NOT A NORTHERN AFFAIR
My name is Farida Shaibu
and I am not a terrorist (strike that). My name is Farida
Shaibu and I am not a Northerner.
I imagine you want to know
which part of the North I come from despite making myself clear. Well, at least
Mr Shaibu tells me we are not from any of the three Northern regions in Ghana.
Believe me; I understand how you feel because I get that misconception a lot.
“Do you speak Dagomba,
Dagbani, Grusi or what?” No, I can only speak Hausa because I am Hausa and my
root is Sokoto. My mum is Akan. I was born and raised in Ghana so I’m Ghanaian.
In a typical introductory
conversation like this, I let out a stifle laugh because of the confused faces
of people who would normally expect me to interpret any of the above languages
when the need arises. I end up more confused than they are.
Who are they? I am talking
about you, my friends, the random guy on the street, the stranger I met in
the “trotro,” the bank teller who read my bank statement, the
school registrar, the campus mates, that secret admirer, the interviewer, my
colleagues. You are all living a life of fallacy!
In Ghana, almost all arabic
names are tagged as having a Northern origin. Sometimes it even extends to the
“pepefuor” phenomenon where everyone is “pepeni” by
virtue of his or her Islamic name. In fact, I can’t recollect the number of
times I have had to explain myself immediately I mention my name because it’s
become easier for me to guess the next question- “which part of the North do
you come from?”
There’s often that
assumption that my name is supposed to have a Northern affair or trace its
roots in the heart of some native town of Kpaguri in the Upper West region.
Yes I have been to Kpaguri.
I had the chance to spend a day in the beautiful town while reporting on a
forum organized as part of a bloggingGhana project I worked on last year.
Immediately it was mentioned that the team would be travelling up North, a
colleague remarked “Oh, then Farida will have the chance to visit her
hometown.”
Seriously? That was my
first time flying to the North, making a transit at Tamale and riding about 5
hours to Wa, Kpaguri the next day. I just couldn’t hide my joy because I also
wanted to travel and see. I’m glad I didn’t miss the opportunity. My biggest
observation about the people of Wa? Let’s save that topic for later.
Now let me tell you a
little about my tribe- the Hausa tribe. Additional files are by kind courtesy
of Google, Wikipedia. Pay attention!
The Hausa are the largest ethnic group
in West Africa, and a majority of them are Muslims. The Hausa are
originally from an area known as "Hausaland," a region covering
75,000 square miles and straddling the borders of Niger and Nigeria. They
first began to settle in Ghana about 500 years ago.
In the fifteenth century, the first
Muslim traders from Hausaland arrived and settled in the northeastern
section of Ghana. With the expansion of trade in the eighteenth century
and the "holy wars" of Fulani in the nineteenth century, Hausa
immigration to Ghana increased. Hausa traders, Muslim priests, and Hausa-speaking
slaves helped to spread the Hausa culture in Ghana.
The language of Hausa has more native
speakers than any other language in sub-Saharan Africa, with an estimated 22
million native speakers, plus additional 17 million second
language speakers. The main Hausa speaking area is northern Nigeria and Niger,
but Hausa is also widely spoken in northern Ghana and northern Cameroon,
and there are large Hausa communities in every major West African
city. Most Hausa speakers are Muslims, and Hausa is often a lingua franca
among Muslims in non-Hausa areas.
There is a large and growing printed
literature in Hausa, which includes novels, poetry, plays, instruction in
Islamic practice, books on development issues, newspapers, news
magazines, and even technical academic works. Radio and television
broadcasting in Hausa is ubiquitous in northern Nigeria and Niger, and
radio stations in Ghana and Cameroon have regular Hausa broadcasts, as do
international broadcasters such as the BBC, VOA, Deutsche-Welle, Radio Moscow,
Radio Beijing, and others. Hausa is used as the language of instruction at
the elementary level in schools in northern Nigeria, and Hausa is
available as course of study in northern Nigerian universities.
If you have read to this point,
congratulations, you have been informed. You are miles ahead of the confused
ones still living under fallacy. I leave you to make your own research and
decide if you want to enroll in any of the northern Nigerian Universities to
study “proper” Hausa.
On the contrary, feel free to contact
me for the 2 by 4 Ghana Hausa (not the Nima one though). The next time you
approach me in town; expect me to say “Akwei-lafia?” (How are you? Or Are
you fine?). Please don’t hesitate to respond “Lafia-leu!” (I
am well).
"Tor, shey anjima!" (Okay, catch you later!)
PS: Lafia means health.
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