Benazir, Allah ya jikan ki

Ga hoton Benazir da na fi so. An dauke ta a ranar da ta dawo gida daga gudun hijira. Allah ya jikan ta, ya tona azzaluman da suka kashe ta, amin!

I Publish Tozali To Promote Northerners – Maimuna

INTERVIEW



Maimuna Y. Abubakar, the publisher of Tozali magazine, is an outgoing entrepreneur wading into the hazardous waters of magazine publishing in the North. But she has focus and verve - just some of the credentials anyone would need to triumph in the difficult terrain

By Ibrahim Sheme

She displays a knack for invention and initiative. A lawyer by profession, she has just come into the field of journalism. In order to bridge the wide gap between the South and the North in the media industry, she has taken up the challenge and pioneered a soft-sale monthly magazine titled Tozali (i.e. Eyeliner). For style, Tozali is published in the mold of True Love, the Lagos-based monthly magazine devoted to women’s affairs - fashion, relationships, food, entertainment, achievers, etc. In a recent interview, Maimuna Y. Abubakar, a single lady, spoke about what motivated her into the venture and her writing career.

She was a civil servant until recently, having worked with the Corporate Affairs Commission in Abuja for three years. She resigned in order to start legal practice and publication.

“I will be thirty by 28th December, this year,” she said with a smile. The humble looking publisher says she likes making friends, meeting people, and writing. “I love new discoveries, I love reading newspapers and I love humanity.”

Maimuna hails from Gombe town. She had her primary education in Bauchi and attended Government Girls’ College, Bauchi. From there she proceeded to the Bayero University, Kano, and read law.

“Actually, while I was growing up, I had different thoughts on whether I should read journalism or to be a lawyer, or to be a pilot,” she said. “In fact, it was confusing. So, when I went to BUK and got admitted, I applied for mass communication and law but I was given law.”

When she graduated in 2000, she did her National Youth Service Corps between 2001-2002 before proceeding to the Nigerian Law School in 2003. In December 2003, almost immediately after the law school, she got a job with the CAC and started work in January 2004. She quit two months ago.

What inspired the young publisher to begin to pursue her dreams in publishing a lifestyle magazine?

“Well, I think it’s a dream,” she answered after a hesitation. “People have passion for things. I have always had passion for write-ups, for magazines, you know, for knowing about people, for bringing people out. It’s not necessarily me, but bringing other people out, things like culture, like tourism and what have you. I think my going into publishing a magazine is like living my dream. Law is my career but magazine is my dream.”

But she wouldn’t see herself as a writer per se even though she had tried her hand at writing some pieces in the past – some few stories, sometimes tragedy, love stories and so on. “When I was growing up, I liked writing so much. Whenever I was offended or something, I’d rather write you a letter than call you and tell you that you offended me.”

This was what actually inspired her to go into publication – to express her mind. Maimuna loves reading magazines and had wished that she had her own, especially the down market types. But then which type of publication did she have in mind? Culture came to her mind easily – her background, where she comes from. “Whenever I pick up a magazine, I feel sad that it doesn’t reflect the Northern culture, our values, our way of life; it doesn’t even reflect our people, especially the entertainment magazines.” That was another motivation to go into the field and be different.

“I am addicted to magazines like Ebony, Cosmopolitan and others. I can say maybe they inspired me in a way I don’t know. But what actually inspired me were those southern (Nigerian) magazines that have fashion and style and true love stories.

“Whenever I looked at these magazines I felt the need to bridge the gap. The people, the style, the fashion and everything they portray in their magazines was Southern. Hardly would you see them featuring Northerners, so I just felt there was a need to bridge that gap.”

The North, she felt, was a huge reservoir of cultural stuff that needed to be tapped. Other magazines wouldn’t do it.

“We have a lot of things in the North. We have our artistes who are left behind. We have our women that are also not mentioned, and what have you. So, I just felt there was a need to bridge this gap. There was need to celebrate Northern people.”

Tozali is just that. The maiden issue is a 62-page glossy affair and printed on high quality art paper. Right from the cover it is the female face of a Northerner that looks back at you. Inside, there are features and interviews on weddings, fashion, beauty, food, books, politics, movies, health, royalty, travel and sports - all with a distinctive Northern touch. But for a women’s magazine (but probably with a reason), the men are not left out entirely; in fact, whereas only one photograph of a woman appears on the cover, there are two photographs of male politicians on the same cover.

