Narrative
Histoire et coutumes royales des Mossi de Ouagadougou
Not translated into English
Yamba Tiendrébéogo · 1964
Synopsis
The traditional history of the kingdom of Ouagadougou, as it was held by a great dignitary of the court, in three parts: the succession of the Mogho Naabas from the founder, Naba Ouedraogo, whom tradition says was born of Princess Yennenga; the organisation of the kingdom and its dignitaries; the royal ceremonies. The author proposes here, for the first time, a precise chronology of all the reigns.
Context
The book appeared in Ouagadougou in 1964, from the Larhallé Naba himself, printed at the Presses africaines, written and annotated by Robert Pageard, a magistrate posted in Upper Volta; it followed a collection of tales published the previous year by the same two men, and a long article published the same year in the Journal de la Société des Africanistes, in which the length of each reign was established by working back from the present to the past, according to the tradition held by the court griots.
Who it is for
An account in French by a high Mossi dignitary; it describes in detail the titles and offices of the court, which calls for a little patience.
Prizes and reception
Michel Izard reviewed it in L'Homme in 1965, praising the work while disputing the chronology of the reigns it puts forward.