In the face of globalisation, emergence of new information management technology and economic recession, where do the North and its literature fit in? This question and more were on the front burner when writers, political, traditional and religious leaders from the region and the Niger Republic met in Kebbi State to chart a new path for literature and governance, reports Evelyn Osagie.
They came gorgeously clad in babariga and hijab. But it was not another merrymaking occasion. The challenges faced by literature, education, governance and security were uppermost on their minds.
With the theme: Mulitimedia and Northern Nigerian Literature, writers, scholars, political, traditional and religious leaders from the North and Niger Republic met at the Second Northern Nigerian Writers’ Summit in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State. The event, which was organised by the Association of Nigerian Authors, Kebbi Branch, was attended by the governors of Kebbi, Kano and Katsina states, among others.
The organisers said hosting the summit in the Kebbi State capital was strategic. The place is linked with the Sokoto Caliphate, which was established by the famous Sheikh Uthman Dan Fodio and his brother Mallam Abdullahi Gwandu, and renowned for scholarship and intellectualism.
Justice and equity at all levels will bring the desired solution to social challenges in the North, Rev Father Mathew Hasssan Kukah, who was the summit’s keynote speaker said.
In spite of the region’s historical scholarly past, Rev Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, decried its poor state of literacy. With the North’s over 200 ethnic groups with diverse languages and cultures, it is shocking that its leaders and elites have failed to exploit the diversities for development, peace and harmony, Kukah argued. He blamed the slow rate of development in the region to the undemocratic manner with which some leaders hold on to power.
To achieve harmony, he said: “The first problem that the North must overcome is one of how it wishes to address the identity ambiguity. In moments of political crises and perceived threat to the interest of the north, the trumpets of One North, One People, come out blaring their horns and summoning us to war or to political action…There is the clear evidence that One North is not a region but a religion at least that is the popular perception. The reluctance of the Muslim north to share power with its non-Muslim population is a cause for serious worry and threat to integration.”
While urging the leaders to wake up to the challenges of globalisation and the new media, he called for intellectual/literary renaissance, saying literature has the power to liberate people from “prejudices, stereotypes and corrupt practices that keep us apart”.
“The challenge of globalisation the multi media is not much a question of whether we should or should not accept it. Rather, it is now a question of how we can cope with it. Against this backdrop, even the whole idea of what is literature will gradually be redefined due to the great opportunities to deploy these media instruments,” Kukah said.
If the leadership fails to live up to expectation, Kukah said, the onus is on writers to show them the way and steer society on the right path. In his view, the Northern Literature has remains undefined and underdeveloped and this has hampered the region’s inability to keep pace with modernisation. He urged writers and scholars to strive to eliminate the ambiguity that the term “Northern Literature” connotes.
While condemning the discrimination against other ethnic group, especially in the media, he observed that the trend has also hampered the development of literature across the region.
Kukah said: “Due to the assumption that the dormant definition of the north assumed the supremacy of both Islam and Hausa-Fulani culture, the result is that written material or oral literature from other communities have never been able to gain access into the genre of what we might call Northern Literature…We need a society where narrow and voluntary identities, such as religion, race or class do not dwarf citizenship and human rights.
“Our common citizenship must be the focus of our dreams in literature…Writers must rise beyond the limits of religion, region, empty politics and face the challenges of building a new order. They must now begin to take themes that deal with our pluralism and diversity. We must dream of a world such as the one that led to the making of the timeless film, Guess Who is coming to Dinner or Trading Places.”
Women writing advocate Prof. Asabe Kabir of the Department of Modern European Languages and Linguistics, Uthman Dan Fodio University, called for the increased promotion of girl child education and northern women writers. Northern women, according to her, have played prominent role in the development of literature in the region. To achieve the recognition they deserve, she urged the women writers in the North to come together as a group to support one another in their literary voyage.
In addition, Kabir spoke against the ban or censor of contemporary Hausa popular prose fiction known popularly as Soyaya novel/novelettes or Kano market literature, saying it has the potential of becoming internationally-acclaimed if properly harnessed.
