HAUSA DIASPORA TAKES CENTRE STAGE: HIBAF 2023 REVIEW

The theme for this year's festival is 'Hausa Diaspora' which seeks to explore Hausa outside the walls of its known domain of Northern Nigeria.

We were amazed to know that Hausa has built homes across the globe not just in academic spheres of Europe and Asia which is predominantly taught as part of foreign languages in universities of United States, United Kingdom, Japan, China and so on but migration has taken it to virtually every nook and cranny of Africa, heart of Europe and as far as Southern America. Hausawa are now bonafide settlers of some of these places most of them knew nowhere but these countries and became the Hausawan Togo, Hausawan Brazil, etc.

It will interest you to know that #HIBAF2023 explored another aspect of Hausa settlers especially in Saudi Arabia and United Kingdom where Hausawa have descendants that are so acclimatized to such environs that they can speak little of Hausa language as a result of their limited interactions. In their HIBAF panel, the descendants expressed their affection for the language and their romance with Hausa tradition while appreciating Hausa International Book and Arts Festival for once again making them part of the larger fold of Hausa community. Do not be surprised to come across people dressed in complete Hausa attires especially in some part of East Africa but have brief or no comprehension of the language. This, among others, are the gaps HIBAF intends to close by promoting the language and the arts while encouraging these descendants to melt again in their fathers' culture.

There are research institutes in some countries, Togo specifically, for the promotion of Hausa and its cultures and this is not just to address the academic thirst but to close the gap of inadequacy of Hausa which seem to suffer from integration by the local languages. This is unlike the usual trend in Norther Nigeria, especially Kano, where Hausa dominates and continue to domesticate many of the local languages.

It's part of the identified challenge in Western world, United States in particular, that foreign languages need to have a minimum number of students before taking off and that students' interest in Hausa does drop. Talatu of US origin but Northern Nigeria breed and former Kannyhood actress attributed this to the decline from the indigenous youths of Hausa where they perceived to be more fascinated by English language. Also, little availability of translated works of Hausa books to majorly English has hindered the deep and proper appreciation of the language in the Western hemisphere.

Hausa has traveled really across the globe; its vocabulary transcends geographical boundary. A sojourn of history to Hausa settlers in Brazil was highlighted by Prof. Ibrahim Hamza. Slave trading was mainly what brought about Hausawa to Brazil through their Portuguese masters. This segment of this Hausa suffered historical omission as the Portuguese do not understand Hausa neither English while Hausa historians do not understand Portuguese.

The diaspora is truly indebted to Hausa literary community for their tireless effort to document Hausa Arts through writing and filming and these have enormously contributed in learning and development of Hausa among Hausawan ƙasashen waje, some of them showed great appreciation during their panel as these pieces keep them in touch with their Hausa culture globally.

You will agree with me if I say Niger Republic could be deemed as second home for Hausa language after Nigeria. Panelists from Niger did proper enlightenment on how Hausa succeeded in intertwining the two nations, culturally and linguistically. A duet performance by Alan Waƙa and Fati Nijar is another testament to this relationship during the festival.

Furen Ƙarya is a baby that was born by previous HIBAF which contains the collection of short stories written by 18 upcoming Hausa Shakespeare and its brief book chat by some of the authors was such a reflective and insightful moment of their individual prowess in Adabin Hausa.

Worth mentioning here is the book chat for 'The Public Poet, a Biography of Mudi Sipikin' with almighty prof. Ibrahim Bello Kano was awe-inspiring. It's such a keen discussion followed with an insatiable curiosity by the audience. The late Mudi Sipikin was indeed one heck of a revolutionary poet cum politician. We all need to read that book to understand how he metamorphosed poetry into a great political tool for inspiring change among people.

Another most awaited moment of #HIBAF2023 is 'Kano Diaspora' panel with Prof. Abdallah Uba Adamu which became truly a historical masterpiece of Kano migration from above and from below. And it's out of the Prof's ingenuity that he described how Hausar Kano got its superiority through incorporating the migrants' languages, moulding it into one giant accent that's widely regarded as the most acceptable form of Hausa globally. While emphasizing the 'Kano Paradox' which is its multiculturalism, multiethnicism and  multi-nationality yet homogeneous. It's of note that the end game of the panel was to properly explained identity formation of Kano.

Other numerous panel sessions were held such as that of Hausa poetry and contemporary poets,  Adabin Hausa a Nijar, Togo etc. Each was greatly enjoyed by both offline and online audience that even lengthy articles may not capture a session judiciously.

Lest I forget, the lifetime achievement award given to the Gwamnan Alfawa, the indefatigable Ado Ahmad Gidan Dabino for his whopping 39 years of service to Adabin Hausa through numerous groundbreaking writings and cinema.

The event was coloured by endless performances by the likes of Alan Waƙa, Fati Nijar, Ibrahim Sodangi, Qalbsaleem, Husayni Zuguru, Teemah Isah, Husaini Mai Gurmi just to mention a few.

Special thanks to #HIBAF, professor Malumfashi Ibrahim, Salim Yunusa Nasiba Babale and co for pulling off such spectacular show for us. 

Allah Ya huta gajiya!