Egimika (A note in Nupe Ajami)

Abstract

This manuscript Egimika – is a note in Nupe Ajami. This personal note--as the tradition has it--begins with Basmalah -- Bismillahir-RaḥmānirRaḥīm at the top right-hand side of the page. This two-page manuscript, does not include the scribe’s name, but includes the following identifying information in Latin script above the Basmalah: "By Man Dokoci for his wife." Using the Maghribi style of writing, the author used ink and not pen. This has been the practice in most sub-Saharan African Muslim communities when writing Ajami, especially in the past centuries. This is attributed to: the sacredness of the writing, which the users believe that Arabic script has over Latin; and, due to the accessibility of the ink, which is locally sourced and produced.