As a child, I wrote love stories —Bashir Tofa

One of the reasons you gave for writing the books in Hausa was that you wanted to promote the language. Is there any plan to adopt them by our schools in teaching the language? We tried to invite some state governors, and even before the launch we had a committee that visited almost all the […]

One of the reasons you gave for writing the books in Hausa was that you wanted to promote the language. Is there any plan to adopt them by our schools in teaching the language?

We tried to invite some state governors, and even before the launch we had a committee that visited almost all the northern governors, emirs as well as chiefs with complimentary sets of the books and a letter introducing the books and also telling them the main objective. A lot of them responded by sending representatives. We are now in communication with some of them hoping that they would consider it through their various ministries of education and other organizations. If some of these books would be considered, especially Tunaninka Kamaninka which we feel would be very useful for junior secondary or the senior primary classes, not necessary as a subject for examination, but as a subject for reading in the class and for discussion, it would be good. A teacher can read it, understand the philosophy in it and then ask the students to read it and, perhaps, discuss it. Also we have a plan to do all these over the radio. I have an audio studio here which we can use in dubbing discussion and then airing them.

In that case, how accessible are the books looking at the fact that people find it very difficult to buy books because of economic constraints?

All these books were printed abroad, and the reason is that some are very scientific, with colour and sketches and pictures. So we had to make them explanatory. For example, if you are speaking about rainbow, unless that picture is coloured properly, the explanation will not be full. That’s why quality was very important to us. This would of course make them a little bit expensive to the buyer. Of course, not everybody can buy a book no matter how low its price—buying a book depends on the interest of the person, but we have set up a small committee to look into the pricing structure in the cost of distribution of the books, and to recommend the best way these books can be made accessible to those who are serious about buying the books.

Would the pricing be lowered?

The books cost N13,500, but that is for wholesale. The retail price would depend on the retailer certainly if somebody is buying large quantity we would consider some discount. Right now we are selling them with a 20 percent discount and that will close very soon. If we can receive some large orders from the state governments and other institutions we can set these prices at give away price.

So far how many states have approached you?

Nobody has approached us yet. In the beginning we introduced the books to the leaders of the states, who sent their representatives and even made donations. They had also made promises that their relevant ministries would deal with these issues.

These books came at a time when Hausa literature was undergoing critical assessment. What role do you think these books will play in the development of Hausa literature?

Not only these books, but all Hausa books are involved; what we are trying to do is to form a foundation to focus on the development of the language and its acceptance. We would look at more languages. We have five major languages in the north—Hausa, Fulfulde, Kanuri, Tiv and Nupe and we want to see the best way we can revive them, and improve their stature with the reading public.

Considering your status in the society, many people would want to know how you became a writer.

I have been writing short stories since I was a child; and when I was a young man, I used to write stories for myself, for the family, and for friends. Writing is one of the most important hobbies I have, and I take it very seriously. I later I realised that there are some aspects of education that are very important, but our people cannot access them because they are written in English and other languages. That is why I had written these books like Kimiyyar Sararin Samaniya. Luckily for me I did my advance levels in sciences in England.

Looking at your tight schedule and considering the depth of research conducted in bringing out the books, one wonders how you were able to do it.

What people don’t understand is that I have a lot of time for myself. I thank Allah for endowing me with the resources to employ other people to do other things for me. That is the trick. Like when you came here I was not doing anything other than reading someone’s book which I found interesting. For me, writing is something I do for myself and I think everybody should find time to do what he or she likes. I think if you don’t do that, you spend your life doing what other people want you to do, not what you enjoy.

Every writer, indeed every artist, is inspired by something; could you share your inspirations?

Personally, I think to be able to write is just a gift; it is an inspiration from above. And I know that the only thing is to have the intent to write, but what you would exactly end up writing is something you may have little knowledge [about]. Even yesterday, a girl brought me a books she wrote in Hausa and when I looked at this issue of [Vision] 2020, I was really impressed; so I think it is a gift.

Could you recall some of the short stories you used to write as a child?

