Sung praise poetry is a major expressive genre in Islamic West Africa. Both women and men may compose praise poetry about those who are dear to them. But while there has been considerable scholarship on men's compositions, much less attention has been given to the praise poems of women (exceptions include Hale 1998, Mack 2004, Sidikou 2001). This is surprising given that women play a considerable role in creating and diffusing these songs, mostly in local languages, although these days there are…