On Sunday, 18th of August, exactly eight days to Hausa (International) Day, 2024 edition, Zeen Noor Hotels, situated in Kano State of Nigeria, hosted a prelude: Conversation & Autograph with Ado Bala. It is doubtful if the organizers (Kano Book Club) of this event considered it a prelude or thought of “Hausa Day” while planning. However, throwing back glances, the present is likely to redefine events of the past.
Hausa Day (Ranar Hausa), marked as the 26th day of August every year, provides opportunity for global Hausa community and users of the language to celebrate the tradition, language, history, and cultural heritage of Hausa people. What started in 2015 by the young and inventive journalist, Abdulbaki Jari, with the goal of promoting and enriching the language while facing its challenges with a view to tackling them, is gaining considerable momentum annually.
Kano-based founder of Chapter One Bookstore, Ado Bala is the author of Husufin Farin Ciki (loosely translated as “Eclipse of Joy/Happiness”), a statement debut that is unarguably such an enrichment. The book is written in refined Hausa language with different stories in dissimilar narrative style.
The 202-page book is a collection of short stories—a form not so common in the Hausa literary landscape. The stories, well-tailored to fit, are not uniformly lengthy—to excess, nor are they all short, unimaginative, for-bulking-up-sake stories. They fall between long and short, even very short, giving that refreshing feeling.
Features like “Duniya Labari” (Life, a Story)—which explores topics like tribalism, family heritage, death, among other topics—are as long as they are important, especially in their depth and contemplation-inducing power. While stories like “Amarya” (Bride), covering just about half a page, remain heavily pregnant with meaning.
Numerous challenges bedeviling the Hausa society, especially that of Northern Nigeria, are highlighted in the book; also, a fairly decent view of modern Hausa reality is clearly captured almost throughout.
Ado Bala, neutralizing his calm demeanor between subjects during the book discussion—Conversation & Autograph with Ado Bala—passionately added life to his published collection. He made clear his views on censorship, feminism, duties of a writer, and other crucial concerns covered in his book. In this prelude to Hausa Day, a wide-ranging conversation was held with the author regarding various aspects of his craft; insightful submissions were made; questions and answers were entertained as well.
This collection, now a cell within Hausa culture’s soma, is, since its publication earlier this year, something to be celebrated, every day, but especially on Hausa Day.
Get this book and read if you have not. You can start with a half-page flash fiction if you are still reluctant, it may consume you!