The Abuja-based magazine is written in a friendly, down to earth diction that makes for easy reading. But the printing, layout and editing need improvement if it is to compete favourably with other magazines even in its area of coverage. Also, less-text-more-photos would help.

Any problem with being sectional, that is Northern? The barrister-publisher justifies her editorial focus very well.

“If you look at my editorial,” she said, “I stated that the main aim of my magazine is to celebrate Northern women, and lots more, so that they will be able to inspire others, like the younger ones coming up. I want to divert the attention of growing up Northerners from the Southern way of dressing, which is almost like dressing half naked and what have you, that is, over-exposing their body – all in the name of being fashionable. I want them to know that in our own Northern way, you can still wear the normal Northern clothes, the normal veil, and still look very fashionable.

“And again, in the Northern profile you could see that when you read people’s profiles you find out that they started from somewhere and it’s not as if they woke up one morning and became who they are. You know everything started somewhere. It starts from the scratch before you can bring it out to limelight so that people can start appreciating them.”

The maiden issue contains a revealing interview with Dr Ibrahim Tahir in which he exposes a lot about his upbringing and the background to some of his subsequent accomplishments. Such interviews are engaging and interesting, but they would be nicer if it is the women that are profiled, unless of course it is also meant to be a unisex publication.

Publishing in the North can be hazardous, what with the pathetic reading culture and poor response of advertisers. Nevertheless, Barrister Abubakar seems to be satisfied with the reaction of her readers.

“Whenever I try to find out from people, some of them would call from places like Bauchi, especially those who know me, and they are like, ‘Ah! I saw your magazine!’ It’s encouraging, because this is something new in the society.

“I think people find it amazing and great that somebody can actually do something like that for the North. Probably a lot of people wanted to do it but they just didn’t feel they were capable. That’s one funny thing about us Northerners: sometimes we just don’t feel as if we are capable of something until we start, but when we start, we find out that we are capable of doing it.”

There are at least three challenges that are very peculiar to Northern publishers of magazines and newspapers. One is the challenge of distribution and sales. Second is the challenge of getting advertisements to support the business venture, and the third is the poor reading culture in the region. A newcomer in this terrain must have a plan to overcome these.

“Well, before I went into this, I did my homework. I did some market survey,” Maimuna said confidently.

What kind of editorial focus does Tozali have? Is it going to be focused on ceremonies, like Ovation, or is it going to focus on developmental issues such as women in politics or personality profiles?

Maimuna answered, “I cannot deviate from politics because when you are celebrating a Northern career woman, you find out there is somebody else in politics celebrating them. And I don’t want to celebrate Northern women alone but also Northern men. In my magazine, I have a profile for men. Actually, what I want to do is to put the North in the limelight. My focus is the woman and her life generally in the North; as a career woman, as a family woman…

“You could see that women have several roles to play in the society. You may be a career person but you can also show people that you can also make it work at the home front.

“I would like to bring out women developmental projects like HIV/AIDS, child developmental projects, etc. I would also have a profile of people who have made it. We can have some event pictures. I am not saying events are my main focus but maybe there is an event and someone wants us to cover it, I would like to do it fast. So there are going to be fashion pages, beauty pages, a lot of events pages, cooking, and so on.”

Chewing too much? Trying to pack so much into one magazine? Are there chances that she could lose focus? To answer these triple questions, the publisher replied, “I don't think I can lose focus. The only thing is that I am trying to be objective about my vision so that whenever you grab a copy of the magazine, you will find something that will interest you, whether you are a woman or a man.”

Does that mean she has a policy such as she wouldn’t want her reporters to touch Southern issues?

“I would rather concentrate on Northern women,” came the reply. “I am not saying that I will not bring a Southerner into my paper, or bring a profile of a Southerner into my magazine, but my major concern is a Northern person. When I say that, I mean North irrespective of the area you come from. It is just a soft story about you.”

Finally, Maimuna was asked to make an appeal, if any, to Northern women vis-à-vis her magazine.

“I want to appeal for their support, their recognition, because I can’t do this thing alone without them. It is not as if I am doing it for my own self. I am doing it because I am a fellow Northerner; I am doing it because I want the North to go places so that everybody can see the North in a different perspective. I want people to see North in Nigeria and that there are Northerners in Nigeria and they have a special culture and a way of doing things which should be appreciated.”

So help her God.

