OVERVIEWIn this creative writing assignment, you must travel back in time and imagine what life was like for an individual in the past. This process helps develop an understanding of the impact of tim

John Smith

A two-page narrative of a single instance or incident in the life of your character.

HIST 111

May 30, 2017

Personal Historical Narrative

My Life in Songhai

Today was quite like any other. It begin with waking up in my house to the sounds of my younger siblings laughing and playing outside with the goats. I very much enjoy waking up in my humble home made of mud brick and thatched roof in my small little town next to the Niger River. I walked down to the water and collected some for bathing so I could start the day fresh and clean. The cold water feels soothing in the harsh sun that beats down on us all day as we go about our work. I run my fingers through my long thick braided hair and twist it up so it is out of the way and pull on my colorful boubou robe. Before I go back outside I eat doonut (porridge) and afterwards quietly whisper my first prayer of the day, then off to work I go.

As I walk through the small and crowded town, I notice the boats floating in the river and men on camels and horses trotting about the town. I never thought our military would be as strong as it is today, and luckily we push all of our enemies out thanks to our strong government. Other civilizations are not as lucky as me, some places in Western Africa are being overtaken by drought and disease as well as other larger societies that send my people away and trade them into slavery. I am sometimes scared that I too will be taken against my will and made a slave that is only good for sex and hard work that people will demand me to do. However, I am lucky to have a husband and a small fortune that allows me to keep this comfortable life.

The sun is at its hottest now. I mumble my prayers in front of a big mosque that is made of mud and brick and listen to the soft beats of a sacred drum being played in the distance. I run my hand through the grass and feel each one tickle my arm as I walk towards a local place to eat outside. I enjoy some haini maaosa, a pancake made out of millet along with some fresh okra and baobab leaves with ginger. My friends talk about going to a bon chebe next month to witness our friend reveal her child after keeping away from men when she gave birth. This is a big event for our people, and there will be dancing and singing rituals to celebrate this new child in our community. I am excited to see this new baby because there is something wrong with my body because my husband and I have tried to have a child but cannot, so I enjoy watching after my friends’ babies.

The people of Songhai are very generous and are family-oriented because we have such large families and everyone knows of one another. We always greet each other “Manti ni kaani?” meaning “How did you sleep?” and always give each other colorful gifts with geometric patterns and pottery and crafted amulets as gifts. My gift for the bon chebe tonight is a basket with the poem I wrote about new life and fresh beginnings for my friend with the baby. I arrive to the hut and everyone is cheerful and laughing and singing songs that have been passed through many generations in our language. We share a feast of howru, hot peppers, onion flour and sweet fruit for dessert.

I finish in the field and I go and watch some men fish in the river and hear them talking to some sohancitary (sorcerers), sorkotary (praise-singers to spirits), and zimatareys (spirit-possession priests) that are nearby. These men are wise with knowledge of history, plants, words, and spiritual practices that make our culture rich. They will all be at the bon chebe later tonight for the social and religious activities. While I am sitting at the river I watch a boat slowly cruise by with gold, kola nuts, and ivory that are being imported from somewhere.

As the sun goes down after the bon chebe when everyone has seen the new child and goes back home into their little quaint mud homes, I stay outside and watch the sun drip behind the horizon. I go inside and I sink into my straw bed and close my eyes, dreaming of my husband and I riding horses to Mecca with a baby and smiling to myself because I know I have hope for that day to come.

Works Cited

Include a properly formatted bibliography of at least three sources. This is in APA format, but you may also use MLA or Chicago style for Humanities.

Department of Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. (2000). The empires of the Western

Sudan: Songhai Empire. Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan

Museum of Art, 2000-. Retrieved from

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/sghi/hd_sghi.htm.

Campbell, M. (n.d.) Western African names: Amara. Behind the Name. Retrieved from

https://www.behindthename.com/name/amara.

Tesfu, J. (n.d.). Songhai Empire (ca. 1375-1591). Black Past. Retrieved from

http://www.blackpast.org/gah/songhai-empire-ca-1375-1591.

The Story of Africa: Songhay. (n.d.) BBC News. Retrieved from

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/4chapter4.shtml.