The Songhai people were the founders and ruling elite of the Songhai Empire which dominated the western Sahel in the 15th and 16th century. At its peak, it was the largest state in African history.
The Songhai had a great warrior like Emperor Sonni Ali Ber and among its most noted scholars was Ahmed Baba—a highly distinguished historian frequently quoted in the Tarikh al-Sudan and other works.
The Songhay are proud of their heroic past and celebrate it in song, dance, and epic poetry. Singing, dancing, and praise-songs, performed by the Djassare (griots) (both male and female), are central to the celebration of births, marriages, and holidays.
Epic poetry is also performed on secular and religious holidays. Poetry performances are frequently broadcast on national radio.
The language, society, and culture of the Songhai people are barely distinguishable from those of their ancestral cousins,
the Zarma or Zabarma people, to the extent that some Songhais may refer to themselves and their dialect as "Zarma." They are sometimes lumped together as the Zarma-Songhay or Songhay-Zarma.
Morgan Freeman, Kimberly Elise, Aïssa Maiga, Rahmatou Keita and her daughter, Sarah Magaajyia Silberfeld are some notable descendants of the Songhai.