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Intellectualizing Hausa Home Video

05 January, 2004 02:42:00 By Gausu Ahmad

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Hausa movie star, Hajara Usman (Hausamovies.com)

It is common knowledge that there is a general apprehension among parents about the possible negative influences of Hausa home video, a phenomenon that is now in the vogue among Hausa speaking youths. This type of apprehension, it must be admitted, is not only justifiable but one that is universal. For from time immemorial, society in all climes, has in one way or the other, attempted to control and censor information available to its young ones.

The argument for such control is based on the need not to expose children and youths to harmful influences some information may contain. This fear would be even more justifiable in a society that is economically and technologically backward. Hausa society is generally a conservative one when it comes to foreign ideas. Yet there is a virtue in being conservative, as Professor M.S. Zaharaddeen former vice chancellor, Bayero University, once told this author: "only those who have something to conserve can be conservative", he said.

The advent of the new media technologies has thrusted upon the Hausa society yet another monumental challenge comparable, perhaps only to the Sokoto Jihad and the colonial occupation of the 19th and 20th centuries, respectively. As for the first one, the Hausa culture neatly fitted into it and even benefited from tremendously. The same could not, however, be said about the encounters between the Hausa culture and European imperialism and its impacts. The third revolution has now arrived! Thanks to the new media technologies.

I think the real dilemma here is that the Hausas are caught quite unprepared in a process that they cannot possibly stop. Yet this process, if left unguided, could seriously undermine their culture, their tradition, their value system and their religion.

Unfortunately, there seems to be little or no realization of this great danger among opinion leaders of Hausa speaking people. What one hears often is either uninformed condemnation or uncritical acceptance of these new media as they affect Hausa culture. Of course, there is this group of people which looks at the phenomenon from a philosophical point of view. The group would like the media, particularly the phenomenon of Hausa - home video-Hausa films for short - analyzed intellectually and each film studied contextually.

Leading this group is Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu, the indefatigable education professor. In this group is also another interesting scholar, Dr. Yusuf Adamu, a Geography scholar but with keen interest in other fields, such as literature, culture and religion.

Professor Abdalla has led the debate about the need to intellectualize, professionalize and internationalise the Hausa films. Together with Yusuf Adamu, El-Kanawi, a film director, and Ibrahim Sheme, a journalist of no-mean stature, they have succeeded in raising the discourse on Hausa films to high academic level.

In addition to their methodological concern, particularly about the production of the films, peoples' attitude towards them, their status both at home and among the international community, as well as the kind of interpretation given to them, Professor Abdalla and his associates believe that literature and other aspects of Hausa culture must be dynamic enough to cope with the challenges of our changing world. He is particularly worried that unless the Hausa people begin to tell their "own story" through their own correct interpretation of Hausa films, foreigners will seize this initiative as they did in the case of Hausa in Arabic script or Ajami.

On the other side of the debate are scholars and journalists such as Dr. Ibrahim Malumfashi and Al-Bishak of Usmanu Danfodio University and the New Nigerian Newspapers, respectively. This group believes that there is a lot of corruption and corrupting practices in the current Hausa films and other recent Hausa literature, such as the Soyayya books. They would rather have the typical Imamian literature of the 1930s through 1950s, which was largely domesticated, and with clear social messages.

The need for intellectualizing these home videos is all the more important because it is the only way to improve their quality and international standing, and above all, make them come to terms with their main audience- the Hausa people. Also it will, hopefully, assist the industry overcome problems suffered by other promising media such as magazines, and newspapers in this part of the country. Furthermore, in this era of globalized communication media, only high quality products could get acceptance in the international market. Currently only films produced from other parts of the country are projected as Nigerian films, purportedly depicting Nigerian culture. This distortion must be reversed.

The directors of Hausa films, obviously the most central, are the next stakeholders. They too are in categories. There are those who are conscious of their role in history and are concerned about the types of message they send to the society. A second category comprises those who are purely motivated by the material gains they make out of the films. This group has no regard whatsoever for the Hausa culture or tradition. In the main, their films are mere caricature of the Indian, American and even Chinese films.

Perhaps it is the behavior of this last group that informs the attitudes of the generality of the Hausa public, particularly the Ulama (Islamic scholars), regarding Hausa home videos. Although there are a few of the Ulama who would be ready to accept the films and even advocate their use for ideological propagation, given necessary adjustments, majority does not simply accept them. This rejection is based on a number of reasons.

The first reason is the indiscriminate mixture of men and women sometimes dressed in rather provocative manner. Another objection may be the use of musical instruments and songs. Although some sects, such as Qadiriyya, use musical instruments and sing religious songs, leaders of such sects may still object to the use of "secular" music for entertainment and other purposes. Dancing is also another bone of contention, even though some youths are seen dancing when doing Zikr (remembrance of God), with apparent approval of their sectarian leaders.

As for dramatizing, I want to believe that majority of Muslims, including the Ulama would have no any problem accepting drama. At least in the Qur'an in Suratul Sad,. (Q 38:21-25) we are told how Allah (SWT) sent two "litigants" to Prophet Dawood (David) to dramatize to him how he went wrong in one of his judgments. It turned out that the two litigants were indeed Angels of God. Our Prophet Muhammad (SAW) also had two Angels sent to him to dramatize to him that he was actually bewitched by a Jew, Labeed bin Aasim. Hence the two chapters of Falaq and Annas (Chapters 113 and 114) were revealed to cure him. Thus, we should have no problem with drama.

Perhaps one of the greatest causes for concern about the Hausa film is the general attitude of the actors themselves. Their social conduct is generally far from being a model for parents who care for the character development of their children. For example, the June/July 2003 edition of the Nashadi, a Hausa film magazine, reported how an actress was impregnated by some one she does not even know. The magazine also carried a not so-convincing rejoinder by a film director, who was alleged to be renting out his actresses as prostitutes to those who cared to take them. Products from such characters can hardly be respected by the larger society.

Again many of the films do not really reflect Hausa culture. They tend to be highly artificial, glamorizing monogamy, debasing polygamy and other cherished traditions.

The point however, is that as a people the Hausas have a dilemma. They either continue to rely on foreign films such as Indian, American and Chinese films with far more devastating effects on their culture, religion and other values. Or they have to fine-tune their own films to conform to the minimum of their religious and cultural requirements. Here the point made by El-Kanawi is quite relevant. He rationalizes, using the Qur'anic logic, which argues that for you to successfully replace an old practice/tradition among people, you must be prepared to bring a better, or at least a suitable substitute.

Thus, one cannot but agree with Hajia Aisha Umar Yusuf when she said (Daily Trust 28/5/2003) "We can learn a lot from American Muslims by acknowledging that the challenge before us is to produce alternative Islamic ideal, reflective of Islamic ideal.

With this type of initiative by Professor Abdalla Adamu, the film producers, the Ulama and other stakeholders this challenge can be effectively over come. The international seminar on Hausa films slated for August 2003 is one of these efforts required to intellectualize and streamline Hausa films by Hausa people.

Contact: gausuahmad@yahoo.com
Published with the author's permission

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