Traumatic Memory, Diaspora and Caryl Phillips: The Nature of Blood, Higher Ground and Crossing the River

Abstract

This paper attempts to probe into activities of Shaykh ‗Abd al-Karīm al-Maghīlī, a reformist jurisconsult of Tlemcen who led for a considerable number of years in Kano State of Northern Nigeria. He is chiefly known for his persecution of the Jewish community of Tuwat (Touat) in the Algerian Sahara and for the advice he gave to Sudanic rulers1. In fact, the impact of the literary contribution of this outstanding personality to the succeeding generations cannot be quantified. The paper has been arranged in three segments. The first segment which serves as introduction gives the short biography of Shaykh ‗Abd al-Karīm al-Maghīlī. The second highlights some of his extant literary productions, while the third segment brings into light an assessment of his literary contribution and his impact on Arabic writings of Nigerian scholars in pre and post independence of 1960, followed by conclusion and endnotes.