Ibrahim Sheme - an interview

This interview was posted on http://www.everythinliterature.blogspot.com/

IBRAHIM SHEME, Editor of Leadership newspaper, is a bilingual writer who has made his mark in both English and Hausa literatures. A Journalism graduate of Cardiff University, UK, and publisher of Hausa home video magazine, Fim, he has produced quite a number of critically acclaimed works in both languages. And recently his latest novel in Hausa, Yar’tsana, won the maiden edition of Karaye Prize for Hausa Literature. In this interview with SUMAILA UMAISHA, he speaks on the prize and the state of Hausa Literature.



NNW: Recently you won the maiden edition of Karaye Prize for Hausa literature. How did you feel?


Ibrahim Sheme: I was really overjoyed to become the winner of the maiden edition of this particular prize. I was even more glad because it has been a very long time before any effort was made towards improving the quality of Hausa literature. I believe that literary awards do help bring out the best in any literary environment. So this award demonstrates the desire of some people to see that our literary values are improved.

There have been criticisms about Hausa literature not being as it used to be in terms of quality. Would you say this prize is a proof of the fact that the contemporary Hausa literature is now improving?

Let’s start with those criticisms. The people making those criticisms have the right to express their minds. But it does not mean that what they are saying is correct about the contemporary Hausa literature. The main criticism is that our writers have concentrated on romance instead of writing about the day to day problems of society, and that the quality of their writing is very low. Now, because of the deluge of books that the youths have been producing you find that it is difficult to sift out the good ones. Because people concentrate on the number that is being produced, they think there is no any good work available. But I can tell you that in the last few years there has been a tremendous push towards bringing out qualitative Hausa literary works. So this award is a proof that something good is coming out of the Hausa literary environment. When the award was announced, over 20 entries were received, after which the three winners emerged. These winners can be said to be the best out of the whole pack. So now it is up to people to go and look at the three winners as representatives of the best of our literature and assess them based on any yardstick and then see whether we have improved in the last few years or not.

Do you classify your writing as Kano Market Literature?

Well, Kano Market Literature has some characteristics. So in order to make any classification we have to know the characteristics. And I will tell you that the characteristics that the main critics of the so-called Kano Market Literature developed, I was the first person to list them in a newspaper even before the critics turned them into their own initiative. First, there is the question of romance. Most Kano Market Literature books tell love stories of young people. Secondly, the quality of production, the printing, is very low. They use very cheap paper to print their books. Some of them even recycle almanacs to print the cover of their books. And the books are mostly pamphlets. Then, of course, they are self-produced. They are not produced under any particular registered publishing company. They just write their thing, go to a business centre, typeset it and take it to a printer. Then there is a question of marketing. They take the books individually to some traders in Kano. You don’t see this books in established bookshops. Also the books are hardly edited. They contain very bad grammar; they don’t follow the rules of writing. You see dialogues without quotation marks, no comas where necessary. And they jam words together. You see five words jammed together. These are some of the characteristics. Now, if you look at the three winners and others that have entered, a lot of improvement have been made in the last few years. People now take their books to academics in the universities and fellow writers for editing.
Talking about the three winners. I will just talk about the two, the first and second winners, because the third one I have not read his book. My book, Yar’tsana is over two hundred and seventy pages. So, it is a standard size. It was edited by a lot of people. Some of the more virulent critics have read it and made recommendations, and I was forced to even make changes here and there in the story-line. It was published by Informart Publishers, which is a formal publishing company registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. I own the company but that does not make it self-publishing because it went through all the rigours of normal publishing. It abides by all the rules of grammar and it is not about romance. It is about prostitution, one of the social problems that bedevil our society. The other book, Matar Uba, by Balaraba Ramat Yakubu, which came second, also went through some rigours of publishing. I know, because it was first submitted to my company for publishing and I distributed copies to some people who edited it. I also read the book personally and edited it and made it ready for publishing. But eventually, the author withdrew it from the company, saying she wanted to have a look at it. And when she took it she also asked for the electronic copy. Then she just took it to a printing press and produced it herself. You could see that the quality of the printing does not meet our own standard. But by and large, it went through the rigours of editing. And the story is not about romance also. Now, this romance issue, let me say something about it. It is not because a book is about romance that it is essentially a Kano Market Literature as the critics are saying. You could produce a love story and win a Nobel prize with it. It depends on the way you told the story, the style you employed, and how the book is produced. So, romance may be a characteristics of Kano Market Literature but it is not always a negative thing.

Is this your first prize in Hausa literature?

No. In 1987, Kaduna State Government organized what was called Northern Nigerian Languages Novel Writing Competition. I entered that competition with my novel, Kifin Rijiya (The Ignoramus) and I came third in that competition. So this particular one I can say I’m the winner while in that one I was a runner-up.