I used to write short stories about kings and queens, or like Gizo and Koki—I had been watching Indian films. We used to sneak out and go to cinemas even though our parents didn’t like it. I wrote in an exercise book, [which] I filled with some songs; a prince was in love with a village girl but his stature was so high [and] nobody wanted him to marry that girl. I wrote that when I was only 12 or 13. I have been trying to locate that book, and even my mother was asking [about it].

Many people would want to read the books you wrote but could not understand Hausa. Is there any plan to translate them into English?

Just last month I was explaining that to one Igbo friend of mine. One or two of these, like Tunaninka Kamaninka and Rayuwa Bayan Mutuwa, we would get an Igbo man and a Yoruba man and maybe a Tiv man, when we form the foundation, to translate them. So we have a plan for that insha-Allahu.

Apart from writing, you are also a publisher. Did your writing inspire you to go into publishing?

Yes. I used to have a big printing press here—I sold the machinery about two years ago very cheap. I had one of the best colour separating equipment. I respect the printing business but, unfortunately, I was not the one supervising it. I got tired of the loss, so I closed it down.

What we would later do in the foundation is to revive that, print the books with the same quality. The foundation will take care of those who will write, launch their books, selling their books, commission the writing of books, and commission the translation of books and so on. In the next few years we aregoing to grow very large and inspire a lot of people to write. We also hope that writers would get the full benefits of their writings. There are a lot of educated people who have something to write, but they don’t know how to go about it or they don’t have the financial capacity to do it. But this foundation would collect the manuscripts, do everything with them, and pay them royalties which would be generous, so that we can encourage them to do more.

The foundation would make the minimum necessary profit; the most important thing is to get people to write, like I said, not only in Hausa but whatever language one wishes to write especially these northern languages.

Can we then say that this launching is a prelude to a massive revival of the publishing industry in northern Nigeria?

By the grace of God. A lot of the money from the launching would go into this foundation. What I will get is the cost of printing the books and some royalty that anybody in the future would get. I have thousands of books waiting to be sold. The foundation would have a share in the sales of the books. Hopefully, in the next five years, you would see.

People would want to know more about this foundation and probably wherethe money to start it would be sourced from?

All of us are doing some voluntary work; nobody is being paid a salary, all the money that is going to come in is from these books. All we know is that by the time we finish selling all the books, the foundation may have N50 million to N60 million, its share from the launching and other projects.

We would have sufficient money for the foundation next year, and we intend to give scholarships not only for authors but in areas that would be helpful to our society, especially here in the north.

Is the foundation your brainchild or a collective effort?

I started it but it is ours. I even told [those involved] that my name should not come into it. Let it be given a name that anyone can be free to associate with. I may be the chairman of the board of trustees, because I have my vision, but later someone can take over; it’s not  a Bashir Tofa Foundation for my own ego, or for my afterlife thing. My own concern is to do something that everybody will associate with. The objectives now are narrow, based on the language we have in the north and its development. But when, in the next few years, we begin to see the world as it should be, we can widen the objectives; as it is said, one thing leads to another.

Could you share your experiences with the defunct Pen newspaper and whether you are thinking of reviving it?

I don’t think we would publish any newspaper. We [already] have newspapers—Daily Trust, Leadership; a few others are coming, and these are very good papers. I think [they are] sufficient. We like to stick to what we plan to do now, but who knows what would happen after some years?

My association with the Pen and Alkalami newspapers was born out of my desire to write and also to publish my opinion.

Why did you allow the paper to die like that?

Because I was alone, nobody was helping me. You know it’s not easy. Nobody was advertising. Not even the Saudi Arabian Embassy much less the Libyan or Syrian embassies or any of the Islamic countries although it was a religious paper. So every week I had to fish out N75,000 for the paper; luckily for me, the Nation House Press belonging to the late General Shehu Yar’adua was printing it for us at a reduced rate because I knew him very well. I was also using his delivery system; when it was printed in Kaduna, they took it to other states with their papers free of charge, and handed it to our vendors.

My then production manager, now commissioner here in Kano, Garba Yusuf, would go round the states: Katsina, Bauchi, Plateau, etc, but the money he would spend would be much higher than what he collected. So we had to give up.