Sankira: Story of an African ‘Microphone’
His work which relies on a rich voice and an agile imagination, rather than visible instruments, has always had a mesmerising effect on the audience. He is still very much in demand, and cassettes, CDs and recordings made with the cell phone, have helped to expand the frontiers of his work as well as his […]
His work which relies on a rich voice and an agile imagination, rather than visible instruments, has always had a mesmerising effect on the audience. He is still very much in demand, and cassettes, CDs and recordings made with the cell phone, have helped to expand the frontiers of his work as well as his fame. People can now buy a CD and watch the Sankira in performance. Or they can listen to him praising an Emir in the privacy of their rooms. So Sankira has reached beyond the borders set by the technology of the past, and it has put Sankira on a global stage. There are other influences affecting this highly competitive occupation today. These are the powerful forces of religion and urbanisation. These are spiritual as well as temporal energies, we can say. Religion, in this case Islam, may restrict Sankira’s creative work, but it has not stamped it out yet. To an extent Sankiranci (verb formed from Sankira) has retreated indoors, because of the imposition of Sharia Law in parts of northern Nigeria. But Sankira is eagerly watching the gates, looking for an opportunity to unfold that magnetic voice and enchanting smile. By being forced to retreat somewhat, Sankiranci simply perfects itself. The Emir, who is the chief patron of the leading Sankira in any Emirate, has become a preserver of Sankiranci, because the Islamic police or Hisbah, certainly won’t storm a palace to halt a performance by the Emir’s Sankira. This hasn’t happened yet.
Islam and Sankira
Dr Tanimu Abubakar of the Department of English, Ahmadu Bello University says ‘If the Emirs praise singer is going to perform in a place, you cannot go there in the name of Hisbah to stop it. The weaker elements within these vocations have been pushed to the periphery’. But smaller Sankira’s, especially those in little communities like the villages, have suffered a bit. There is therefore a power relation between the Emir, his Sankira on one hand, and the Hisbah on the other. According to Dr Tanimu Abubakar ‘If Mamman Shata were alive and he is to come and sing in Zaria, the Hisbah won’t go there. Those who will invite him will make sure you (Hisbah) will be in a cell, while he is performing. But even now it is the case, because if you invite some of the big musicians there is nothing they (Hisbah) can do about it. It is easy to deal with film, because it is easy to pick up a small man who is pushing a cart around. They can’t do this with an established artist’. Weddings have had to be moved to Zaria from Katsina, because Zaria seems to be a more liberal space for performances. Artists have migrated from Katsina, Zamfara and Kano, where the enforcement of Sharia law is thorough.They have relocated to Zaria and Abuja, among other places. But with what Dr Ibrahim Malumfashi identifies as ‘the slowing down of Sharia activists’, Sankiranci is on the rise again.Sankiras have reappeared in places which they had only recently left. Dr Tanimu adds while commenting on the resilience of the occupation ‘They are there, they are not dead. If there is a wedding and a lady is singing inside a house, you cannot enter in the name of Hisbah.’
What the Church did
The Church has domesticated the work of the Sankira, through the medium of Christian songs used in evangelism which have been injected with some of the Sankira’s creative and infectious style. This is self evident among Churches in Maguzawa communities in northern Nigeria. Zangon Tama, a small, forgotten but lively farming community near Zaria in Kaduna State, has a Sankira both in the church, as well as in the community itself. Recently, this reporter witnessed some communal work popularly called Aikin Gaiya, taking place there. Habila Gambo,the Sankira who has been at the job for fifteen years, was present as well as musicians.The villagers worked on the untarred road, making it more befitting for villagers and visitors alike. Some considerable work was done that afternoon. They raised their implements into the air keeping time to the music and the infectious praise of Sankira, who urged them on beneath the intense Sun. It is impossible to forget that performance. Later that afternoon this reporter watched a performance by the Church Choir and Sankira was part of the Choir. As the Lady’s sang, he echoed their words to clarify or reemphasise a point, and intervened from time to time, making the performance quite refreshing, giving the song a special radiant charm. All this under an old tall tree with deep green leaves, which helped to form a nice shade above the audience.