What will this do to your writing career especially in Hausa literature?

This has assured me that I’m on the right track. It has also gingered up debate in the Hausa writing circles, which is largely based in Kano. I have had the privilege to be in a forum where the prize was discussed and I hear some Hausa writers talking about my writings. And on my own part I felt that I should also improve on what I write. I should introduce new styles in my writing in Hausa. I was also encouraged to keep on writing in my language. I realized that I don’t have to write in English language to gain popularity or gain acceptance. By this award I’m also assured that my work, Yar’tsana, is the best among all the books produced in the last five years. Because, this competition covered five years. So it is really encouraging.

What would you say to those who instituted the prize?

They have done a wonderful job. We have a saying in Hausa; ana zaton wuta a makera sai ta tashi a masaka. That literally means while fire is expected at the blacksmith’s shop, it was found in a textile factory. That means that the people who organized this award were not expected to have done it. First, Hajiya Bilkisu, who instituted the prize in memory of her late husband is a lawyer, her husband was an engineer, and the man who advised her to institute the prize, Patrick Oguejiofor, is an Ibo man. And some others like Emman Shehu and Ahmed Maiwada that helped to administer the prize are Christians even though they are Hausa. They did it because they believe in the universality of literary values. They believe that literature, in whatever language it is produced, is about humanity. Even the first literary competition in 1933 was organized by a white man, Mr. East. And the one in 1981 was organized by another Christian although he was a Hausa man, Garba Malumfashi by name. These are people who believe that Hausa literature should be improved. They don’t have any hidden agenda. They are just doing it because they believe somebody has to do it. So they have our commendation. The whole Hausa writing circle has been commending their efforts. And I think they should be encouraged by all to continue in their path. It is also a challenge to other people, especially our so-called leaders, to wake up to their responsibilities. They should institute this kind of competition not only in Hausa literature but in different spheres of life in Hausa land. When you organize any competition, even if it is a boxing competition, you are encouraging some excellence.


(c) Interview by Sumaila umaisha, published in the New Nigerian newspaper edition of 15th December, 2007.

The Heroism of Ordinary People: An Interview with Helon Habila

This interview was published in LEADERSHIP on Monday

US-based Helon Habila, the award-winning Nigerian novelist, is currently on tour of Nigeria. Carmen MacCain talked to him in the US recently prior to his coming to Nigeria

Award winning novelist Helon Habila grew up in Gombe State. After earning his BA in English at the University of Jos in 1995, he taught at the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi. Moving to Lagos in 1999, he became the arts editor at the Vanguard and wrote a novel, published as Waiting for An Angel in 2002, which won the Caine Prize for African Fiction in 2001 and the Commonwealth Writers Prize in 2003. Habila has published stories, articles, and poems in journals world-wide and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of East Anglia. After a stint as the first Chinua Achebe fellow at Bard College in New York, Habila took a position at George Mason University where he teaches creative writing. He is in Nigeria from November 17 to November 24 to promote his second novel Measuring Time. In this interview on behalf of LEADERSHIP, he speaks with Carmen McCain, a PhD student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA, about his writing.

CARMEN MCCAIN: I was wondering what your creative process is like. Where do your stories come from?

HABILA: I really cannot say exactly, but I am really inspired by books. Sometimes I write in reaction to books I have read. Then there is also my experience: Measuring Time has a lot of that—my experiences as a child growing up. There was a time when I realised that I wanted to write about my hometown. From that moment whatever I did I viewed it through the eyes of fiction, thinking of how to represent the people I met, the things I did, the places I saw. I was thinking of them as already a part of my book that I was going to write. I was going to write Measuring Time even before I started writing Waiting for an Angel.

In both of your novels the act of writing itself seems to take on a political significance. What, to you, is the political responsibility of the writer?

Well, quite a lot, especially as an African writer. I think there is that tradition which started from the first generation of African writers. They were writing against the whole colonial system, which was very repressive, very racist, very dictatorial. They actually used to have congresses where they would discuss the best way to write fiction in a way that would address the political issues of the day. Even before that, in traditional African society, from the folk tales, there’s always a kind of moral lesson, a kind of didacticism that is seen as an aesthetic part of that story. So politics more or less becomes an aesthetic in African fiction. There are no boundaries between what is purely political and what is art. Art becomes politics and politics becomes art. So I think people like me who find themselves in that tradition, and have that temperament, that awareness of what is going on, who feel that things shouldn’t be the way they are, have a duty to speak out. It is tradition and it’s also a matter of temperament, because there are definitely writers in Africa who don’t write about politics. They write art for art’s sake, or whatever you want to call it.

