Literature, Integration and Harmony in Northern Nigeria

Description

This book explores from various perspectives how the literature of the northern region of Nigeria has promoted the ideology of integration and societal resurgence. Through the diverse cultural productions from this very heterogenous socio-political region, researchers have dissected the portrayals and characterisations of ideologies which foster harmony among the people who speak a multitude of languages and have an array of cultural practices. These contributions bring to the fore the multiple roles that both indigenous literary productions and those adapted from foreign elements have played in realising social and cultural integration and advancing collective values of the people of Northern Nigeria. This collection of essays is the result of a selection of scholarly contributions to two national conferences on Literature on Northern Nigeria held at the Kwara State University, Malete in 2015 and 2016.

Informations

• Publié par: Kwara State University Press
• Date de parution: 29 décembre 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789789650521
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 9 Mo

Extrait

Lîterature, ïntegratîon and Harmony în Nortern Nîgerîa

Edîted by

Hamzat ï. Abduraeem Saeedat B. Aîyu Ruben K. Akano

KWARA STATE UNïVERSïTY PRESS

© Northern Nigerian Literature Conference, 2017

Published by Kwara State University Press Kwara State Unîversîty Press, Maete PMB 1530 ïLORïN Kwara State, Nîgerîa Emaî: kwasupress.edu.ng, kwasupress@gmaî.com

ïSBN: 978-978-54870-2-2 First Published 2017

All rights reserved: No part of tîs book may be reproduced ortransmîtted în any form or by any means wîtout prîor wrîttenpermîssîon of Kwara State Unîversîty Press.

Contents

Foreword...................................................................................... ix

Editors’ Note ..............................................................................xiii

Chapter 1: Integrating the North Through Sustenance of Its Literature Olu Obafemi.............................................................. 1

Chapter 2: Dramatic Theatre: A Nexus for Resurgence in the Twenty-First Century Northern Nigeria Abdullahi Salih Abubakar........................................11

Chapter 3: Northernism in Northern Nigerian Literature: A Study of al-Yāqūtī’s‘Abarātul-Amal Abdulrazaq M. Katibi & Aliyu O. Ahmad............... 27

Chapter 4: Traditional Songs as Catalysts for Integration: A Study of Selected Ìlọrin Traditional Songs Hakeem Ọláwálé..................................................... 43

Chapter 5: Language and Ideology in Tuface Idibia’s Music Oluwatomi Adeoti & Moshood Zakariyah.............. 57

vi

Contents

Chapter 6:Ododo’s Sunnie Broken Pitchersandthe (Im)possibilitiesof National Resurgence Kayode Niyi Afolayan.................................17.............

Chapter 7: Originality in Absentia: A Study of Selected Kannywood Films Muhammad Muhsin Ibrahim................................... 85

Chapter 8:Aremu’s Multifunctional Genre and Odolaye Songs of Exorcism Kehinde Akano, Abbibah Zaka & Garuba Giwa..... 99

Chapter 9: Religious Interpretations and Their Implications on the Society in Abubakar Gimba’sSacred Applesand Elnathan John’s Born on a Tuesday Sarat Adenike Salihu..............................................111

Chapter 10:The Didactic Dimension of Proverbs: A Study of Aliyu Kamal’sHausa Girl Sani Abubakar....................................................... 127

Chapter 11: The True Images of Northern Nigeria in Kamal’sHausaland Hasheem Abdullahi Tanko1...........................14..........

Chapter 12:Transforming the Society Through Indigenous Practices: The “Iyawo-Ile” Institution in Okunland as a Case Study Olushola Ayodeji Akanmode.................................. 151

Chapter 13:National Integration in Jamil Abdullahi’s Idfa‘ Billati Hiya Ahsan Abdulrazaq M. Katibi............................................ 171

Contents

vii

Chapter 14:Ideologies in Conict: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Auwalu Yusufu Hamza’s “Cheating Destiny” Rabi Abdulsalam Ibrahim...................................... 183

Chapter 15:Re-Thinking the Woman in Northern Nigerian Literature Abubakar Othman & Razinat Mohammed............ 197

Chapter 16:Theatre for Development and Women Empowerment in Northern Nigeria: A Study of 2015KuyambanaDevelopment Communication Field Experience Jubril Abdullahi & Habeeb Adebayo Salaudeen... 213

Chapter 17:Language and Cultural Values: The African Socio-Perception to Greetings Anne Omotayo Alaiyemola................................... 229

Chapter 18: :بارد َ أةأابٕار  ا ج ...................................................... 243