Sankira in the city
Urbanisation has also helped Sankiranci to flourish in the cities. ‘The villages are dying’ Dr Tanimu Abubakar says. This is because villages are being emptied of the human population, as people and cultures move to the big cities, implying in the same context that soon, in a remarkable turn of events, the ‘Villager will become the new curiousity’. Sankiranci is taking on new forms. Today, politicians appoint their own Sankira’s or praise singers. This takes away from the high standards which Sankiranci is associated with. Anybody can become a Sankira, unlike in the past when it might have been easier to enforce standards within the profession.Sankiran Zazzau or leader of all the Sankiras in Zazzau, wants to set up an association which will regulate the activities of the numerous Sankira, as well as check new entrants, who may have no business being in the profession. His words ‘Nowadays, any person who wishes to join the profession will just do so without studying the values and codes. For instance, every person has his own type of praise. The Emir and District Heads have different praise styles, but now everything is just mixed up. Before now a District Head, Ward Head or Emir appoints a Sankira, but today all of a sudden a prominent politician will appoint a Sankira.We need to form an association to regulate the activities of members’. On this Dr Ibrahim Malumfashi of the Department of Nigerian and African Languages, Ahmadu Bello University says ‘The politicians can employ or appoint a Sankira.It does not mean that Sankiranci is dying. It’s just a threat to the established form of Sankira, that is, a threat to the formal style which they inherited from their parents. Everyone now, out of sheer laziness is becoming a Sankira. It used to be a reserved profession for those who think they have the guts to please even the professional singers.Shata used to feel quite elated by what his Sankira used to say.But nowadays, everybody thinks he is a Sankira, simply because he has the guts to go out in public, and say whatever occurs to him’.
Who is the Sankira?
The Sankira is the overall leader of praise singers in Hausa communities, forming an open channel of information flow between the King (Sarki) and his people. Ahmed Babajo opines ‘Sankira means the leader of all the praise singers in a community. San stands for Sarki, and Kira refers to praise singing. The Sankira is someone appointed by the Emir. He is the overall praise singer of all the praise singers in the particular Emirate’. Sankira also coordinates the feedback mechanism in society, ensuring that the doors are kept open between the King and his people. Dr Ibrahim Malumfashi says ‘Sankira is a go between his patron, Mawaki, that is the singer and the audience or populace. That does not mean we do not have an independent Sankira. For every Mawaki or Makadi, there must be a Sankira’.Once upon a time Sankira was the principal source of information eagerly looked out for by the townspeople. He was a kind of ‘public information officer’. His loud voice was magnetic, and brought a touch of drama into everything he did. Then at big public gatherings, he had a dramatic and unforgettable role to play. He was a lively entertainer, master of ceremony, historian and skilled raconteur.He became a protocol officer when visiting musicians came to an Emirate or to the kingdom. He was a ‘microphone’ of a sort, for at public events he amplified the voice of the Emir, so that people seated throughout the square will hear the message that had been brought. But new media of communication and other influences as well, have had a great impact on Sankira making him change his style somewhat, without losing those creative elements which have endeared him to the public for centuries. How Sankira has embraced the new technology and retained his arresting identity, may be just as puzzling as his ability to dazzle an audience with his magnetic words.
Technology and praise singers
Jibrin Mohammed Sani is Sankiran Zazzau. He has a cell phone, may use a microphone when occasion requires this, and is computer literate. He works in Kaduna, an hours drive from Zaria where he functions as Sankira during the weekends. He tells this reporter that modern technology, especially the microphone, has had a great impact on the work of Sankira.His words ‘Before this time there were no communication facilities. If an Emir is to deliver a speech to a gathering, then he didn’t have a microphone and the Emir cannot raise his voice. So the Sankira serves as a microphone. Whatever the Emir says the Sankira will repeat it in a loud voice. Today, we use microphones at gatherings. So the function of Sankira has reduced to an extent. If a message is to be conveyed to the people of the Emirate, the Emir used to do this through the Sankira. Now we have cell phones and other communication devices to use for this purpose.’ Acccording to him the use of microphones by the Sankira today is inevitable, given the force of change, but he adds that this has taken away so much from the profession. He also draws attention to the use of cell phones. His words ‘Unlike before when people invite you to an event, today people have your cell phone number and call you to please be at a particular place.’
He also speaks on the negative impact of televisions and cassettes. According to him ‘Before, the Sankira was an entertainer, and he can come and entertain the people using words. If there is an event, the Sankira will be sent by the Emir to invite musicians to come and perform. But nowadays, most people prefer to view or listen to the television and cassettes, instead of inviting a musician to come and entertain at a gathering. The computer has taken away some of the functions of the Sankira. We now use the radio to make an announcement. If Zazzau Emirate wants to pass a message to the people, it will quickly go to the radio station, and within a minute the news will circulate throughout the whole Emirate. This is unlike the past when Sankira will go round amplifying the message’.
Dr Tanimu Abubakar agrees that a number of changes have occurred around the Sankira as a result of developments in technology, as well as a fall out of processes of urbanisation. His words ‘Urbanisation has intensified over the years, and it has made the urban population much larger. It has made attendance at ceremonies also relatively large. Secondly; there is the transformation in the system of governance that is the system of governance inherited from the colonial masters. Now we have other people who are now the leaders of society at a higher level than the traditional institution. All of these mean that the level of interaction between the Emir and the community has become wide, and attendance has become much larger… These types of instantaneous large gatherings will require amplification beyond the human voice. The coming of the microphone has done that very substantially. In the past when there was no amplification, a series of Sankiras will be present. The most senior will be close to the Emir. He listens and speaks. Another Sankira will be somewhere who amplifies and so on. But the coming of the microphone has made things much easier.’ He also explains more on urbanisation. ‘You also have to bear in mind that urbanisation has brought with it so many things. The noise level has increased substantially. In the past except if there is a festival, or you are near some professions, you rarely hear disturbances. But these days you have motorbikes, vehicles, motorcrars, you have itinerant music sellers, shops and so on. So, naturally the human voice is drowned in this situation. Modern technology has become a very handy development. This is why all those who are involved in praise songs will require it.’
