There has been a new dawn in Jigawa, following the emergence of the new administration. As a member of a public, I have an observation regarding Literature and arts Filmmaking and Culture.
Recall that last year, those who have been avid listeners to the BBC Hausa noted the former Jigawa State Director of the Censorship Board, Yusuf Magaji Jidawa, lamented how the Jigawa State made an enclave of the immoral artistes. The then government (2021) vowed to curb whatever was mistaken as let loose in Jigawa.
Let me start by commending the Kano State Censorship Board for insisting on safeguarding the society thereby sticking fast to norms and values by censoring all arts, media and Literature. Being the epicentre of the Hausa people, their culture and literature, Kano State calls the shot and it always pays off.
I should not be misconstrued as a campaigner against Literature or arts who, as if in double standards, wants put shackles on free media. No! I am a true literary activist and advocate for arts and media who steers one state writers union, who also teaches Literature in a public school. In spite of this, it amazes me (perhaps a conflict within me) that I do not campaign for arts, media and Literature to be infinitely open-ended. I can confirm you this if I made myself clear that I am a proponent of Literature should be the mirror of real life, media should safeguard the society it hails, arts as the true representative of the given society.
Nowadays, when the immoralities become the salient threats to the sane societies like ours, when the media owns dangerous defenders, more dangerous than censoring it. As a teacher, I must support the cause if not put hands in shaping the future of the youth and the whole society in general. Our society is too didactic to accept all from other societies, everybody knows that.
We should put it at the back of our minds, if Kano is really the stronghold of the Hausa people, then Jigawa must be the second stronghold being initially part of Kano, as we were one whose folks share the same language, culture, religion and other arts, let alone the media the transmitter of these mentioned pillars of human existence.
When Kano insisted in sanitising the media, Literature and other works of arts, some of the practitioners, probably those with the skeleton in their cupboards resorted to shoot whatever Kano could not condone in Jigawa. The people of Jigawa, the government and the proponents like my humble self welcomed them. Some of the most concerned people celebrated it delightfully. They were even allowed using the lucrative and sophisticated structures in the State including the sensitive government buildings free of charge. We thought it is an opportunity for the interested people of Jigawa, a means of revenue and also a kind of tourism because of our artifacts, history and our spectacular scenes, especially in the rocky, hilly, but modern city of Dutse the State headquarters which becomes the mecca of filmmakers. Certainly, Jigawa has abundant natural resources and has riverine areas traversing across the State from Ringim up to Kirikasamma where the evergreen Baturiya Federal Birds’ Reserve lies.
All the Jigawa utopian expectations turned out dystopian as time goes on. The Jigawa Censorship Board tried to monitor for orderliness of the activities if not curb them at least by urging them to register with them but all in vain.
Unfortunately, the development of production of the shameful sex education film “MAKARANTA” shot in Jigawa, the then government frowned more and tightened its belt to secure the State from imminent societal decay. In spite of all these, the State is still welcoming visitors, tourists and above all, filmmakers but who should duly be registered with the State with orthodox, cultural and religious concepts cum backgrounds. Suffices it to say, Jigawa State or people of the State welcome visitors and tourists and filmmakers who may bring the following to the State:
1. Employment
2. Entertainment
3. Income to Ministries
4. Showcasing the History/Museums of the State
5. Advertise the beauty, cities and resource of the State
6. Exposition of the spectacular scenes, structures & other reserves of the State. Eg. Dutse, Jahun, B/Kudu and Kazaure modern structures, rocks, hills, ancient paintings and other artifacts. Display of Kirikasamma’s Baturiya Birds’ Reserves, flamboyant greenish nature, Olden days’ sites of the railways/groundnut pyramids erected in Mallam-maduri, etc.
7. Reviving the visual histories of some LGs if not of all the 27 in the State.
8. Supporting the Censorship Board for the sanitization of the activities to safeguard the culture and religion of the Jigawa people.
With this, I have played my part and I know the new reformation government would heed to the calls from members of the society it leads.
Although this similar opinion had been published last 2 years, but
this is the most updated publication for the consideration of the new able administration perceived by the writer.
Hasheem Abdallah teaches language and Literature, he is a writer/producer/director who wrote this from Binyaminu Usman Polytechnic Hadejia, Jigawa State.