Chapter 19:  يا اإ  ”ا ة“   ا 

   ...................................................... 253 ّ

Notes on Contributors ............................................................... 269

Index......................................................................................... 271

Foreword

This, yet again, is a harvest of Literature scholarship on Northern Nigeria, ever growing and ever so penetrating, ever so rich! The theme of this year’s publication reects the search-lights adopted by scholars during the last Conference to examine how the literatures of Northern Nigerian peoples have immensely contributed to community integration and community harmony. Evidence of the extraordinary diversity of Northern Nigeria is in the fact that every state of the region - Borno, Kebbi, Plateau, Kwara, Niger, and so on, are pluralistic in language and ethnicity. In fact, there is no part of Nigeria that has the level of ethnic plurality as that of the North, and yet, the popular image that comes through to Nigerians is the homogeneity of the peoples of the North. This is not so much of a negative concept and I will elucidate. In the face of so large a diversity in a community, the rhetoric of similarity, rather than the rhetoric of dierence, took over as the dominating force. This was to promote community regeneration and reinforce commonality among the diverse groups that belong to this region. Much of the early politicians from the North, such as Sir Ahmadu Bello and Sir Tafawa Balewa, among others, promoted this and they deserve to take some credit for this. Importantly too, accolade must be given to cultural producers throughout the North for encouraging this perception. To give dominance to the rhetoric of dierence in such circumstance would create tensions that could lead to total and complete disaster. I believe that what the founding politicians of the North mastered before Independence was to mobilise cultural producers such as oral singers to generate songs of unity. Many songs by Mamman Shata Kastina, Dan Maraya Jos, Sanni Dandawo Yauri, Jaigbade Alao Ilorin and others, were messages from politicians to the people, messages promoting unity amongst the people.

x

Foreword

I remember one of such lyrics, that of Ilorin’s traditional oral partisan poet, the legendary Odòlayé Àrẹmú (1990) who ̀ metaphorically calls himself the “Dog of Kwara State that barks with a purpose”. He sings that:

Odòlayé Àrẹmú, ̀ Ajá Kùárà tí kìí gbó lásán

Bí ò bá rẹran ́ A sì réèyàn! Béèyàn ọ dáa ̀ A à ní pọ dáa ́ Béèyàn ọ sunhàn ̀ A à ní pó sunhàn, Àwa náà ọ mà ní îgbá kan ̀ bọkan ńnú! ̀

Odòlayé Àrẹmú ̀ The dog of Kúárà who doesn’t bark without a cause If he hasn’t seen a goat He must have seen a human being! If a person isn’t good We won’t say he is good If a person is not decent, We won’t say he is decent We too would never put one calabash into another!

I doubt if any other Nigerian oral poet ever even came close to achieving the feat that Odòlayé performed in the Second Republic, through singing and mobilising for the Unity of Nigeria. His “One Nigeria” song, would say, “from Sokoto, to Kaduna, to everywhere, there should be one Nigeria”! He sang for Shagari, he sang for Saraki, and he sang for the Hausa, the Fulani, the Yoruba, and the Ibo. He explored their commonalities and asked for all to unite. The thrust of this scholarly book is to înd such common threads for unity in cultural productions in Northern Nigeria. From the îlms, to the kalangu music, to the written literatures, to all sorts of artistic creations, scholars’ attention is on how contemporary writers of Northern Nigeria have taken a clue from their literature- producing ancestors. I recommend this îne collection to all who love to read very rich critical and analytical thoughts on Northern Nigerian literature and culture. Even in the face of the murderous Boko Haram, and the persistent agitation for secession from certain Nigerian quarters, cultural products coming from Northern Nigeria, have been vehement about integration and harmony and this book is dedicated to showing how. From works of Kannywood to other forms of dramatic literature, to novels, to poetry and all forms of oral traditions, and to dierent kinds of cultural and ideological practices, and to literature written in Arabic, Hausa and many other numerous

Foreword

x

i

languages spoken in Northern Nigeria, the book promises to be a great companion to students and scholars interested in Northern Nigerian literature and culture. Finally, this project is also a demonstration of the unity of purpose of the great Bayero University, Kano (BUK) and the Kwara State University (KWASU), to ensure that Northern Nigerian literature continues to earn vigorous readings, purposeful criticisms and analyses, and forever record continued growth as these two universities combine forces to keep the ag of the annual Conference on Literature in Northern Nigerian ying, ensuring that similar publication comes out every year.

Reference: Odòlayé Àrẹmú. (1990). Olowe Mowe. NEMI 0654B. ̀

Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah Vice-Chancellor, Kwara State University