‘My book on Shata will help preserve Hausa oral poetry’
Tell us a little about yourself? I was born in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State, and was educated at Polytechnic Road Primary School, Tudun Wada, Kaduna and LEA Abakpa, Kurmin Mashi, Kaduna. I did the rest of my early studies from 1976 to 1981 before proceeding to Government College, Katsina (1981 to 1986), […]
Tell us a little about yourself?
I was born in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State, and was educated at Polytechnic Road Primary School, Tudun Wada, Kaduna and LEA Abakpa, Kurmin Mashi, Kaduna. I did the rest of my early studies from 1976 to 1981 before proceeding to Government College, Katsina (1981 to 1986), CAS Zaria and Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, where I graduated with MSc Geography and now completed PhD in Geology. I taught at College of Engineering, Kaduna Polytechnic; was a project geologist, CGC Nigeria Limited; science tutor, Katsina State Ministry of Education; instructor/lecturer, College of Agriculture, Daudawa; lecturer, Umaru Musa Yar’adua University; and now lecturer at Federal University Dutsin-ma. I am married with five kids. I am also a member of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA). From 1987 to date, I have about 34 books to my credit.
Being a geologist, what influenced your interest in poetry?
I thought I would meet failure in the first attempt but as a scientist when I (reviewed) Shata’s history along a certain corridor, I figured out that the whole idea of writing to preserve Hausa culture (was left) to those academics who study linguistics. If the society regards and values such creative talents, somebody like me who is a geologist by profession in the first place would not have spent years to climb the apogee and assumed such enormous power in being an authority and guide in writing of Hausa books and Shata’s history. This is very sad. For the few people who still have the interest and are entirely into another discipline like me, and are painstakingly working for the preservation of our fast dying oral literature, it is something to be proud of. Yet I am discouraged and frustrated along the channel. This is very unfortunate and matter of concern for the society as a whole. Professors Abdallah Uba Adamu and Yusuf Adamu have stumbled into the same shoes like I did. More than 800 pages of Shata’s biography have been completed and no single person among those legislative members or wealthy class can finance its publication. It is deplorable.
Why Shata, of all the traditional Hausa musicians?
Mamman Shata is or was not the only legendary Hausa singer. I think singers like Musa Dankwairo Muradun, who was his contemporary and major competitor, deserved the attention of writers. Likewise others like Bawa Dan Anache, Kassu Zurmi, Sarkin Taushin Katsina, Abdur-Rahman Sarkin Kotso, Salihu Jankidi, Dangoma, Mu’azu Dan Alalo, Mamman Gawo Filinge, Dankurji Maradun, Ali Dan Saraki ‘Yankara, Ibrahim Nahabu Mai Kukuma, etc. But I picked on him (Shata) alone because he was the major contributor. He was extraordinary and superb. Beside, his bits and albums are okay to explain or contain the entire mammoth Hausa culture and polity that Hausa man inherited in his domain.
The government seemed to have considered Shata’s creative genius a source of internal income and yet did nothing to immortalize his memories. I would have thought that, let there be an initiative of setting up a Shata Museum or Recording Archives where all his available recordings would be digitized. This I strongly believe is something Katsina State Government ought to have initiated and controlled. And yet even in writing his biography, the government had to rely on others like me to do so – and thus remaining ungrateful in the process. Another sad aspect of this is the fact that little scholarship seemed to have focused on digitizing Shata’s heritage. Professor Aliyu Bunza has done an admirable work with Narambada’s work; there was a need for someone to do similar with Shata’s works.
Did you get the chance to meet Shata during his life time?
I can’t remember how many times. It came to the extent that he knew me as Aliyu Ibrahim Kankara, his biographer. He once said while teasing me: “Kai guntu ne, ko fada mu ka yi sai in buge ka. Ka isa ka rubuta littafina?” (Meaning: You are too short, and even in a fight I can defeat you (because I am taller than you). Are you capable of writing my biography?). I met him several times in Funtua, Kano, Daura, Katsina and even in Zaria at Bakatoshi’s (Sani Gadagau’s) house at Magume. For many times at various places I met him while performing.
How would you describe his personality?
We must eulogize Shata for being (one of) the world’s most celebrated and greatest music icons. Within a span of 63 years in the entertainment scene, Shata had over 10,000 songs. In chapter nine of my book you will learn how the late head of the sound system (from 1964 to 1974) and later Executive Director (1974 to 1984) of NBC (Northern Broadcasting Corporation) and later RTK (Radio Television Kaduna), Alhaji Dahiru Modibbo, played a role that accumulated thousands of Shata’s albums while declining the collection of other contemporaries. It’s not that they were not talented or were not having volumes of albums, but Modibbo manoeuvred the way which saw little documentation of collection of other singers and lifted Shata up.