Could you say more about the influences of Hausa literature on your writing?

Definitely. I grew up reading the translation of One Thousand and One Nights in Hausa and the works of Abubakar Imam, Magana Jari Ce, Ruwan Bagaja, etc. So there is that magical or folkloric representation of reality, which is very different from pure realism. I was definitely influenced by that. And before that I was also influenced by folktales told to me by women in the compound. So, these Hausa books I discovered later were almost a continuation of that story tradition with the magical elements, spirit figures and things like that.

Both of your novels deal with history. In Measuring Time, the character Mamo wants to write a biographical history. Is this one of your own goals?

Definitely, I think so. Because so much that we have is fast fading away and being taken over by the modern, I see writing itself as cultural conservation. That is exactly what Mamo’s project is, conserving the history of people…, because they were misrepresented by the [missionary] Reverend Drinkwater. If you represent what has been misrepresented, you are putting the records right. And that is what history is supposed be. Taking moments of glory, and also ordinary moments—moments of humanity, of value to the community, and putting it down in books. It doesn’t have to be about generals, it doesn’t have to be about chiefs, it could be about ordinary people, their heroism. That is the whole point of the book, that lives should be celebrated, regardless of what office or what lack of office that person has.

Newton Aduaka, the winner of the Golden Yennenga Stallion at the FESPACO film festival, is making a film based on Waiting for an Angel. How involved have you been with this?

I’m not really involved. I’m just the author of the novel. I see film as being totally different from literature. They are both narrative art forms, but they have different ways of representing their story, their subject. I trust him as an artist. I think my novel is strong enough to stand on its own, even if the movie is a bit different in some of its portrayals.

Have you ever thought of writing a screenplay or becoming involved in film?

I really want to do that some day. Some people approached me to write a movie script. I started writing it and then it became a novel! I’m really enjoying the experience. I don’t know how far it’s going to go, but I’m definitely going to go into movies one of these days. To write, or even direct, if I have the chance. The movie industry is just incredible, and I think this is the moment to get involved.
All right, thank you so much.
Thank you, you’re welcome.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Mr Habila is scheduled to do a reading from his novels on November 21 at NuMetro, Abuja.

Ci-gaban Adabin Hausa: Ina Hausawan Ne?

Daga Ibrahim Sheme

(An buga wannan sharhin a filin Adabi na jaridar LEADERSHIP HAUSA ta ranar Juma'a ta makon jiya)

Kwanan nan aka yi wani }asaitaccen biki na karrama marubutan Hausa uku wa]anda su ka yi zarra a gasar rubuta littattafan hikaya na Hausa don tunawa da marigayi Injiniya Mohammed Bashir {araye, wanda tsohon kwamishina ne a Jihar Kano. Mai]akin marigayin, Hajiya Bilkisu Abdulmalik Bashir, wadda ita ce Sakataren Zartaswa ta Hukumar Aikin Shari’a ta {asa (Executive Secretary, National Judicial Service Council), ita ce ta ]auki nauyin shirya gasar. {ungiyar Marubuta ta Nijeriya (ANA), reshen Babban Birnin Tarayya, Abuja,ita ce ta gudanar da bikin. A tarihin adabin Hausa, ba a ta~a yin gagarumin bikin karrama marubuta irin wannan ba. Taron da za a iya kwatanta shi da wannan shi ne wanda aka yi a kamfanin buga littattafai na Gaskiya Corporation da ke Zariya lokacin da aka }addamar da sabon bugu na wasu daga cikin littattafan Alhaji Abubakar Imam, cikin 1981, wanda ba a da]e da yin taron ba Allah ya ]auki ran shi Alhaji Imam. To amma ko wancan taron na Zariya bai ko kama }afar wannan ba wajen bun}asa da alfarma. Abin sai wanda ya gani!

