A literary analysis of gendered performance of dàgàrà dirges as oral poetry

Abstract

This study employed an ethnographic research design to examine the gendered performance of Dàgàrà dirges in context. The research was conducted in Nandom Municipality in the Northwestern part of the Upper West Region. The data for the study was collected through fieldwork based on live funeral performances by male and female dirge singers. The research tools used were participant observation and interviews. The main objective of the study was the examination of literary aesthetic features in the gendered performance of Dàgàrà dirges. This advances their authenticity in African poetic expression. The Infracultural Model of Folklore Analysis and Butler’s Performativity Theories were used to guide the study. Dirges performed were captured through audio-visual recordings and translated from the source language into English using Peter Newmark’s Theoretical propositions on translation. The dirge texts were coded and the data was used for analysis. The results reveal that male and female dirge singers incorporated clan appellations and proverbial expressions as aspects of the Dàgàrà Verbal Art. These formed the basis for understanding Dàgàrà funeral dirges. The results further reveal that poetic features were embedded in male and female dirge performances. The Dàgàrà dirges were imbued with a lot of cultural values shaped by gender identities. Dirge performance among the Dàgàrà is a unique verbal art practised by experts. They reveal peculiar virtuosic skills based on their knowledge and experience in the art. Dàgàrà dirges also have several pedagogical implications apart from their traditional use to convey sympathy and condolences. They serve as a forum where cultural values are learned.