It was a show of rich culture, art and prowess of the Hausa language in the northern Nigerian city of Kano.
The event centre, Ado Bayero Mall, was a hive of activities as hundreds of artists, artisans, poets, scholars and students of literature gathered to celebrate, review and promote the cultural heritage of the Hausa people.
Because women in northern Nigeria and other Hausa-speaking regions face academic and publishing barriers, most high profile cultural studies in northern Nigeria have been done by men and non-Africans.
This is Africa spoke to Sada Malumfashi, the director of the Hausa International Book and Arts Festival (HIBAF) which will be hosting its first edition around the theme, ‘Spaces’. The festival will “explore the origins of Hausa literary spaces; converse and discuss notions of gender, identity, culture, and politics.”
The Hausa International Book and Arts Festival (HIBAF) is an Open Arts project designed purposely for giving voice to Hausa literature, arts and culture. It is through efforts like this that human beings reaffirm their honour as the greatest of all animals.
Open Arts, the curators of the Hausa International Book and Arts Festival (HIBAF), have announced the second edition of the festival with the theme Being and Becoming.