Wani abu da ya ba mutane da dama mamaki game da wannan gasa shi ne yanayin su wa]anda su ka shirya gasar. Irin abin nan ne da ake cewa ana zaton wuta a ma}era, sai ta tashi a masa}a. Na farko, mutumin da ya fara kawo shawarar shirya gasar, ba Bahaushe ba ne. Inyamiri ne mai suna Mista Patrick Tagbo Ogujiofor. Ma’aikaci ne a wannan hukuma ta aikin shari’a, inda shi ne jami’in ya]a labarai. A bayanin da ya yi a jarida kwanan baya, Ogujiofor ya ce tunanin shirya gasar ta faru ne a bara, lokacin da su ka je ta’aziyyar rasuwar Injiniya Bashir {araye. A lokacin, uwar]akin sa Hajiya Bilkisu ta ]an furta cewa mijin ta mai }aunar karance-karancen littattafan Hausa ne da kuma son ha~aka adabi. Wannan abu ne wanda kusan dukkan masu ruwa da tsaki a harkar adabin Hausa ba su sani ba, domin kuwa yawancin su ba su yi mu’amala da shi Injiniyan ba.

To, inda kaya su ka tsinke a gindin kaba shi ne, shi Patrick wani }usa ne a harkar rubuce-rubuce, amma fa da Turanci. Ya ta~a ri}e mu}amin shugaban }ungiyar ANA ta Jihar Yobe, lokacin ya na aiki a can. Mutum ne mai son al’amuran Hausa, kuma ya na jin Hausa kamar jakin Kano. Kai, matar sa ma Bahaushiya ce!

Saboda haka sai ya ba wa Hajiya shawarar cewa ya kamata ta shirya wani abu wanda zai sa a ri}a tunawa da marigayin. Nan take sai ta amince da hakan. Su ka tsara cewa a shirya gasar rubutu ga marubutan Hausa. Wani abu da zai ba ka mamaki kuma shi ne, ita kan ta Hajiya Bilkisun ba Bahaushiya ba ce. ’Yar }abilar Igbirra ce daga Jihar Kogi. Amma wannan bai hana ta amincewa ta ]auki nauyin shirya gasar ba.

Patrick kuma memba ne a }ungiyar ANA ta Abuja. Sai ya shigo da }ungiyar cikin al’amarin, inda shi da shugaban }ungiyar, wato Dakta Emman Usman Shehu, su ka shiga fafutikar shirya gasar. Ina jin in ban da shi Emman Shehu da kuma wani lauya Bazazzagi, marubuci, mai suna Ahmed Maiwada, babu Bahaushe a }ungiyar. Wa]annan bayin Allah sun yi aiki tu}uru wajen shirya wannan gasa har Allah ya sa aka yi ta aka gama lafiya.

Na ba ku wannan dogon tarihin ne don ku fahimci cewa ba Hausawa ka]ai ba ne su ke da kishin ci-gaban adabin Hausa. Za ma mu iya cewa su Hausawan, musamman Musulmin cikin su, ba su damu sosai da ci-gaban al’adun su ba; sau da yawa su kan bari wasu can su shirya musu hanyoyin ha~aka al’adun su, musamman a fannin rubutu.

Ga hujja. Gasar rubutu ta farko da aka shirya, a cikin 1933, wani Bature ne jigon yin ta. Baturen, Mista Rupert M. East, jami’in ilmi ne a Zariya. Shi Turawan mulkin mallaka su ka ]ora a kan aikin. A wannan gasar ne aka samu marubuta zufin farko, irin su Abubakar Imam, Abubakar Tafawa-|alewa, Bello Kagara, Muhammadu Gwarzo da John Tafida Wusasa. Haka kuma gasar da aka yi a cikin 1982, Garba Asiwaju Malumfashi ne jagoran shirya ta. Bahaushe ne, to amma fa Kirista. Ya shirya gasar a matsayin sa na daraktan al’adu a Ma’aikatar Al’adu ta Tarayya, ba domin addini ba, sai don ha~aka adabin Hausa. A gasar ne aka samu marubuta irin su Sulaiman Ibrahim Katsina da Bature Gagare.

Ita kan ta wannan gasar da aka yi a bana, yawancin masu shirya ta ba Musulmi ba ne; ina nufin su Patrick, Emman Shehu da Ahmed Maiwada. Biyun }arshe Hausawa ne, to amma ba Musulmi ba ne. Sun shirya gasar ne ba tare da sun sa tunanin addini a ran su ba, a’a sai don su ga yadda za a yi a inganta adabin Hausa, tare da ma}udan ku]in da Hajiya Bilkisu ta bayar.

Shin ina Hausawa su ke? Ina Musulmi? Wa]annan tambayoyin su na daga cikin wa]anda ni da Farfesa Abdalla Uba Adamu, ]aya daga cikin al}alan da su ka yi hukunci kan wannan gasa ta Injiniya Bashir {araye, mu ka yi wa kan mu ita lokacin da shi Malam Abdalla ya zo Abuja don halartar taron karrama marubutan da su ka yi zarra a gasar. Gaskiyar magana ita ce, Hausawa Musulmi ba su damu da ha~aka al’adun su ba, musamman ma dai a wannan zamanin. Ba su ]auki rubutu da wani muhimmanci ba.

