Hafsatu Abdulwahid: The Struggle of Mujaddadi's Granddaughter in the Field of Writing By IBRAHIM SHEME The woman who first wrote a sto...
Hafsatu Abdulwahid: The Struggle of Mujaddadi's Granddaughter in the Field of Writing
By IBRAHIM SHEME
The woman who first wrote a storybook in the North, HAJIYA HAFSATU AHMAD ABDULWAHEED, received a special honor from the Writers Association of Nigeria (ANA). How did she feel in her soul? And where is she going now?
Hajiya Hafsatu Ahmad Abdulwaheed was the first woman to write a storybook published in Northern Nigeria. Her first book, 'So Aljannar Duniya', was published in 1972 when there was a competition for Hausa writers, and she came second. The author has written several books that have not been published, and she has been waiting for a long time to see how her books will be published, but lack of money has prevented it.
Recently, two things happened to Hajir. First, some of her books are about to be released, including a series of short stories. Second, when there was a great ceremony to honor Northern writers in Minna, Niger State, Hajiya Hafsatu was one of the Hausa writers who were honored with the honor award.
This is not the first time I interviewed Hajir, because if you remember a few years ago we brought you an interview with her. This time, we discussed these two things that happened to her, which are all good.
Another thing you should know is that Hajiya Hafsatu is one of the great people in this country. First, she is the blood of Mujaddadi Shehu Usmanu Danfodiyo. In Zamfara State, she is a prominent politician, because in the 2003 election, she ran for governor of the state. She has sons and daughters; The eldest of her children, Hajiya Kadaria Ahmad, once worked for BBC Radio in London and is now a senior employee at an airport management company in Lagos. Also, Hajiya Hafsatu's daughter, Hajiya Asiya, is married to the former Minister of Abuja, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufa'i. In fact, we had this conversation with her at Malam Nasir's house in Jabi, Abuja, a day after she was honored. In addition, Hajiya Hafsatu set the record of being the first woman to publish a storybook in the North.
IBRAHIM SHEME: May your life be long, you are one of the writers of the North who were honored with honors in Minna. How do you feel about this honor that was scored?
CHIEF AHMAD ABDULWAHID: Thank you, I am very happy. But my only sadness is that my father, mother, and husband are not alive, let alone know what I have achieved. But I was very happy. Thank God.
SHEME: This is the first time you have been honored for writing?
OFFICER: Yes, it was once done in Kano, they even gave me a badge like that. But I honestly forgot that time. I think it was last year or last year.
SHEME: Who are they who did that honor?
OFFICER: It is a group of young writers.
SHEME: How do you see the issue of honoring writers, which is not often done, now it is being done? At the beginning of this year it was done in Abuja, and then it was done in Minna. Has this started to change the way people think about writers?
HAFSATU: I think the Northerners are starting to realize the importance of their writers. You know that in the past, our people did not care about writers, especially women, our importance was not recognized very much, because our writings were considered nonsense; only for love. Well, I think now is the time to start realizing our importance. So this was created. He did the right thing, and it should continue to do so.
SHEME: At the ceremony of this honor in Minna, when the brief history of you was being read, it was shown that you are the granddaughter of Mujaddadi Shehu Usman Danfodiyo. People will want you to explain more about this topic.
OFFICER: Well, my father's name is Alhaji Abubakar Garba, and his father's name is Sa'idu. Saidu was born by Hayatu. Hayatu was born by Saidu. Well, he was born by Sa'idu, Muhammad Bello. Muhamman Bello is the son of Shehu Usmanu Danfodiyo. Therefore, it turns out that I am Shehu's great-granddaughter.
SHEME: So, will you give us a brief history?
HAFSATU: I was born in 1952 in Kano, in the Kofar Mata neighborhood. And I studied at Shahuci Provincial Girls School and Shekara Secondary School. After that, I got married, and my former husband was the manager of John Holt in Kano, later he was transferred to Gusau. After that, I enrolled in Beneth Correspondence College, London, where I tried to get a diploma. Well, after that I continued writing. I worked for a short time in Kano, like 'part-time', at Radio Kano, but I didn't last long, because I didn't start long before I returned to Gusau. Well, after that, I only continued to write at home.
