How controversy marred Hausa Writers day
Nigerian novelist Maryam Ali Ali was at the recently concluded Ranar Murubutar Hausa ta Duniya (International Hausa Writers Day) in Katsina and writes of her experiences there, from the controversial views of the guest speakers, to a squabble over letting writers read at their own event while musicians held sway, leading to the question, whose day was it supposed to be in the first place? night, where a cultural troupe and efforts an individual. experience of being a prostitute is a number of performing artists He also said the truth of coming from. entertained the guests, which creativity is that there is nothing There were murmurings and included Prof A. Dangambo from new in our arts, everything is a exclamations from various parts of Bayero University, Kano, the astute replication of what someone has the hall since the professor started, Prof Salisu Ahmad Yakasai from done somewhere before, and only but at this point, half the hall rose Usmanu Danfodiyo University, God is the Creator. in disagreement over the last part Sokoto and the firebrand Prof He strongly believes that of the professor’s points. Ibrahim Malumfashi from Kaduna writers can only write from There is also a view that at one State University, as the Guest experience, citing an example with time in history, the Hausa people Speaker, and Dr Saidu Ahmad Ibrahim Sheme’s book - Yartsana might have interacted with the Dukawa of the Department of (Doll), where the author spent Greeks, because the well referred Political Science, Bayero University some months in a village called to as Akpa Well in the Bayajidda Kano. Mararraba, along the Kano to Jos legend (Rijiyar Akpa) was actually
Dr Said Ahmad Dukawa, Road, and studied the prostitutes a corruption of the Grecian word representing Dr Bashir Othman there and their ways of life. Aqua, meaning water. Later Tofa chaired the event the next day, on, Hausa literature was also Saturday, the 17th of March. influenced by Arab culture due to
Professor Dangambo first asked religious interactions. who is a Bahaushe (Hausa man)? Professor Isa Mukhtar of What is his culture? What are his Bayero University, Kano spoke values and worldview? If we can on Salo. But the question here is, answer these questions sincerely, is it the writing that defines the then we can know who we are as style of a writer, or, is it the writer a people. So many early and later that defines the style of his work. Hausa poets like Sa’adu Zungur Supposing you have been following have composed poems about the a particular author because you like positive and negative factors that his style, will you be able to identify characterise the real Hausa man, his work if you were to stumble with a view to caution or encourage upon it without the author’s name him. He then went on to explain written on it? how a group of Hausa people in the The second question is, does Diaspora, from about 15 countries style change? Does an author have visited him, made him one of change his style, why? their patrons and informed him Authors, especially Hausa that they have undertaken the task authors, as experience has shown of answering the question: who is a change their style, because of a Hausa man, as well as find answers change of ideology or age. to other pertinent questions. Professor Balarabe Abdullahi
The guest speaker, Prof focused on Wasan Kwaikwayo Malumfashi, in his speech, (Hausa Drama), his topic being: discussed talent and how it is Hausa Drama: Yesterday and divided into two: Common Talent Today. He identified what drama and Gifted Talent. The gifted means in the Hausa language. talent, he said can only be obtained He reminded the audience that genetically while common talent drama in the Hausa community on the other hand, he explains, did not start when the Hausa can only be obtained through the people started writing in Ajami
Forget the fact that the country is in recession. Forget also, that the event was scheduled in the middle of the month for mostly salarydependent participants, (citing the end of the month communal and social engagements of Nigerians as the reason); the second Ranar Marubutan Hausa ta Duniya (International Hausa Writers’ Day) was a success measuring by the number that turned up at the event.
Writers and the patrons of the art, (and readers, in this case) trouped into Katsina State from every part of the nation as well as from neighbouring countries to attend the event which held at the former Katsina State Government House from the 16th to the 18th of March; 2018.
The event, which was conducted entirely in Hausa had the theme: Hoton Bahaushe a Cikin Rubutunsa (The Image of the Hausa Man as it Appears in his Writings). The objective of the event included, to produce about a thousand new writers with the intention of charting a fresh course for the promotion of the Hausa language and its literature, training emerging Hausa writers in the structural and grammatical aspects of writing in order to produce qualitative literature, encouraging reading among students in secondary schools, tertiary institutions and the public and to re-introduce early Hausa literature through book fairs and bazaars to the populace, among others.
The event started in the evening of the first day with a cultural A writer can also be indirectly inspired through genetic transmission, that is, it is possible that somewhere along the line, someone among his or her ancestors might have experienced or practiced what the writer was writing about
A writer can also be indirectly inspired through genetic transmission, that is, it is possible that somewhere along the line, someone among his or her ancestors might have experienced or practiced what the writer was writing about, so that is where the (Hausa language written with the Arabic letters), though his focus here is on the written aspect of it. He said it started in 1898 when a German, Rudolf Frazier met one Hausa man from Kano in Maiduguri. The Hausa man told the German three stories in Hausa which Frazier wrote down in a drama form. This was followed by more written dramas in 1902, and in 1933, Dr East wrote six Hausa plays. These were the earlier written Hausa drama, which to some extent, recorded part of the Hausa culture of that time, though some of them have become extinct. The major theme of these dramas however, reflected on the cultural and social issues of that time, such as farming and husbandry.