He said: “We shall do everything humanly possible to revive the excellent legacy of scholarship that scholars of Sokoto Caliphate has made us proud of with a view to utilising its moral content to find lasting solution to problems affecting our growth and development as a nation.”
The Freedom Radio, Kano, General Manager (Operations), Umar Saidu Tundunwada called on the government to sponsor literary programmes, projects and association along with the resuscitation of literary competitions and contests across the region; while speaking on the need for the synergy between the various sectors of multimedia, particularly the radio, and literature.
Nupe renaissance advocate Isyaku Bala Ibrahim laments the absence of a strategic plan and government’s inability to consolidate past efforts and devise new approaches to produce works and popularise the use of translation in most indigenous language. He cited translation of creative and scholarly texts as a major tool for development.
He also called on leaders to ensure other ethnic groups in the north such as Nupe should be carried along, urging that they borrow a leaf from their Niger State counterpart who has established a Book Development Agency to publish translated works of writers in the state into indigenous languages.
Kebbi State Governor Alhaji Saidu Usman Nasamu Dakingari, who was represented by the Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Abdullahi Kamba Kamba, said his administration is making determined to keep up the pace and tradition of scholarship in the state. According to him, he has rehabilitated over 1000 primary and secondary schools across and constructed over 100 new ones which included girls-only schools, among other efforts geared towards creating conducive environment for teaching and learning.
ANA President Prof Remi Raji, who was represented by his deputy, Malam Denja Abdullahi, praised the peace and harmony in the state, adding that the association would work closely with the government and others in the region to restore the state to its former scholarly status.
The summit, Kebbi State branch of ANA Chairperson, Hajiya Memunat Bala, said is one of the moves ANA is making to promote intellectualism and scholarship in the state and region. She hinted that the state ANA have undertaken some activities in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions across the state in that regard.
At the end of the two-day event, a communiqué was written. It states: “The Media in Northern Nigeria should open up spaces to encourage literature and creativity in minority languages in addition to Hausa; there is need to explore the opportunities provided by the internet to advance Northern Literature; build viable democratic culture in states in the North for the progress of literature and its translation; Northern state governors should establish book development agencies and sponsor cultural and literary activities for the promotion of the culture of reading and writing; writers in Northern Nigeria should be innovative, creative and explore other themes for the production of quality works; government in Northern States should fully implement the provisions in the National Language Policy as it relates to the usage of Language of the Immediate Communities (LIC) in teaching children in their formative years.
“Writers and film producers should collaborate in film production that portrays and promotes the rich cultural diversities of Northern Nigeria; government and private organisations in Northern Nigeria should lend their weight of support to the activities of ANA to promote literary activities in the entire North and Nigerian as a whole; the Federal government is urged to provide grant to the Association of Nigerian Authors for the promotion of literature and the arts as was done for Nollywood producers for production of films; and State Translation Bureau should be established for the translation of works in the diverse languages of the north.”
Other dignataries at the event included Katsina State Governor represented by the Commissioner of for Information, Alhaji Gide Sani Batagarawa, who donated N1 million to association; Kano State Governor Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, represented by the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Umar Farouk Jibril, who donated N250, 000; the Chairman of the occasion, Hon. Justice Usman Mohammed, represented by Justice Ismail Haruna Rasheed of Kebbi State High Court; Chief of Staff, Alhaji Abdullahi Lamba Yami; the Emir of Gwandu, represented by Mainan Gwandu Alhaji Junaidu Hassan Usman and the Emir of Zuru and Grand Patron of ANA Kebbi State, represented by Dan Masanin Zuru, Prof. A.A. Zuru.
Discussants included Chairman, Leadership Group, Dr Sam Nda Isaiah; Editiorial Board Member, Dr Bala Mohammed; Malam Usman Magawata; Alhaji Umar Said Tudunwada; Mr Asimiafele Aigbokhaode and Kebbi State Commissioner for Environment, Mr Ishaku Daudu.
Delegates from Zamfara, Niger, Kano, Katsina, Taraba, Sokoto and Kwara states, including ANA Abuja branch and Niger Republic were in attendance. Those from Kaduna, Adamawa, Nasarawa states, among others, did not attend.