SHEME: In my research, I understand that you are the first woman in the North to publish a creative book, that is your book 'So Aljannar Duniya'. Do you know that women have written before you or do you know that you are the first to write?
HAFSATU: Well, to be honest, I have never seen Moon's book even in a newspaper or in any place where she is said to have written unless mine came out already. Well, after mine came out - I think about 12 years ago - Zaynab Alkali's came out. But why is there a difference between mine and hers, she speaks English, and I speak Hausa.
SHEME: Can you tell us the history of writing 'So Janjanar Duniya'? First of all, what made you think of writing a book when women don't?
HAFSATU: Well, the truth is that in the school I went to, we were encouraged to write stories in class, and we often received prizes for it. When I wrote this in English, I started to write it even though my English did not show, because she who married a Libyan Arab got some opposition from her family, as well as her parents, who did not want her to marry a foreigner. not. Well, later, and after I wrote this, I got married to a Yemeni Arab. Well, the story turned out to be almost the same. Well, when I wrote it in English, I did not get it published until when NNPC Zaria held this competition, I translated it into Hausa and entered the competition. That was in 1970. I got a second place as the only woman who participated in this competition. Well, it was published after this in 1972.
SHEME: Since you wrote it in English, what is its name?
HAFSATU: By God, I did not give him a name at that time, because one of the things that prevented my sister from publishing the book was that we were trying to see what kind of name should be given to him. That's why I didn't give him a name at that time. (Smile) But Malam Sheme named him in the newspaper (Weekly Trust); visual. Well, I think if we were to do it in English that's what we would call it!
SHEME: Is there a possibility that it will be translated in the future?
HAFSATU: Yes. It was even translated into English and Palestinian, and the University of Usmanu Danfodiyo, Sokoto, did it in Arabic. Well, but still no one is written in it.
SHEME: What stopped the printing process?
OFFICER: It was really a lack of money at that time. But he is from Arabia, I found a Saudi man who said he would play. Well, unfortunately there was a fire in 1995, so this Arabic copy was burnt, and I tried to get a copy from the University of Sokoto so that I could copy it, but I couldn't find it. But now a boy has reprinted it in Arabic. So now I have Arabic handwriting.
SHEME: The story of 'So Aljannar Duniya' is a Fulani story, and you can see it wherever you are. What made you think of writing the Fulani story instead of the Hausa story which you are more familiar with?
HAFSATU: Well, I am from Babylon, and even though we belong to the Hausas, our house has not lost most of our Fulani traditions, because there are no Hausa in our house. If a child grows up and does not speak Hausa until he is seven years old; and started going out, he learned Hausa. Therefore, it is not something to be seen because I wrote about our culture.
SHEME: After this book, you didn't write another book for a long time until you wrote "Yar Dubu Mai Tambotsai". Why did it take so long, and how many years did it take?
OFFICER: I really don't know how many years, but I have books that are also written; It is only printed that is not done, because of the situation that there is no money to print it.
SHEME: Another thing that you have to consider is that as you are the one who started to write a creative book in the North, it was the only two books that you wrote, apart from the religious books that you know that you wrote from behind. Why don't you write as many books as other writers do?
OFFICER (smiling): No! for books I have many books; The problem, as I told you, is typing. Because I think that I should print them with a very high quality, that is what the British say as 'quality', it is better to print them the way other people of ours do with the cheap price to enter the market. Well, that's the only problem that prevents me from posting more and more. But they are here to save.
SHEME: You have been crying about lack of money, but some people will look at you as rich because your children are grown up; They are known to marry high-ranking people and others, and they are also very high-ranking. Is it acceptable to say that there is no money, just to publish a book?
