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T'heydinn



A collection of poems called the T'heydinn or T'heydinne, also known as Al Batt Likbir or Al Rasm, is a Moorish epic ensemble of Mauritania. The T'heydinn dates back to the 16th century and contains dozens of poems celebrating the exploits of Moorish emirs and sultans. The epic describes events and stories that show how the Moors shaped society and history. The T'heydinn describes ancestral values underlying the way of life of the Moorish community in Mauritania. It is an artistic and literary expression of the Hassaniya language. The T'heydinn spoke of the merging of two significant elements of Moorish society today, being the Beni Hassan, a descendant of the Beni Hilal peoples who migrated from the Arabian peninsula, and the Sanhaja, descendants of the ancient Berber inhabitants of the Maghreb. Traditionally, it is performed by griots (or iggawen in Hassaniya) who are singers who have learned their craft by directly imitating the musical abilities of their ancestors.

Whenever the T'heydinn is performed at social gatherings, such as weddings and reconciliation ceremonies, the music accompanying it is elaborate and sophisticated. The main musical instruments that accompany recitation are the tidnit, which is a six-stringed lute, and the ardin, a thirteen-stringed harp. Both are played to rouse the audience and provide elaborate and sophisticated entertainment. Another musical element used by Griots is the tbal, a kettledrum. Griots also rely on ululations, handclapping, and lip vibrations (tberbir). They use poetry to preserve the collective memory of society. Griots will pass down knowledge and skills from father to son. To learn about the poetic tradition, young griots must first practice the instruments.

The T’heydinn promotes social ties between the griots and their communities, as well as between the various communities themselves. It emphasizes values such as honor, courage, generosity, honesty, endurance, magnanimity, rectitude, and justice. It also facilitates regional tribal and family reunions, and it promotes a culture of social peace and mutual assistance among the various communities.

Nowadays, most griots are old and seldom perform as their numbers are declining. Furthermore, as these recitations do not generate any adequate income, many young griots do not continue to take up the T'heydinn as a career option. Recently, some griot organizations have been formed to impart the T'heydinn to the younger generation and the Mauritanian Institute of Music has taken on the task of disseminating the art. Many purists have also argued that the original musical form of the T'heydinn, the faghu, has been replaced by lighter forms such as the liyyinn, thereby ruining the original musical basis. Furthermore, since the T'heydinn is an oral tradition, there are no written manuals or catalogs which puts the T'heydinn at significant risk of extinction.

References

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