But in 1970 Modibbo claimed that Shata was the only Hausa songbird whose songs are true and perfect reflection of what is obtainable in NBC and Hausa society. Although they were his contemporaries, comparing Shata with them is like comparing the brightness of candles with sun. Mamman Shata reigned supreme. He was said to have given Hausa language and literature a new focus, new momentum and a definite carrier. Shata was the first and the only Hausa artist who travelled as far as America, to perform at the centre for African studies, University of California, Los Angeles in May 1989. Shata was the only artist with more than 10,000 songs to his credit on the universe. Lata Mangheskar had thousands of songs recorded since when she started composing in 1932, but her collections are seen as unintelligent because she has to train, write, rehearse and then compose them. Shata never rehearsed songs. I once asked him in 1997 about his number of albums and he replied: “Since from the time I started around 1936 to date (1997) I produced more than 40 albums, and in each album I have more than 200 songs.” Narambada’s songs are equally meaningful but are only few just about 53 and can only fit into his own generation. Shata’s songs are forever, like diamonds. They are well articulated, rich in content and focused, and as such fit into any generation.
How would you categorise his kind of songs, being a multi dimensional singer?
There is no doubt that the collection of Shata’s songs is one of the articulated single sources of information about Hausa singer’s corpus of creative works. I, as ethnomusicologist, would be very happy to see this book in print. The oral poet is indeed a multidimensional singer due to the following reasons. His songs cut across every facet of life. He was a musician to the monarchs, politicians, women, the elite, heroes, adventure and others. Each category is prefaced by a general overview of the songs in the category, and possibly historical richness of each song with versatility. One can focus on his creativity that touches so many raw nerves and make many people a bit uncomfortable and make a lot of researchers satisfied.
At the same time Shata made vital contributions to knowledge, by synthesizing this creativity into a single source that is one uniform Hausa language, and providing scholars, linguists and ethnomusicologists with excavator material for lots of researches.
At least something has been done, and it is vividly clear that there is also a high market demand for this work. I believe the book will reflect the historical and economic norms of Hausa culture and perspective.
When are you launching the book?
Launching a book in Nigeria is a fantasy, marked by sorrow. It’s only those who have not curved a niche in writing that are engaged in book launching. It is contemptuous and pitifully inferior to launch a book. Every individual who so wish can present a book in a public, demanding for money from well-to-do people, no matter how funny and less qualitative the book appears to be, doesn’t matter.
Books launched in Nigeria within the pretext of time are scaled down in desirability and saleability, brought to low esteem or into disrepute. There was an earlier experience in 2006, when we launched Shata Ikon Allah at Arewa House, Kaduna, but up until today, individuals and state governments that made pledges are yet to fulfil them, thereby leaving the organisers and Mamman Shata’s family with a lot of debts. But that doesn’t mean someone got to give it up. We still have not recuperated from the 2006 loss. But I believe what has happened is a challenge, and in as far as it is a challenge, accept it. Just write and publish, but not for money.
Our cultural heritage wouldn’t be preserved unless something is done to streamline the efforts of writers. So I urge government agencies and individuals to consider the present work, of which failure to adjust can prompt authors to judge the authorities as being indifferent. I commended Shata’s family for being patient and having a sense of belonging. I sincerely appreciate their courage and patience.
In what category would you place your book on Shata?
It is a unique book that can be categorized as Shata’s collection and his biography. It is not as easy as one thought. Producing a book, I think, I must be commended for my passionate attachment to the works of the late folk singer. The current problems we are facing in trying to get the book published clearly shows the general problems authors face with regards to documenting historical archives in this part of the world. Authors have almost attained ‘saturation’ effect. I was part of a previous effort in documenting Shata’s life, together with my other colleagues. It might therefore be possible that all those who might contribute to the current new book on Shata may feel that they have already done enough previously and may not wish to do more because there is no response from the society or governments.
I felt (writing) Shata’s book is a national service, and a national service is a national integrity. What is left now is for me to thank the radio people/workers and the listeners/general Hausa populace for giving me time to mount interviews at various intervals.
Of what benefit is your book on Shata to poetry students and the society in general?
Even before the release of the book I am presently putting on some finishing touches on Shata’s albums/collections. But the problem is much bigger where the radio stations are not interested in Shata’s songs. As you are aware, most of these stations (especially the government-owned) are underfunded, and a large chunk of them are still operating with analogue equipments despite the global exodus into digital era, while for the very few of them that have started digitizing, they don’t have the wherewithal for the conversion of those huge materials in their archives (songs included) into digital form.
And the government and other well-placed individuals and groups among us are not forthcoming on this. As the deadline for digital migration is around the corner, I fear very soon we will lose most of those songs and other valuable recordings with our TV stations. And the radios (which have the largest concentration of those valuable songs) will afterwards follow suit, while we look on. We hear it like fiction, but digitization and its consequences are real. And unless our society wants to saunter into the digital era with a wiped off/lost identity and only a new one to brag about, (they need to act). Those Shata’s songs and others need to be converted in time before something happens to those already decayed cassettes and gramophones (do you know that up till recently there were some radio stations still using gramophones?). I think effort should be made to at least save some, if not all, of those remaining songs by Shata and other Hausa musicians for posterity and future references. With funds, the stations themselves can see to that.