversial. Dimmendaal[who?] (2008) believes that for now it is best considered an independent language family.[3]

The name Songhay is historically neither an ethnic nor a linguistic designation, but a name for the ruling caste of the Songhai Empire. Under the influence of French language usage, speakers in Mali have increasingly been adopting it as an ethnic self-designation;[4] however, other Songhay-speaking groups identify themselves with other ethnic terms, such as Zarma (Djerma) or Isawaghen.

A few precolonial poems and letters composed in Songhay and written in the Arabic alphabet are extant in Timbuktu.[5] However, Songhay is currently written in the Latin script.

Dendi is a Songhay language used as a trade language across northern Benin (along the Niger River; Donga and Alibori provinces, e.g. Djougou, Kandi). It forms a dialect cluster with Zarma and Songhai proper, but is heavily influenced by Bariba.

Notable Songhai people:

Ali Farka Touré



Baba Salah

[img]http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/287631/Baba+Salah.jpg[/img]

Yacouba Moumoni of Mamar Kassey

More notable Songhai people:

Modibbo Maïga:

The majority of Songhai today are extremely proud of their heritage. Most Songhai peoples living in Mali, Niger, Nigeria, etc. today are farmers. They peacefully co-exist with neighbouring ethnic groups like the Tuareg, Fulbe (Fulani), Hausa, and Mande peoples.

fula please continue this thread and others you have like this.
this is what the culture section needs more of bro.

Chokl8: fula please continue this thread and others you have like this.
this is what the culture section needs more of bro.

I'll do my best for sure

Fulaman198:

I'll do my best for sure

Takamba is a Sahelian dance created by the Songhai/Zarma. This is a brief demonstration of it:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjQIk3u-e24&

Chaibou Aero (equal to the name Shaibu Aero in Nigeria) was one of the best Songhai/Zarma singers of all time:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChX-hk-ON0c&