Professor Dangambo, while summarizing the paper, mentioned that when they wanted to focus on drama in the literary program he airs on Freedom Radio Kano, they discovered that there has not been an improvement in drama unlike what is happening in fiction and poetry, while thousands of novels have been published in the last 10 years, that cannot be said of drama, and if care is not taken, Hausa drama will disappear.
The event was dominated by performing artists right from day one, starting with the cultural night. We all know that once writers stage a literary event, it cannot be complete without reading from parts of published and unpublished works, short stories, comics and the recitations of Hausa poems, and everyone goes home feeling happy and elated. Some writers whose
presentations receives accolades, becomes an instant celebrity. None of these took place at this writers’ event, held because of them. One would think he is attending a Ranar Mawaka (Singers Day, celebrated in Gusau the Capital of Jigawa State last year), because every paper presentation is either preceded by a “nishadi”, interlude, or there is one immediately after the presentation, and those singers took as much time as they wanted. Perhaps this has to do with the amount of money sprayed on them, I don’t know. But they did get lots of money from the few dignataries that were there, as well as from some writers, but I didn’t see any of the professors spraying anything. I might be wrong.
I noticed one of the policemen attached to one commissioner hungrily looking at the money sprayed at the feet of the singer, even made a move to help him pack it then changed his mind. Only this country does that to its policemen.
This is when things took a twist, after one of the writers from Kano, walked up to the MC, who had been presenting the event eloquently from day one, and whispered something in his ear. Then we heard the MC saying “I am not going to allow it! It is not in the program of events! I can’t see how I can allow you read anything!”
Murmurs started coming from behind, followed by agitations that writers must be allowed to read from their books, and the MC insisting that that he was not going to allow them come on stage and read lies to the dignitaries.
Hot words flew between the MC and the agitated writers standing in groups from behind. The said dignitaries quietly watched the debacle from the high table.
One of the agitators from the writers side was the organizing secretary of the event, she was fuming and insisting that writers should be allowed to read, and the MC retorted that when the two of them were drafting the programme, the organizing secretary did not mention any writers’ reading?
At that point, some of the participants started leaving, because it looked like things were going to take a very bad turn, with some of the writers removing their babban riga, ready to go on stage come what may, while angry women were being held back by fellow writers.
The event was also marred by the ushers, who only gave food or water to people they knew. You will just be sitting, someone will come serving food and will give it to you to pass on to a friend or a family member. This went on throughout the three-day event. If you wanted a sachet of pure water, came later via private donations and purchases.
Mr Hunt told The Art Newspaper that the offer had been made to the ambassador at Ethiopia’s embassy in London, which advised the V&A in its preparations for the exhibition, which opens on Thursday.
Ambassador Hailemichael Aberra Afework is quoted by the UK’s Guardian newspaper as saying: “We are delighted with the new partnership between Ethiopia and the V&A and look forward to you just had to go buy one for yourself, though food and drinks were being served. You would see rows of participants sitting without water while those behind were busy eating and drinking Fura da Nono! That is too bad for a state whose slogan is Dakin kara! (Home of hospitality). It is obvious those who handled the item 7 part of the event didn’t value people, wherever they came from or who they are, they put a big dent in the running on the event.
Secondly, no writer was invited to the high table, apart from the professors and international participants that came from Niger Republic. A few were invited to the side table, including the former ANA Kano chairman, Ado Ahmad Gidan Dabino and Muhammad Danjuma Katsina (the writer). The absence of Association of Nigerian Authors was notable. As was that of important dignitaries. We all know there is an intellectual working together in the future to our mutual benefit.”
The V&A says the 20 exhibits going on display will allow a new audience to appreciate the beauty of their craftsmanship, with examples of intricate and skilled metalwork and textiles, and to reflect on their controversial history.
The display will also have some of the earliest examples of military photography in the UK, which the museum says was the precursor to modern photojournalism. kwashiorkor among our high and mighty, who hardly attend literary events because it challenges the intellect, preferring instead to masticate the fast food that is the entertainment aspect of the art.
I mean, where will Great Britain be in the history of the world without her Shakespeare and Frost?
In conclusion, I would like to point out that, writing is a special gift, whether inherited or acquired, because when the Glorious Qur’an said “read”, there is the hidden part that you have to apply your intelligence to be able to decipher, because if you are being asked to read, there must be something written that you are going to read from, so based on this, the question we should all ask ourselves is, in this world, if you are not a writer, and you are not a reader, then what are you?