I am commending you for a job well done, the documentary was well made and it was very informative as well. I really enjoyed watching it and learned a thing or two about kofar Na’isa. Keep up the good work. -Maryam
Thank you for your comment! I’m glad you enjoyed the film. Please share it with others and consider leaving a comment or two in the blog section. I’d love to move the discussion forward to see what other ideas are out there regarding some of the issues the documentary touched on.
great job Nusaibah! this was a great documentary and i feel like I am in Kano. I Learned a lot about Kofar Na’isa. The documentary was very informative and i believe that you are the right person for this task and I don’t think that anyone could’ve done a better job. Congratulations!
Thank you! I’m glad you found the documentary informative. All in all, I had fun putting it together Please visit the blog and add to one of the discussions.
In deed a coat of many colours! It however summarises our major problems from lack of local contents in our interventional efforts to the basic mistrust of oursiders that still exist and is encouraged in some cases, to the neglect of education and the huge expenditure incurred as a result by the ppl that take their children abroad to study and that is just tip of the iceberg of our wasteful behaviour, to our lack of respect for the disabled, to the over stretching of facilities by the growing population, to the lack of respect for our own history to the narrow mindedness of our policy maker in solving a traffic problem by eliminating our roots, to the neglect of agric in preference to the oil sector which helps in distorting our realistic interaction with each other with the government and with the environment.
It is indeed a collage and Yar-Kohwar Na’isa has given us the view of the large picture. It will however be impossible to swallow a whole elephant at once. I therefore hope that she will later give us a closer view of the seemingly unralated pieces of the collage.
Another perspective. Yar-Kohwa kina ina yan-Kano film suke cin karensu ba babbaka on themes that will not take us anywhere? Ai ina ga nan ma ya kamata ki kawo dauki. I hope to see a film with the proper theme of unity, dedication, hard work, repect for labor, ills of begging, hospitality etc in the new future from “Na-isa productions”.
On another related note, there was this clip that NTA used to air on unity among the diverse tribes of Nigeria. It has a beutiful song and in my opinion can serve to inculcate mutual respect among our use that will help reduce the animosities and blood shed. If I remember it goes something like this “We are the ones to make Nigeria a better plaaaaaaace. We all have to do what is right and that right is in our minds. We are the ones! Don’t hurt your neighbor. He is a friend” etc etc. Another one I remember is “Hello Nigerians let us come together and work together for our self-reliaaaaaance. Fishermen and famers let us come together and work together…..” etc. I still cannot understand why somebody felt that those clips had become stale and had to be thrown away! Please, if you know anybody that can influence their being brought back on our National and state TVs help. Better still if you have the clip find our the best way to share it here please.
Thanks for your comment. Yes, you picked up on the criticisms of Kano (of which there are many); but there still remains a sense of pride and the hope that we will overcome these challenges given the proper attention to the issues because “koda me ka zo an fika”
Lol, apologies if the scenes seemed like “unrelated pieces of the collage.” However, I would argue that they are very related and it doesn’t take much to see that: The subtitle of the film is “the reality of modernization in Kano.” The changes to the gate show us that the physical city is changing; the question that I bring up is whether or not the people in the community are properly moving with that change. So for instance, we hear from Aminu who speaks about the problem of polio in the region (Nigeria is one of only 3 countries with new cases of the disease). Aminu explains that it is believed these new cases of polio exist because there is a mistrust for modern medicine amongst some Nigerian families– so as our gate is modernizing, in some cases the mentality of the people is not modernizing with it. The traditional healer and the night-guard symbolize the bits of tradition that are still found in the area. The fact that the night-guard volunteers to look after his community but the government doesn’t look after him in his day job as a farmer hints at the idea that people continue to find resonance and comfort with old ways but don’t have the same feelings for the newer institutions they belong to. What then does this say about modernization in Kano? This same theme can be applied to the scene about education, etc.
You’re right in pointing out that I didn’t delve too deeply into any one issue. But that was an intentional decision on my part. The goal was to raise more questions than answers so that, together, we can look more broadly at the situation in Kano and devise ways of moving forward.
I encourage you to check out the blog on this website and join the conversation there. Thanks!