Sau da yawa, Hausawa Musulmi so su ke a ma daina rubutun. Kamar yadda Hajiya Balaraba Ramat Yakubu, ]aya daga cikin zakarun gasar Injiniya {araye, ta fa]a a hirar ta da aka buga a jaridar Leadership Hausa a makon jiya, a Kano an da]e ana }o}arin dur}usar da rubutun hikaya na Hausa na wannan zamanin. An yi tsinuwa da zage-zage a masallatai; an ce marubuta ne manyan masu gur~ata tarbiyya a }asar Hausa. Kuma abin sai }ara gur~acewa ya ke yi. Misalin hakan shi ne yadda kwanan baya Hukumar A Daidaita Sahu ta Jihar Kano ta shirya gangamin }ona littattafan Hausa, inda har Sarkin Kano sai da ya halarta kuma ya jagoranci cinna wa tarin littattafan wuta.

Kwanan nan kuma Hukumar Tace Finafinai ta Jihar Kano ta fito da wata doka mai ban-dariya da takaici, inda ta ce tilas ne duk littafin da za a buga a Jihar Kano sai an kai mata shi ta karanta ta amince tukuna, bayan kuwa ga shi ba ta da masana masu lokacin yin wannan aiki. A kaikaice, manufar dokar ita ce ta hana yin rubutun kwata-kwata.

Wani abin juyayi shi ne, yawancin masu sukar littattafan hikaya na Hausa ba masu karanta su ba ne. Ba su san abin da ke cikin littattafan ba. Su a ]an }aramin tunanin su, babu abin da ke cikin littattafan sai labaran soyayya, sharholiya, batsa, zinace-zinace, shan muggan }wayoyi, da sauran su. Kawai idan an samu littafi }waya ]aya mai ]auke da wani abu wanda bai yi musu da]i ba, ko wata she]ara a cikin wani littafi, shikenan an samu makamin farfaganda, a shiga kafafen ya]a labarai ana kumfar baki. Ba za a fa]i dalilin yin littafin da aka yi ba (misali, idan an ga batsa a wata she]ara, a ce an yi ta ne don ta dace da muhallin ta). Kuma ba za a ta~a yin nuni da duk wani littafi mai ]auke da irin koyarwar da su masu sukar su ke so a yi ba. Ba za su ba da misali da littattafan da su ka dace da tunanin su ba, a’a sai dai wannan }waya ]ayan. Ka ga kenan ana yin al}alanci cikin jahilci. Hakika, na san wani al}alancin ana yin sa ne da gangan don a shafa wa marubuta kashin kaji.
Sannan kuma su masu sukar, daga hukumomi zuwa ]ai]aikun mutane, ba su yin komai don agaza wa marubutan. Ba su shirya taron wayar da kai, ba su yin wa’azantarwa, ba su ba da tagomashi na ku]i, ba su shirya gasar rubutu su gindaya }a’idojin da su ke so, kuma ba su sayen littattafan. Hukumar A Daidaita Sahu ta alamta yun}urin agaza wa marubutan, to amma abin da ta yi kamar ka ]iga ruwa ne a hamadar rairayi. Wani rufin-]uwan-’yan-bori (an rufe gaba, ba a rufe baya ba) kuma da hukumar ta yi shi ne gangamin }ona littattafan marubuta da ta yi, wa]anda kamata ya yi ta ja su a jika, ta saka su kan hanyar da ta ga ya dace.

Abin mamaki, akwai daga cikin masu nazari da marubuta wa]anda ke yin furutan da ke }ara iza wutar }yama ga marubutan. A marubuta, akwai }yashi da hassada da kuma tunanin in-ba-ni-ba-to-ba-wanda-ya-iya. Idan ka dubi surutan da ake yi wa juna a tsakanin }ungiyoyin marubuta na Kano, to ka san lallai da sauran aiki.

