EMIR’S DABO BICENTENNARY, KANNYWOOD AND THE NEEDFUL

The ancient city of Kano and the Habe Dynasty founded in AD 999, has been the oldest empire to survive into the modern age with its influence intact in Africa south of the Sahara. It was at its peak as the terminal route of the famous Trans-Saharan trade, which gave an inkling to the west of the untapped riches of the Dark Continent. During colonial times Kano played a key role in the colonial economy being the largest contributor of wealth to the amalgamated northern and southern Nigeria.

Kano had been witnessing a steady decline since late fifties as its agriculture decline, its rulers became flamboyant, its clerics hypocritical, elites self-serving, politicians corrupt and masses lazy. Despites its booming population, arable land, abundant water resources the populace are wallowing in poverty because of the lack of visionary leadership.

Among its celebrated Kings to ever grace the throne was Ibrahim Dabo, whom in a few months’ time, the Emirate is going to celebrate his Bicentennial celebration (1819-2019). Ibrahim Dabo was the 45^th King in the Habe dynasty and the 2^nd in the Fulani line that toppled the Habe Kingdom, he was fierce warrior and earned the Title “The Conqueror” as he subdued all revolting towns in his empire.

Mohammad Sanusi II is organizing a bicentennial event that I am sure will display all the pomp and pageantry of the emirate. People from all over the world will be invited, the colorful durbar will display the regalia, which I am sure will dazzle everyone that will witness it. In a few weeks, the event, like all others before it (the silver, golden and centennial events) will be dropped into another dustbin of history until when another occasion arises in the future. The best that can come out of it is perhaps some writer/s will collaborate into writing an autobiography of the King (Dabo) that will attract a launching and some monies made, copies exchange hands and few people in the society being able to own a copy they may never read from cover to cover.

I think the current Emir, is underestimating the blessing endowed on him by God. He was once listed among the 100 most influential people on the planet (an honor I think only few presidents in the entire African continent enjoyed), he has an impeccable pedigree, was a first class banker and economist, possess rare oratorical ability, endowed with intellect of the first order, a scholar of refute (modern and Islamic), fearless character that can say it as it is no matter when or where and very handsome. What else could he ever want? Unfortunately for me he lacks what I think was basically the reason why God has chosen him to be where he is. The Emir has the capacity, influence and contact to rally the right people and organize them into a think-tank for the formulation of policies and chartering the direction Kano will take towards socio-economic development. No society can thrive and excel without the right thinkers thinking for it because a society, like a growing child, needs prodding towards the conventional do’s and dont’s. It is on record that Late Abdullahi Bayero era saw the 5 year plan, which was extended to 10 year plan that culminates with the rise of the groundnuts pyramids in Kano and its attendant successes.

Kano, being the most populous state with vast arable land and water resources, should have been one of the most blessed places on the planet, yet its people wallow in abject poverty, illiteracy and unemployment. A few years back during the brouhaha of the Film village, which could have been one of the greatest benefit Kano would have enjoyed in boosting employment, stimulate economic activity and transfer of technology, the current Emir only intervened when some Kannywood stakeholders visited him, and his show of support was too late to turn the tide and we lost the opportunity. The gigantic project would have span an 8 kilometer stretch gulping about 5 billion Naira, that will create several thousands of jobs, transform the locality, and enhance film production and other several short and long term benefits.

The Hausa Film Industry, popularly known as Kannywood, is one of the major youth employers in the Northern region. From the moment a writer put his pen on a paper, that power of the pen, creates a cascading chain of jobs ranging from, scriptwriters, artists, producers, directors, technicians, translators, editors, cinematographers, transporters, hoteliers, tailors, hawkers, marketers, distributors and even married women that rent out costumes and cook food for shooting locations. Hardly an industry is as rich as the film industry. The importance of this industry in creating jobs and generating wealth could only be understood by the realization that no less than 26 different professions are associated with it, directly or indirectly.

