Bianou: Niger’s exciting fashion festival
The Bianou Festival is a folk event of the Abzins living in Agadez sultanate and its environs, including Tchirozerine and Arlit. Traditional dances, drumming of the tambari, camel riding, and fashion fanfare exhibits, as well as poetry, are showcased for the entire duration of the festival – it lasts for two weeks and is organized […]
The Bianou Festival is a folk event of the Abzins living in Agadez sultanate and its environs, including Tchirozerine and Arlit. Traditional dances, drumming of the tambari, camel riding, and fashion fanfare exhibits, as well as poetry, are showcased for the entire duration of the festival – it lasts for two weeks and is organized by the local people in conjunction with courtiers of the Sultan of Agadez, according to Attah Tambari, the Chief Convener of Bianou in Agadez.
“Bianou is often regarded as a fashion parade and an exhibition of drumming and dancing skills. All indigenes of Agadez and its vicinity yearn to see the first week of Muharram, to enable them display traditional attires and their dancing skills,” said Tambari.
On the 17th of dhul Hijja (Islamic calendar), the Abzins (Abzinawa in the Sultanate of Agadez) start preparation for the grand events of Bianou, which according to Dr. AbdulQadir Labaran Koguna, the traditional title holder of Sardaunan Abzin, ‘the festival has been celebrated for the past 829 years. While speaking to Nigerians at the palace of the Sultan of Agadez, he stated, “Agadez Sultanate is an Islamic empire, and many scholars hailed from the town, as the house of Sheikh Jibrila bn Omar, the tutor of a great scholar, Sheikh Usman bn Fodio is located near our grand parents’ houses. But, the bianou cultural event, upon which you purposely came from Nigeria to Niger to witness, has been celebrated in Agadez for the past 829 years.”
This reporter, along with some students from Irshadil Ummah College, Kano, went to Agadez solely to witness the grandeur associated with the celebration of bianou. Luckily for me, and having known a member of the college’s governing council, my name was included on the list of NCE students, who requested for permission from the Nigerien consulate office in Kano to make an excursion to some cultural, historical and scientific sites, including power and energy, and mineral exploration companies in Niger Republic. Thus, it was scheduled that we would visit the historic mosque in Agadez, Artizanat Markets (Market stalls for the Artisans), Tchirozerine SONICHAR (power company), SOMAIR and COMINAK all of which are mineral exploration companies located in Arlit.
On 11th November, 2013, we left Kano for Agadez. When we stopped at Zinder, I phoned Ahmad Muhammad Damagaran, who sent cans of soft drinks to my co-travellers. While the rest were busy quenching their thirst, I invited our driver to have his lunch with me. After lunch, we carried on with our journey, nonstop, until we reached Tanout, where we paid a brief visit to the Prefect, who offered us cold water to quench our thirst. From the prefecture (secretariat), we headed for the mosque. Then we arrived Agadez late in the night.
My co-travellers, comprising Rabi’u Abdullahi, Firdausi, Halima Garo and Hassana of all whom are students of Irshadil Umma College. Also, Malam Habibu Hassan Yakasai and our first driver, Labe-labe were all hosted at Darussalam guest house, Agadez. As we were about to go to bed, Sardaunan Abzin, Dr. AbdulQadir Koguna told us that he booked an appointment for us to meet the Sultan at 8:30 in the morning. Very early in the morning we met the Sultan who is not only a physical giant, but also dark in complexion and full of charisma, at his palace. The Sultan’s face was unmasked, unlike the Abzins who often mask their faces with turbans.
At the end of the dancing and fashion fanfare, I interviewed the chief convener of Bianou, Attah Tambari, who furnished me with the essentials of the Bianou festival. He stated “the meaning of Bianou is simply dancing till daybreak.” He also said that Bianou paved way for fashion and dancing competitions between the Easterners and Westerners (Abzinawan Yamma da na Gabas). But he opined that, today there is neither east nor west. “We all celebrate bianou collectively, unlike in the olden days, where the easterners compete or even strive hard to outwit the westerners.” He added “We bridge the gap, as there are no westerners today.”
The wife of the convener Ummu, popularly known as Bututuwa chipped in, and she mentioned different cuisines women prepare on every bianou day, which according to her includes: Cukubus (a mixture of powdered camel milk mixed, with dates and grains), ginas, algaragis and the like. She however disagreed with her husband, where he said there are no westerners today. But he quickly responded, saying that “I married her from the west. And you can even notice that Zabarma people married from my house. For this reason you should not take her serious.”
I really enjoyed my second visit to Agadez, even though this ancient town is very difficult to reach.But whoever visits for the first time, will yearn to make another visit. Both Nigeriens and foreigners came to experience the traditions and customs of the Azbins, as the event showcases the unity of ethnic groups within the sultanate’s unique regions. However, fashion and music fanfare feature very well. The grand mosque of Agadez, has been included on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The city, is often referred as ‘The gateway to the desert,’ and a major transit area between Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa; most especially Libya and Algeria.