11. A Song of Praise to Hausa – An English verse translation of Alhaji Ibrahim Yaro’s “A Song of Praise to Hausa”, a 44 stanza poem which exhorts the Hausa people to continue with their struggle so that their language will not suffer the fate of countless other African tongues which have been abandoned or denigrated by the educated elite. In this poem Alhaji urges scholars to publish books in Hausa arguing that the Hausa tongue is comparable to any and all of the international languages. Hausa currently has over 50 million speakers and is the principal language of northern Nigeria, southern Niger, northern Cameroon and eastern Ghana. There are many Hausa speakers and communities that dwell in areas from Senegal in the west to the Republic of Sudan in the east. There is also a Hausa speaking community that is permanently located in Saudi Arabia.

12. Creature Feats, Book I – presents various mammals with associated rhymed verses giving clues to the identity of the creature in question. A comprehensive description (in the first person) is given for each of the ten mammals presented. The book also contains some folk tales and humor. A supplemental workbook and cassette is also available

13. Combat Games of Northern Nigeria – with its 126 pages and 55 accompanying photographs – is perhaps the most comprehensive work written on African martial arts to date. This book, the first volume of the Black Martial Arts series, introduces the reader to traditional African games that give Nigerian youth not only a sanctioned outlet for the aggressive tendencies in man, but also an opportunity to demonstrate to friend and foe their courage and virility. The book contains detailed descriptions of traditional boxing (dambe), hunting confrontations (farauta), wrestling (kokawa), wristlet fighting (shanci), ritual flogging (shadi), and tough skin competitions (tauri) each of which are discussed in separate chapters. It also contains an introduction which describes the setting in which these games may have originated and a concluding chapter dealing with other lesser known games involving daring and risk-taking in competitions with men, beasts, and the elements of nature. Color and black and white versions are available. This book is a companion volume to #9, above.

14 . The Lore of Melanesia – Through words (334 pages) and pictures (170 color photos), this book takes the reader on a breath-taking journey through Melanesia and leaves him/her with a vivid impression of the Melanesian people, their habitat, and their folklore. The book is divided into seven chapters, each corresponding to one of the seven regions which constitute present day Melanesia: 1) Irian Jaya (West Papua); 2) Papua New Guinea; 3) Vanuatu; 4) the Solomon Islands; 5) Fiji; 6) New Caledonia; and 7) Torres Strait. A typical chapter contains a description of: 1) the land; 2) the people and their languages; 3) the history; 4) the lure (i.e. attractions); and 5) the lore (i.e. selected customs). Each chapter also contains revealing photos and an “adventure poem” which deals with some important aspect of the material presented. In this way, the reader is left with a comprehensive and unforgettable picture of each of the various sub-sections of Melanesia as well as a profound understanding of their interrelationship with one another. Subjects dealt with under “lore” include traditional religion, rites of passage, festivals, music, art, body decorations, traditional attire, dances, songs, stories, myths, shark and snake cults, kava drinking, “grade-taking”, san=drawing, pottery making, “land-diving”, yam cultivation, traditional food, and cannibalism. There are 4 appendices, one of which deals with the languages of Melanesia.

15 . Black Lore Melanesia – is the first book in Black Lore, a series that aims to capture and display in verse various aspects of the cultural heritage of peoples of African, Melanesian, or Dravidian ancestry. For each region presented in the series (i.e. Melanesia, the Indian Ocean, Africa, North America, the Caribbean, Central America and South America), a regional character has been created to serve as narrator. Black Lore Melanesia consists of seven story-poems narrated by Waburi (our fictitious Melanesian guide) who takes the reader on a voyage (from west to east) through the seven domains of modern Melanesia: 1) West Papua (Irian Jaya); 2) Papua New Guinea; 3) Torres Strait; 4) Solomon Islands; 5) Vanuatu; 6) Fiji; and 7) New Caledonia. A short introductory paragraph precedes each “adventure poem” providing the reader with cultural information as well as the source from which the narrative takes its inspiration. The themes of the narrative deal with: a) cannibalism, b) coconut getting, c) the “kula” trade; d) the coloration of birds; e) “blackbirding”; f) battles between gods; and g) an origin myth. After reading the selections the reader is expected to concur with the adage that:

The most exciting tales e’er told

On either land or sea

Are those of a Melanesian youth

By the name of Waburi.  