Therefore instead of celebrating the Dabo bicentennial event as we used to do all similar events, I think it is high time the Emir put a break on his incessant criticisms and for once spearhead stakeholders in engaging Kannywood to immortalize the event by creating an opportunity for the industry to shoot episodic soap operas about the Kano dynasty since AD 999. To understand the logic behind this, one needs to examine the success story of Korean films. Korean culture is very much similar to Hausa in many ways as the society is held together by the powerful traditional system and values where religion is very influential in setting the tone for their morality. Koreans had started their movie industry since 1903 but were not a force to reckon with in international cinema until 1999 with the release of “Shiri”, which became a blockbuster as 5 million watched it breaking the record of Titanic in the country. The “Korean fever” became a wildfire engulfing China and most part of Asia, substantially enhancing the popularity of Korean culture all over the world and at the same time saving the country from financial crisis. The Korean government, after realizing the source of revenue the film industry can generate left no stone unturned in providing legislations, promote the industry and export the films worldwide. In a few decades Korean culture was being sold in the international arena as a commodity and their film industry today is ranked 7^th in terms of revenue generation.

The myopia and backward thinking of our clerics killed the proposed Kano Film Village which could have given us the opportunity to turn around the Kannywood industry into a real money making machine, job creator and a commodity for export like the Koreans did. In the past, we had seen how rejection of western education, because of similar skepticism, is now making us pay. I remember during the imbroglio I was among the people that went to meet Kano Sharia commission officials including their chairman in an effort to bring them up to speed about the project and find common grounds, but unfortunately they cancelled the meeting but we had an informal chat with the chairman and Malam Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara, who happens to be one of the commissioners for the commission. What I raised, particularly to Malam Abduljabbar, was being a frequent visitor to Egypt, has he not seen how they allowed film village to operate? Did that not gave the religious minded government in Egypt the leverage to control the whole industry? Besides, a kind of film village already exist in Zoo Road, at the heart of Kano city, the center of Kannywood, where films are produced, consumed and exported elsewhere. Shouldn’t this be an opportunity for the moralist to seize? As the film village in Kofa would have given them an easier way to offer meaningful contributions in sanitizing the industry? Or are they deluded enough to think that the Hausa Film industry could be wiped away by mere wishful thinking and limited moral rhetoric’s?. For better or for worse, the Kannywood industry has come to stay and expert even predicted in the next few years to be the biggest investment in Kano city. Therefore no amount of criticism will make it go away, instead we need constructive criticism to move it forward to our advantage.

I think the Emir should be proactive in using the bicentennial event to bring experts together and brainstorm on how to involve the emirate council in producing films about Kano emirate since AD 999. Besides, I am sure if the Emir will invest his own money in the project, I am certain he will recoup manifold profits. There is no industry I know of that has the potential of returns with minimum risk of loss, like the Kannywood industry despite the fact that it doesn’t have the right infrastructure to maximize benefit. A teacher of mine in script writing from Hollywood once told us that in every individual there is a story to tell, therefore looking back into the history of our kings, it is notable that we could make several series with 52 episodes in the stories of: Pagan life and worships in the Barbushe era, the Arrival of Islam as far back as the 14^th century (With the Wangarawa’s) during Rumfa’s reign, Al-Maghili and his influence on Kano scholarship and the jihadists destroying some Habe kings records. Among the most interesting stories of Kings that needs to be told to local and international audience are: The first king Bagauda, the twin rulers Nawata and Gawata who were the fourth kings, Tsamiya the 9^th and Zamnagawa the 10^th.  Yaji the 11^th King in whose reign the wangarawa introduced Islam to the emirate. The greatest of all our kings in terms of transformation, the 20th King Muhammadu Rumfa and the twisting story of deposition and comeback during the reigns of Kukuna-Shekarau-Kukuna who happened to be the 32^nd, 33^rd and 34^th Kings. There is Alwali, who was the threshold between the end of an era (The Habe dynasty) and that of a new one (ushered by the Fulani Jihad and conquest). Sulaiman, the first Fulani ruler and the 44^th King, the last but by far not the least, Ibrahim Dabo the 45^th King, whose bicentennial event is unfolding.

Making such movies, will showcase to the world (and revive and rekindle for us) the wonderful Hausa architecture, exotic regalia of our costumes, paraphernalia of war and peace, success and influence of Islam, superior moral values, power intrigues and struggle and also the Hausa identity, beside the entertainment of our music and musical instruments and the Romeo and Juliet like love stories found in almost every generation. Most of all, such production will revive the moribund industry, attract investment and generate the much needed foreign exchange the state and country desperately needed.