Sannan manazarta/masana irin su Malam Ibrahim Malumfashi (wanda ke kan hanyar zama cikakken farfesa a fagen adabi) sun yi ayyukan da ke tabbatar da cewa manufar su ba ta kawo gyara ba ce; kawai su na yin sukar neman suna su ke yi, ba tare da sun kawo tabbatattun hujjoji na sukar da su ke yi ba. Haka kuma abin ba}in ciki shi ne, duk da yake wai a jami’a su ke, su ma a tsakanin su akwai }yashi da hassada irin ta malaman zaure. Babu shakka, Malumfashi shi ne kan gaba wajen ~ata sunan marubutan Hausa na wannan zamani; da gangan ya }i yarda ya fito rana a gan shi, ya la~e cikin duhun tarihi, ya na bautar shu]a]]un gumaka. Idan wani al’amari ya taso na yadda za a yi a inganta adabin Hausa, to ba ya ciki.

Babu wata }asa mamallakiyar babban harshe da ya kai gawurtar harshen Hausa inda tsirarun manazarta da ’yan kazagin su masu }aramin ilmi su ke farfagandar jawo koma-baya a fagen adabi kamar }asar Hausa. Sai dai abin mamaki, da yake sukar adabi ba ta hana adabi ya]o, har yanzu rubutun ake. Ya }i mutuwa ballantana a yi jana’izar sa. Masu jiran ganin kushewar sa sun ha}a kabari mai zurfi, su na ri}e da farin alawayyon yi masa likkafani, to amma akwai alamun cewa har su mutu shi adabin Hausar ba zai mutu ba. Wannan kabarin da su ka ha}a, su za a rufe a ciki.

CYPRIAN EKWENSI AND SHEME

It's me here interviewing Cyprian Ekwensi, in Ilesha, south-western Nigeria, some years back. The interview was published in the Weekly Trust when I was that paper's Literary Editor.

Chief Ekwensi died on Sunday at the age of 86.

Cyprian Ekwensi, Foremost Writer, Dies At 86

This story was published in today's issue of LEADERSHIP:-

Chief Cyprian Odiatu Duakwa Ekwensi, author of several popular novels and short stories, is dead. He died at the age of 86.

Ekwensi was born in Minna in Northern Nigeria on September 26, 1921 and later lived in Onitsha in his ancestral east.

He was educated at Government College, Ibadan, and Achimota College, Ghana. He later studied pharmacy at the Yaba Technical Institute, Lagos, and graduated from the Chelsea School of Pharmacy, United Kingdom, in 1956. He read Forestry at the School of Forestry, Ibadan.

The late Ekwensi worked for two years as a forestry officer and taught Pharmacy for a couple of years at Igbobi College, Lagos. He was employed as a pharmacist by the Nigerian Medical Corporation.

Ekwensi was regarded as father of the modern African novel on city life.

He went into creative writing as a vocation, publishing his first novel, When Love Whispers, in 1948. He went on to produce other novels, including An African Night's Entertainment (1948), The Boa Suitor (1949), People of the City (1954), Passport of Mallam Iliya (written in 1948 but published in 1960), The Drummer Boy (1960), Jagua Nana (1961), Burning Grass (1962), Beautiful Feathers (1963), Iska (1966), as well as hundreds of short stories and essays. He was for many years a columnist with Drum magazine and later Monthly Life magazine.

He also published a number books for children. Under the name C.O.D. Ekwensi, he released Ikolo the Wrestler and Other Ibo Tales (1947) and The Leopard's Claw (1950). In the 1960s, he wrote An African Night's Entertainment (1962), The Great Elephant-Bird (1965), and Trouble in Form Six (1966). His later works for children include Coal Camp Boy (1971), Samankwe in the Strange Forest (1973), Samankwe and the Highway Robbers (1975), Masquerade Time! (1992), and King Forever! (1992). In recognition of his skills as a writer, he was awarded the Dag Hammarskjold International Prize for Literary Merit in 1968.

Ekwensi joined the Nigerian Ministry for Information and rose to be Nigeria’s first indigenous Director of Information at independence. With first military coup in 1966, culminating in the disturbances in the Western and Northern regions that year, Ekwensi gave up his position and relocated to Enugu where he joined the secessionist government of Biafra. He became chairman of the Bureau for External Publicity in Biafra and an adviser to the head of state, Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu.

After the war he moved to Lagos where he spent the rest of his life in relative obscurity.

In 1999 he was honoured with the chieftaincy title of Osi Baarohin of Ibadanland and was inducted Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters in 2006. He was also a recipient of the Nigerian national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR).

He is survived by a wife, nine children and many grandchildren.

A statement signed yesterday by his son Georges Chiedu Ekwensi on behalf of the bereaved family said that the late sage’s funeral arrangements would be announced by the family in due course.