Suleja: A golden hour for women

The  coronation of the Sarauniya or  Queen by the Emir of Zazzau Suleja, Mallam Muhammad Auwal Ibrahim, marks another historical moment in his reign.According to the tradition of the Zazzau Suleja emirate, the post of the Queen (Sarauniya) is reserved for the female children of the royal family, and  must be the daughter or sister […]

The  coronation of the Sarauniya or  Queen by the Emir of Zazzau Suleja, Mallam Muhammad Auwal Ibrahim, marks another historical moment in his reign.According to the tradition of the Zazzau Suleja emirate, the post of the Queen (Sarauniya) is reserved for the female children of the royal family, and  must be the daughter or sister of the King.
Her post is also very important and it is a high position, and the tradition demands that only a woman of strong and impeccable character is appointed by the emir to the position.
In line with the  tradition, being the daughter of one of the emirs qualifies her to the coveted position of Queen. It is the hope of every princess of the emirate, to look  forward to the time they could be crowned as the Queen.
After the selection process when the candidate for the throne is selected, she is then identified. After this she will start being addressed as Sarauniya.
Until the time comes for her to be crowned which needs time for preparation in which other members of the emirate’s ruling household, both male and female, including her cousins, uncles and aunts as well as all other distant relatives, will be involved.
Towards the time of the coronation, the Queen will be kept in seclusion for seven days in her special house called “Gidan Sarauniya” located behind the emirs’s house. She will be  attended by her aides, and  will be receiving visitors who are mostly from the womenfolk of the royals.
At the same time many cultural activities are conducted in a low key manner. Royal drummers and jesters constantly entertain the guests and other members of the household. With each passing day the Sarauniya will  move  closer to the day of the Coronation.This is the day on which she will officially assume duties as the head, to oversee the affairs of the womenfolk and serve as the emir’s adviser.
On the day of the Coronation, activities kick off early. The palace wears a new look, and  it is  decorated with elegant traditional artefacts. Bronze works of various shapes and sizes are either laid out, hung or placed at strategic locations.
The invited guests start  arriving  in droves, including various traditional title holders from the neighbouring emirates, gorgeously dressed in their traditional robes, with colourfully dressed escorts and palace guards.
Other dignitaries and government functionaries, including representatives of states government’s, grace the occasion. One thing that shows the significance of the occasion to the womenfolk is their presence in large numbers, and they almost outnumber  the men. The young and the old troop  to the palace to catch a glimpse of the Emir.
The most noticeable woman, apart from the Sarauniya who is being turbanned, is Hajiya Aisha Badamasi Babangida, who is also a traditional title holder in the emirate, holding the title of ‘Iyan Zazzau’, a very important title conferred on her by the emir for her contribution in the improvement of lives of people in the rural areas.

Drummers and traditional dancers going back and forth, sing praises as the guests arrive, add more colour to the mix, while the sounds of their musical instruments rent the air. Riders on horseback made short but fast dashes from one end to the other, waving their hands or short spears  in the direction of the crowd.
The horse riders gallop in groups, each with its own distinct dressing. The horses were also just as gorgeously dressed as their riders. Each batch of horse riders belong to various title  holders, paying homage to the guests who were seated.
Before the arrival of the emir to occupy his seat, his council members have already arrived to receive the guests on his behalf. Every important guest is ushered into the inner chamber of the palace where the emir receives his guests, after which he comes out ,and takes a seat at the back row of an expansive assemblage of chairs arranged for the event.  
The emir’s councillors present at the occasion, who are mostly his brothers, cousins, nephews and close relatives, as well as people that he had awarded traditional titles, were all present to lend a helping hand and coordinate the activities.
However, at the Sarauniya’s house, activities have  peaked. Sitting on a throne surrounded by male aides, she receives guests who came to pay homage. Whenever a guest arrives he will observe the traditional royal greetings by removing his shoes, take some few steps,  kneel and bow facing the direction of the Sarauniya’s throne. She acknowledges this  by waving her hand which is formed into a fist pointing towards  his direction.

A handful of Kolanuts is always handed over to the person who pays  homage as a royal gift from the Sarauniya, or a large quantity tied in a nylon bag when the people are many, depending on their number and importance.
At the coronation ground in front of the palace, a wooden board with pictures from the past is displayed in the form of an exhibition. The board showcased a pictorial history of the emirate, and pictures of the past Queens and the current one are displayed, including the pictures of the emir at various times when he was a governor and when he became the emir. There are pictures of the past emirs and other historical photographs too.
When the emir arrived through an adjoining door, all the dignitaries and other people stood up as a mark of respect, while the palace guards spread their robes to shield the emir, while he sat on his chair facing the crowd.
As soon as the emir sits, group after group come to pay homage to him while he acknowledges them.The palace guards in their traditional red and green flowing gowns, sit in front of him with their heads vowed.
The Sarauniya arrived shortly on horseback with drummers, assistants and praise singers singing the praises of the emir and the Sarauniya. She went directly to where the emir is sitting at a distance to pay homage. She later disembarked and sat at a place specially prepared for her directly facing the emir. While the emir sat on a chair, the Sarauniya (Queen) sat on a carpet spread from where the emir sits to where she sat.

In his speech, the emir informed the people gathered about the role of the Sarauniya as regards her position in the emirate. The emir said in the olden days, the Sarauniya takes charge of the emir’s household whenever he is away,and together with the Iya (The title held by Hajiya Aisha Badamasi Babangida) takes charge of the palace whenever an emir died until another one is appointed.
The Emir, Mallam Muhammad Auwal Ibrahim ,also said the Sarauniya is an adviser to the emir and intervenes in disagreements between the king and members of his family ,and matters related to appointments of palace officials.
He said the Sarauniya as tradition demands, presides over women’s social gatherings, settles matrimonial disputes of the royals, and she is also in charge of the marriages of widowed and divorced female children of the members of the royal family.
With the coronation of Hajiya Hafsatu Rabiu as the fifth Sarauniya, there was an important coincidence as announced by the emir. Her husband, the Galadima, is the one in charge of marrying of Bachelors and Spinsters of the royal family while she (Sarauniya) is in charge of the widowed and divorced members. The emir, however, emphasized that their roles are distinct and independent of each other, despite being a husband and a wife.
The traditional rites of turbanning the Sarauniya were performed by the Iyan Zazzau Suleja, Hajiya Aisha Badamasi Babangida on the instructions of the emir. A heavily decorated black gown with gold coloured embroidery known in Hausa as ‘Alkyabba’, was placed on her by the Iya assisted by one of the senior palace officials, amidst drumming and the blowing of Trumpets, sending echoes all over the palace.
Other ornaments were also put on her wrists, while a large royal straw hat with the inscription ‘Sarauniyar Zazzau Suleja’ was placed on her head to complete the royal attire of her office.
She immediately stood up together with her aides and the Iya, took some few steps towards the emir knelt and pay homage  and stepped back. Speaking on the occassion, the Sarauniya described  the day as the happiest  day in her life.