Inside Yauri regatta, a festival that glamorizes women

Tourists from across the country and beyond recently thronged Yauri in Kebbi State to watch displays at the famous annual Yauri regatta. Before now, it was mainly for hunting of hippopotami, but later underwent a series of transformations as an agricultural show was recently incorporated into the events that featured in the 200-year-old festival. The […]

Tourists from across the country and beyond recently thronged Yauri in Kebbi State to watch displays at the famous annual Yauri regatta.

Before now, it was mainly for hunting of hippopotami, but later underwent a series of transformations as an agricultural show was recently incorporated into the events that featured in the 200-year-old festival.

The festival suffered a setback as it ceased to be celebrated over five decades ago. One reason for that was the insecurity that bedeviled the country.

It took strenuous efforts of people of the emirate and the Kebbi State government to revive it. It attracted all sons and daughters of the emirate both home and abroad, and was eventually revived last year.

Apart from playing host to a series of water related competitions, the regatta also featured displays that showcased the rich cultural heritage of people of the emirate.

Skinning of animals, wrestling, canoeing and several forms of swimming competitions formed parts of the festival that lasted three days.

Cultural dances by ethnic groups in the emirate thrilled spectators, including crocodile displays, motorcycling and cycling on water added to its pomp and pageantry.

Following series of modifications, the festival now demonstrates the level of importance people of the emirate attach to the women folk, and particularly, a bride during her wedding.

Five colourfully decorated canoes were used to convey the bridal train from one island to the other.

Among the canoes, one was for the bride and her people while the other four were for guarding the bridal canoe, with two in front and two at the back.

The bridal canoe had to be heavily protected because decorated canoes usually attract hippopotami which in some cases attack colourful canoes, but with such security protection, the animals were brought under control.

Essentially, the Yauri festival is about  the honour and high esteem which the people of Yauri attach to women.

But the 50-year lull was not the first setback the festival suffered, as it was said to have been banned by the colonial government in the 19th century in order to save hippopotami from extinction.

Despite the ban, the people of the emirate made all efforts to keep it alive, though after that, it was only held at events organized by the affluent.

In the many years the emirate organized the event, it was never held in Birnin Yauri, the seat of power of the Yauri Emirate, as all along, it took place in Yelwan Yauri.

The Yauri regatta came into being after one of the earliest emirs of the emirate saw a plain land some kilometers away from Birnin Yauri and asked his subjects to settle there as that would enable them reproduce as a way expansion.

He directed his subjects in Hausa language;  “Kuje ku yelwata”, (meaning, ‘go to that land and reproduce in multiples), hence the name Yelwan Yauri, which is about 14 kilometers from Birnin Yauri.

Speaking on how the festival came into being, the Galadiman Yauri, Mu’azu Danmallam, said it was started by an ethnic group in Yauri as a way of organizing water events that enabled them to hunt for one of the most dangerous animals, the hippopotamus, in the River Niger.

On why the regatta is not held in Birnin Yauri, the Galadima said it began when the fifth emir of Yauri asked his subjects to relocate to plain land close to the side of the River Niger, which was later known as Yelwan Yauri.

According to him, since the festival is purely a marine event, at the beginning until recently when cultural entertainment was added to it, the festival had to be performed where there was water.

“The two towns, Birnin Yauri and Yelwan Yauri, are towns of same origin. The reason why Birnin Yauri despite being the seat of power of the emirate does not host the famous festival is that Birnin Yauri is not as close to water like Yelwan Yauri, which is by the side of the River Niger.”

Speaking at the recent festival, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, commended the efforts of the emirate for reviving it, saying its revival last year and the improvement recorded this year indicated that the festival had come to stay.

Gbajabiamila, who said he was also a good swimmer, told the emir that at next year’s festival he would take part in the swimming race, noting that posterity would be kind to the Emir of Yauri for reviving the festival.

The speaker, who left half way into the event, apologized to people of the emirate for leaving early but said it was in order to attend to pressing national engagements. He noted that he was indebted to the people of Yauri for conferring on him the traditional title of Sadaukin Yauri

“For the few minutes at the festival, I witnessed two races and until you are opportune to witness occasions like this you will not understand the full potentials of Nigerian cultural heritage.

“I foresaw potential Olympic champions in the just concluded gourd swimming race. With  heavy gourds wading through waves and trying to navigate their ways, it is an indication of potential future Olympic gold medalists.

“The emir of Yauri and governor of Kebbi State, history will be kind to you for reviving the great festival and power of an honourable tradition and jubilant celebration of time gone by,” he added.

In his remarks, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said he was optimistic that when oil would have finished in Nigeria, tradition and culture if well harnessed have the potentials to take over the economy, adding that when cultural heritage is well packaged and marketed, it can contribute immensely to the socio-economic development of any nation.

According to him, the federal government will not rest until the profiles of all cultural heritages that abound in the country have become well placed through massive publicity. He said it was a duty for him to let the world know about the pomp and pageantry of the Yauri festival.

He disclosed that the federal government was working on producing a calendar of national festivals that would contain places and times of  festivals in the country, just as government had started training festival managers that would help in featuring well organized festivals with potentials to attract tourists from both home and abroad.

“Yauri regatta is about honour and prestige  which the people of Yauri attach to women. I was told that in those days when an entourage of a bride went from one island to the other, the colours of the boats and the noise attracted hippopotami and crocodiles which attacked the bride.

“For that, a guard of honour both at the back and front is mounted to protect the bride. I think there is no better testimony to how women are regarded in Yauri emirate than this festival which showcases this tradition,” he said.

The Emir of Yauri, Dr. Muhammed  Zayyanu Abdullahi, expressed delight with the presence of some personalities at the festival, adding that he must also commend the state governor, Abubakar Bagudu, for the support given to the emirate to organize the festival.

He expressed optimism that soon, the festival would be counted among the biggest in the country.

Governor Bagudu said the state government fully supported the festival, noting that his government would always harness resources to the fullest where the state has comparative advantage.

According to him, the provision of basic infrastructure will remain the main focus of his administration, and the construction of roads linking towns and villages that have potential cultural heritages will continue to attract the attention of the government.

The Emir of Zuru, Sani Sami; Emir of Argungu, Samaila Muhammadu Mera; Emir of Anka, Attahiru Ahmed and Emir of Bargu, Halliru Dantoro III, attended the festival.