Chronicles of Songhay Empire's Askyas (Kings) 1493-1599
Djenné (Djénné, Jenné, Jenne, جن)
Title
The Askia's proclamation in the mosque of Djenné
Short description
A proclamation by the new Askia made in the mosque of Djenné while travelling, translated by an interpreter and repeated loudly in the crowded place.
Text on source
ويروى أنه دخل مدينة جنّ حرسها الله وفي ذهابه لتعبَ ولمك فيها ايامًا فامر يوماً بان يحضر كلّ من كان هي جنّ من العامة والخاصة في المسجد الكبير بحيث لا يتخلف منهم احد فحضروا اجمعون ثمّ جاء هو ومعه اعيان جيشه وكبراء افياله حتى امتلا منهم الصفوف والاساطين ثم امر ترجمانه ان ينادي بالناس يعلمهم حالفاً بلفظه والله ما سافرت سفري هذا الا لاصلاح البلاد ولمصالح العباد والآن فعلِّمونا بمن يوذي المسلمين وبمن يظلم الناس في هذا البلد ومن علم ذلك ولم يذكره وحق بنفسه فحق عباد الله في عنفه ودخل الترجمان في الصفوف يتتبعها ويقول ذلك والجماعة ساكتة [ص. ٨٨]
English translation
It is told that he entered the town of Djenné - may God protect it! - while reaching Taʿba, and he ruled there for a few days. One of these days, he ordered all the inhabitants of Djenné, poor folk as well as notables, to report to the Grand Mosque, not excusing a single one from the meeting. Everyone gathered, and then he arrived accompanied by the officers of his army and his principal dignitaries, as the crowd packed the galleries and the colonnades of the mosque. He then ordered his interpreter to speak with a loud voice to all those gathered, delivering this proclamation: "I swear by God that I have undertaken my voyage to this land only for the good of the country and on behalf of the worshippers. Tell me now who is vexing the Muslims and who is oppressing other citizens of this town. Anyone who has knowledge of this matter but refuses to speak up will answer to the worshippers of God." The interpreter successively entered into the different galleries of the Mosque, repeating these words; however, the crowd remained silent.
Folios/Pages
166-167
Date
1539 circa
Observations on the events description
The proclamation is pronounced by the Askia to a translator who successively repeats it while walking through the galleries.
The dots on the map indicate the places where sound and music events were described. They don't represent travel stages.
Participants
Name
Role
Notes
Edit
Delete
II, Isḥāq
Travel fellow
Askia (King)
How to quote
Pintimalli A., "The Askia's proclamation in the mosque of Djenné" (Event description), Echos. Sound Ecosystems in Travelogues. Published 2024 09 09.doi: 10.25430/echos.travels.137
This work is licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0 