16. The Lore of the A frican Indian Ocean – Through pictures (385 color photos) and words (over 1,000 pages), the reader is taken on a breath-taking journey through the African-Indian Ocean and is left with a vivid impression of its people and culture. This volume contains separate sections dealing with the Comoros archipelago, the Seychelles, Mauritius, Rodrigues, Diego Garcia (British Indian Ocean Territory), the Maldives, and Reunion. A typical section contains: 1) a country briefing – treating the land, people, language, history, folklore, and principal attractions; and 2) a journey through the islands where the reader comes face to face with local people, their traditions, and customs. In this way an unforgettable composite picture of the region is produced. The book is written in the first person plural (“we”) and thus the reader soon feels that he or she has become a character in the narrative. Much of the information in this book was obtained directly from representatives of each of the islands visited in the Indian Ocean on a year-long voyage made by the author from October 1994 to September 1995. All photos were taken by the author and are intimately linked to the narrative with which they are associated.

17. The Lore & Lure of the Seychelles – This volume is an excerpt from #16 (above) and includes “Part B” as well as the introduction and appendices of that 1012 page text. Through pictures (78 photos) and words (138 pages), the reader is taken on a journey through the Republic of the Seychelles and is left with a vivid impression of its people and culture. This volume contains: 1) a country briefing – treating the land, people, language, history, folklore, and principal attractions; and 2) a journey through the islands where the reader comes face to face with local people, their traditions, and customs. In this way an unforgettable composite picture of the Republic is produced. The book is written in the first person plural (“we”) and thus the reader soon feels that he or she has become a character in the narrative. Much of the information in this book was obtained directly from representatives of each of the islands visited in the Indian Ocean on a year-long voyage made by the author from October 1994 to September 1995.

18. The Lore & Lure of Comoros - This volume is an excerpt from #16 (above) and includes “Part A” as well as the introduction and appendices of that 1012 page text. Through pictures (31 photos) and words (125 pages), the reader is taken on a journey through the Republic of the Comoros and is left with a vivid impression of its people and culture. This volume contains: 1) a country briefing – treating the land, people, language, history, folklore, and principal attractions; and 2) a journey through the islands where the reader comes face to face with local people, their traditions, and customs. In this way an unforgettable composite picture of the Republic is produced. The book is written in the first person plural (“we”) and thus the reader soon feels that he or she has become a character in the narrative. Much of the information in this book was obtained directly from representatives of each of the islands visited in the Indian Ocean on a year-long voyage made by the author from October 1994 to September 1995. All photographs were taken by the author and are intimately linked to the narrative with which they are associated.

19. The Lure and Lore of the Maldives - This volume is an excerpt from #16 (above) and includes “Part F” as well as the introduction and appendices of that 1012 page text. Through pictures (47 photos) and words (141 pages), the reader is taken on a journey through the Republic of the Maldives and is left with a vivid impression of its people and culture. This volume contains: 1) a country briefing – treating the land, people, language, history, folklore, and principal attractions; and 2) a journey through the islands where the reader comes face to face with local people, their traditions, and customs. In this way an unforgettable composite picture of the Republic is produced. The book is written in the first person plural (“we”) and thus the reader soon feels that he or she has become a character in the narrative. Much of the information in this excerpt was obtained directly from local people visited in the Maldives (Kaafu and Ari Atolls) on a year-long voyage by the author to the Indian Ocean (October 1994 to September 1995). All photographs were taken by the author and are intimately linked to the narrative with which they are associated.

20. The Lore & Lure of Mauritius – This volume is an excerpt from #16 (above) and includes “Part C” as well as the introduction and appendices of that 1012 page text. Through pictures (181 photos) and words (353 pages), the reader is taken on a journey through the Republic of Mauritius and is exposed to its surviving customs and traditions. This volume contains: 1) a country briefing – treating the land, people, language, history, folklore, and principal attractions; and 2) a thematic tour of the islands of Maurice and Rodrigues where the reader comes face to face with the culture, traditions, and life-style of the Creole segment of the Republic’s multiethnic population. In this way an unforgettable composite picture of the Republic is produced. The book is written in the first person plural (“we”) and thus the reader soon feels that he or she has become a character in the narrative. Nearly all the information in the “journey through the islands” was obtained directly from Creole informants while the author was on a year-long voyage in the Indian Ocean (October 1994 to September 1995). All photographs were taken by the author and are intimately linked to the narrative with which they are associated.