Love and the Hajiyas of Obudu

Obudu’s mountains do not just encircle the town and stretch into nearby Cameroon like a road formed by nature. They are the joyful watchers of a timeless human volition which is alive in the valley: this refers to love, the special chemistry which radiates between northerners and members of the Obudu community, and this love […]

Obudu’s mountains do not just encircle the town and stretch into nearby Cameroon like a road formed by nature. They are the joyful watchers of a timeless human volition which is alive in the valley: this refers to love, the special chemistry which radiates between northerners and members of the Obudu community, and this love goes back many years. What are the origins of love in this case? It began 200 years ago when a visiting group of Hausa hunters tracked down the elephants which had always ravaged the farms and towns in the area.  The locals still say that one of the hunters had a magic jacket, which made him invisible whenever he hunted. Hausas also sing his praise, drawing attention to his rare jacket and hunting skills. Then the people of Obudu now saw the hunters as friends and helpers, and gave them a place in the town to reside. In addition to this group, some northerners have gone to settle in the town over the years, and they have since made it a home. Love blossoms in Obudu, and the mountains watch, as clouds form like crowns around them.
 One sunny morning, about twenty five of the Hajiyas of Obudu gather in a part of the Hausa quarters. We sit on benches and a cool breeze blows. It looks like a gathering of royal’s .Very soon the interviews begin. Amina Yusuf, formerly Angelina, who is cheerful, tall and kind, and the joy of her husband, is an example of the love earlier referred to. Her entire family was originally a Christian one. But love made it Muslim. This is how it happened, and this metamorphosis is repeated in many of the families in Obudu: First, Helen Akoli, her mother, became a Muslim when she married and accepted Islam, the faith of her husband. After a while, Angelina as she then was, and her three sisters married Muslims, and all the sisters became Muslims over a period of time. Amina speaks of the early days when she first met her husband ‘When I was in school, he loved me so much, and whenever I had difficulties he was always there to assist me.He also took care of my parents.So,it was easy for me to finally agree to marry him.’
Love and marriage mean that many of the women went through a cultural and spiritual metamorphosis. Amina, like many other women of Obudu who married northerners, has now become an expert in the Hausa language, and has mastered the preparation of meals such as Tuwon Shinkafa, Tuwon Masara and many other delicacies which her husband is fond of. She points at shops, the Quranic School, as well as the Central mosque, as we walk through the Hausa quarters. Turning to marriage, she has a special message to women ‘I will encourage women from these parts to marry Hausa men. Most of my friends in school are now married to Hausas and they are all Muslims now.’ She says that she has not yet been to Mecca, but has hopes in that regard, and adds that there are some 200 women who hail from Obudu, and who have married men from the north. Her husband, Yusuf Musa Sabo who hails from Jigawa state, arrived Obudu in 1988, and married her in 1997. On what drew him to Amina at the time, he says ‘Her manners attracted me, as well as her attitude. Also, she understands me very well. This is another plus. ‘He adds ‘I will also advice other Hausa men to marry from Obudu. I find the people here to be honest. Anybody who wishes to marry from here, should go ahead and do so.’ The love existing between the couple, is still as fresh as it was in 1997 when they got married.
 More of the women open up on love and marriage in the community. There is Ramatu Ahmed, previously known as Agnes Ekunke. But love and marriage changed her names, and much more in her life. Her words ‘At a point I was living with my mother, and there were many Hausas trading and working in the vicinity at that time. Then, I soon noticed that Islam is a religion that would be very good for me. I got married and converted to Islam in 1988.’ She too, like Amina, hopes to go to Mecca on the Hajj very soon.
Women from Obudu who are married to northerners, have set up an association, she tells Weekly Trust. It is known as The Intimate Women’s Association, which was established in 2010. Through it the women tax themselves to assist one another when the need arises, and this does happen. Her words ‘If one of the children wants to get  married, members of the association intervene  by buying clothes and other  items, as enjoined by Islam.’ Maryam Ibrahim, formerly known as Mary Francis, says that when she lost her father, her present husband showered love on her at the time, which also helped to comfort her.’ After a while she married him. Lami Ibrahim, who was once Anna Odey, would also like her children to marry from the Hausa community, just as she did in 1995. In Obudu, there is a strong turn towards the north in tender matters of the heart. Or to put it bluntly, if you are from Obudu and are looking for a partner, then it will be wise to look northwards. Jamila Danjuma, another member of the community, narrates her story ‘One day Danjuma went to my parents and said he wants to marry me. Thats how it all started’ she says with a laugh, ‘and after a while I agreed to marry him. He has good manners, and for many years I have been his only wife.’ She states that there are no incidents of collapsed marriages in the Hausa community of Obudu ‘There are no incidents of divorce in our community, and this is simply because of the good attitude of our husbands. If the husbands ask us to do something, we do it. If they say stop, we immediately stop. If there is no money, we wait patiently until good times come. That is the secret.’ She also looks back fondly to the day when she got married, and draws attention to the way her husband’s brothers and sisters were useful to her in the early moments of her conversion.
For some, the connection with the north goes back a long time. A good example of this is Halima Danjuma, who narrates a very remarkable story. It starts with the fact that, unlike other women in Obudu, she was initially given the name Halima by her parents. This naming predated her marriage ‘My parents lived among muslims, and so they gave me the name Halima when I was born.But my grandmother was born in Hausaland, and she was named after a Hausa lady. I was then named after my grandmother.’ Halima also adds that the divorce rate in the community is very low ’ Since we sent the children to school, we learnt that to divorce a woman is not a good thing. So, we now stay together in harmony. Today, there is no story of divorce in the community.’
On the other hand Amina Nura says that from the very start  the example of her husband’s love for her, and the high traditions of the Hausa community which she saw around, made her to fall in love with him  ‘For instance,there is the Hijab. I have always liked  it very much, and this goes right to the beginning of my association with the Hausa community. The men do not drink, and they are very gentle, and pray five times a day. I still find this very impressive.’
There are statistics available on marriage in the community. Lawal Ibrahim, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Hausa Community,  says that there are over 500 Hausas in Obudu today, and argues ‘50% of them have married women from the local community here, and they converted to Islam upon marriage.’ Danladi Usman, a businessman in the town, says that his mother who also hails from Obudu, was initially known as Alice, but today she bears the name Amina Abdu. He adds that his own son ‘married an Obudu lady, who also later became a muslim.’Danladi shows that many of the male members of the Hausa community were born in Obudu, and quickly learned the language and customs of the area. He explains why many of the Hausas won’t go back to their states in the north ‘If we go back to our states, they will say that we are not from there, and that we are from Cross River. ‘To this Lawal adds ‘If we run to the north, we will be like strangers. So, Obudu is home to us.’ Danladi also emphasises ‘Here in Obudu, all of us are living in our own houses, in the sense that we do not pay rent. That’s another achievement and we are very happy here with our families.’
Lawal then praises the people of Obudu ‘In the whole of Nigeria, there is no group that can surpass the people of Obudu, in terms of their special fondness and love for persons from other parts of the country. Indeed, because of the love we feel here, 80% of the Hausas can speak Bette, the local language.’ The silent mountains which  once looked upon the scene  when the hunters arrived  long  ago, still  keep watch over the  valleys of Obudu, where love between both groups, though 200 years old, is  still  young and easily sensed by a visitor.