Panegyric Poetry and Medicinal Text

Transliterated title: Biniiboo aniŋ Booroo.

Consists of two manuscripts. The first is an Arabic panegyric poem celebrating the life and work of Prophet Muḥammad, which contains numerous Arabic glosses. The original author is Alpha Diadji, a famous Mandinka scholar. The second document is a bilingual Arabic-Mandinka Ajami text dealing with prayers and numerological formulas to cure several ailments. The medicinal recipes discussed in the text include the use of lemon, eggplant, some roots, and tree barks.

Custodial history: The owner of the manuscripts inherited them from his father, Kalifa Cisse. His father had an advanced Islamic education and served as an Imam and a Quranic teacher in Sankorla-Sorgo in Guinea-Bissau where he lived until his death.

Extent and format of original material: 109 pages.

Physical characteristics: Unbound manuscript. Due to damage from environmental conditions and ink stains, some of the text may be difficult read. Many pages are torn on the sides and some torn pages are taped together.

Owner(s) of original material: Arfang Seyni Cisse.

Author(s) of original material: Kalifa Cisse, Alpha Diadji.

Additional script information: Mandinka Ajami.