OFFICER: No, it's like the ones I make are very expensive. Look at the one that is going to be released this month - 'Saba Dan Sababi' - of creative short stories, what I paid the publisher was N200,000 for only 1,000 copies. Well, you see that the money is not small. And their children do as much as they can, but everyone has a family of their own; You will not take a burden that is more than a person's strength and put it on him, especially since their father died. And all of them did not take long to bring strength, because they did not take long to finish school and start working. Well, you see there are many problems with this.
And looking at the money that is being made to me, thank God, I have to say that God has given me more! But it's just a name. Kings and rich people, this is not proof that a person has it. Because the son-in-law will give and then you will receive. Well, that's why we are trying. Now we have done with them, all the writings will be collected, and find the one that will be found, they will collect money and publish, which they think is suitable for whom they can.
SHEME: Now you have shown us that you are working on your new book. Is that my invention too?
OFFICER: Yes, I am creative. In other words, I wrote 46 short stories, which we said we would cut down to three or four parts. It depends on how it is. Well, the first part will come out; it should even be said that it came out last year. Well, it is the business of the publishers..., but he made a promise to me, he said that by the end of this month, God willing, it will come out. Well, there are also many books. There are two that the Kano State Equalization Commission has decided to publish, which I have done on the miracles of the Holy Qur'an. Then there is one that I did on a true story that I created and wrote, I named it 'Ibun Doka'. Well, they took these two and they were going to play.
SHEME: Is there a possibility that you write songs or plays?
HAFSATU: Yes, I turned two of my short stories into plays, and I also have many written poems - but in English - because I tried to write them in Hausa, but I failed!
SHEME: Do you write in English? But still not a single one!
HAFSATU: By God, I am doing it, but if you turn to the issue, it is the publication. I still haven't found anyone to sponsor the publication. I don't care about the money, but if the job comes out, that is the most important thing for me, but I still haven't found someone to take the responsibility. But for the English language, recently we have to sit with the children and find out which ones will be published. Well, I don't know what they are going through right now, but they promised me that they will play, but I don't know when.
SHEME: Why didn't Gaskiya Corporation or NNPC Zaria publish many of your books, especially since at that time they were in the process of publishing many books, not like they later collapsed?
HAFSATU: By God, what you told me is that they have no money. It's all the same thing when I took my two books, including the 'Thousand and One Nights' that I wrote so that children can read, because the first one should not be read by young children. So, I wrote from 1 to 5 as it was done in Hausa. The copy is still in their hands, they have not returned it to me, because they told me that they are now preparing to start publishing books.
SHEME: How do you see the publishing industry in the North?
OFFICER: Well, it really hurts. And in some gatherings of writers, I often suggest that the writers themselves are to blame because they can collaborate and invest a little money; everyone has to contribute, put the money together, and save it. If an author writes a book, it should be reviewed, if it is necessary to publish it, then the responsibility for the publication should be taken. If he wants, after it has been published, sold, or launched, what has been sold must be returned and kept. And in the future, someone else will do it. But all the suggestions of d
I am giving, so far no one has been able to join.
SHEME: What about the government and the wealthy?
HAFSATU: Well, the government is not aware of the existence of writers, but recently when these things are going on, I have seen the government of Niger take responsibility. Well, our Zamfara State government has also promised to open a fund for us that if a book is made, it will be checked and seen; if necessary, print. We hope that other governors will follow their example.
SHEME: What advice would you give to writers who are unable to publish their books, even if someone gets angry and stops?
HAFSATU: A person should not get angry and stop, because if God has given you wisdom if you stop using it, it is like being naive to him. And writing even if a person is not alive is useful. As we have seen the books of Shehu and Asma'u for hundreds of years, are now being used. Therefore, one should not let go. Don't let the lack of publication discourage him; he kept writing and saving it until God brought someone to come and publish it for him. Because everything has a time. If the time is not right, there is no way to force it to happen.
SHEME: Well, Hajiya, thank you very much.
OFFICER: Well, great. Thank you too.
(Excerpted from Film Magazine June 2008)
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