He added that festivals now attract large numbers of people, and because of urbanisation ceremonies are taking place all year round. According to him because of technology it is possible today to record and listen to a performance, far away from the immediate context of the performance. There has been an expansion of the audience technologically. He says that traditional praise songs are also incorporated into films. He explains that urbanisation has produced a ‘demographic shift which has yielded a large number of people who may not be in a position to see these performances, but who are interested in them. So what has now come in to mediate between them is the invisible market structure. So you can buy them as artistic products for the sake of seeing and enjoying them. The Sankira have developed a capacity to operate within the modern state’. He showed that even the Church is playing a role in expanding Sankiranci. His words ‘Even Pentecostal songs in Hausa are part of the new trend today. There is a phenomenon of using Hausa cultural instruments in the Church. They even use Sankiranci in praising Jesus. They sell these cassettes, and produce massive quantities of these cassettes and CDs in Hausa. They take elements from western music, they take the lyrics and modify them, and turn same into religious songs in Hausa and sell them’. Habila Sharon, a 300 level student of Theatre and Performing Arts at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria says that he has even come across a number of Sankira’s in Kaduna who do their work in English. His words ‘I have come across English Sankira’s these days. These were Hausa men using English at a wedding somewhere in Kaduna. They made the wedding to look like a performance’.
Professor Abdulkadir Dangambo is of the Department of Hausa and Nigerian Languages at the Bayero University, Kano. He agrees that a great change has come upon the institution of Sankiranci. His words ‘With the coming of modern technology, the function of Sankira seems to be declining. For example, when the radio and television arrived, many children together with men and women will sit around the television to watch a programme. This will prevent them from going to the playground to view performances such as the one by Sankira.We can then say that with the coming of radio and television ,more especially the CDs today, more and more people are relying on the television and the radio for their entertainment’.According to Professor Dangambo even the current upsurge in advertisements in the country is affecting the old unforgettable role of the Sankira.His words ‘In the olden days you rely on the Maroki to inform people about what is available. But now instead of using Maroki or Sankira, people use the radio to advertise or announce an event. If you compare the extent of coverage, certainly the radio and television cover a wider area. So people will rather go there to advertise rather than use the Sankira or Maroki’.
Return of the star
Tanimu Abubakar explains why he feels Sankiranci is on the rise. His words ‘Sankiranci responds to so many things over time. That is the more reason why these forms don’t die. They change and assume new forms as society changes, but they retain their essential character in several ways. They keep on adapting in order to become more relevant, more available, in order not to be as remote as possible from the centres of social and cultural activity’. Professor Abdulkadir Dangambo comments on the power of tradition as explanation for the survival of Sankiranci. His words ‘Tradition is a very powerful aspect of life in Africa generally, and people view tradition with utmost importance. It is a symbol of their heritage. It is a sign of who they were and what they are… There are modern technological systems, but people still prefer to stick to the traditional one’. He concludes by saying that Sankiranci will not die completely, ‘but its function and strength must be diminishing’.
Decline
Dr Tanimu Abubakar also shows that there is however a form of decline visible among the female performers, who are really the female version of Sankira. His words ‘There seems to be a decline in the female version of Sankira. You find them more in villages and in urban centres, areas where you have cosmopolitan culture, where the rigidity of the traditional set up is less. You also find them in the villages still operating. You may say that they have become residual. It is not dead, just residual’. He added that the rise of the Izala sect and Wahabism in the late 70s has ad a negative impact on female performers. His words ‘the Zabiya do come out and those of them that are established can’t be handled by Hisbah. They can’t stop Barmani Choge from singing. Those who will invite her are too strong for the police force and so on. The Hisbah tend to come out where people are poor and weak and cannot protect themselves. So there are elements of class in this so called licence and control by Hisbah.Some of the more established singers still go around singing’.
Dr Ibrahim Malumfashi of the Department of Nigerian and African Languages, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, comments on the impact Sharia had on Sankiranci. His words ‘Definitely, Sharia has affected Sankiranci. In Daura, the Emir himself categorically stated that there should be no more drumming. If you do not have singers, you will not have the Sankira.But people came to realise the negative consequences of this ,in the sense that there are some legally permitted gatherings such as weddings, naming ceremonies, and they realised that they need someone to make the announcement louder, so that people will know what is happening’.