On a lighter note, a reminder: it is not Kano that is the home of hospitality. Stay with your tumbin-giwa and that is it. The home of hospitality is ours. Do not hijack it. It belongs to us. It is Katsina dakin kaara forever. If however you see the value in that you can borrow free of any royalty. You guys snatched the trans-Saharan trade now you want to misappropriate kara kuma? Is that not an infringement? Lol!
It is difficult to link all the issues in the documentary, clearly noted is the complete lack of consultation with the community before the demolition of the old monument or new design concept for “ Kofar Naisa”; on the other hand you did not interview the authority that ordered the demolition to get their side of the story.
The Veteran (Magaji Danbatta) brought the issue around quality of education and people’s awareness and demand for accountability.
I noted the from the clips the clear pressure on the old infrastructure and monument that are dare need for modernization to accommodate the growing population and way of life (Kano is no longer the donkey riding community….rather the speeding bikes and cars).
I wonder what else communities do with monuments that outlived the community’s need; Who is responsible for those monuments; to what end are the changes being made; how do we bring accountability to the process?
Thank you, Nusaiba for standing up for all us with this beautiful effort, Thank you.
Thanks for your comment! In regards to your first point, I’ll paste a comment I made above:
“Lol, apologies if the scenes seemed like “unrelated pieces of the collage.” However, I would argue that they are very related and it doesn’t take much to see that: The subtitle of the film is “the reality of modernization in Kano.” The changes to the gate show us that the physical city is changing; the question that I bring up is whether or not the people in the community are properly moving with that change. So for instance, we hear from Aminu who speaks about the problem of polio in the region (Nigeria is one of only 3 countries with new cases of the disease). Aminu explains that it is believed these new cases of polio exist because there is a mistrust for modern medicine amongst some Nigerian families– so as our gate is modernizing, in some cases the mentality of the people is not modernizing with it. The traditional healer and the night-guard symbolize the bits of tradition that are still found in the area. The fact that the night-guard volunteers to look after his community but the government doesn’t look after him in his day job as a farmer hints at the idea that people continue to find resonance and comfort with old ways but don’t have the same feelings for the newer institutions they belong to. What then does this say about modernization in Kano? This same theme can be applied to the scene about education, etc.”
Your comment, “I wonder what else communities do with monuments that outlived the community’s need,” is a great one! This is one of the issues that I want to push forward. The film relates the modernization of the gate to many other aspects of Kano life (healthcare, agriculture, education), that at some point the gate becomes more of a symbol instead of the actual focus of the film. During some of my interviews, people responded that they didn’t necessarily care for the gate and would be willing to demolish as many as needed if it meant that they would get better access to urban ways of life. Then there were others who were of the belief that no matter how much Kano progresses, the gates should be left untouched. I imagine that there are lots of viewpoints that sit between these two extremes. What is your position on the issue?
Hello Nusaibah! It has been a long time. Thank you so much for creating this. It is always my priority to learn more about the dynamics of our home and how globalization is changing it. This documentary was beautifully done, and touches upon some very pressing issues. The demolition of this gate really illustrates the old vs. new imbalance. I am surprised it lasted over 900 years! The reasons for the shortcomings in the education system were very startling. It would seem as if emigration is in a sense sapping resources from Nigeria. Those in the country who have gained the ability to help, subsequently leave, en masse. The long term effects of this are very devastating. I will keep this and the other issues brought to light in this documentary very close in mind. Thank you so much!
Hey, thanks for your comment! I’m glad you enjoyed the film.
During filming, I found the information about education pretty startling as well. As we progress and become more modernized, it makes sense that the borders of Nigeria are opening up further (I think this is the case in many places), but it seems like it is a one-way transaction where some of our best talent is going abroad and strengthened abroad, and our actual communities back home aren’t receiving any of the benefit from this.
In the past, Nigerian universities were very prestigious– people would come from afar to attend the schools in this country. I wonder what made us move in the opposite direction. Furthermore, I wonder what needs to be done to get us back on track. If these issues aren’t properly addressed, then I think you’re right in saying that “the long term effects of this are very devastating.”
Please join the conversation on the blog section of this website. Thanks!
This is an impressive documentary. I enjoyed all the segments. I lived in the Northern part of Nigeria in the early 1960 and was able to relate to the themes of the documentary. It is sad to see what the beautiful city of Kano has become. If you have the time to do more work on this documentary you should consider focusing your attention on one or two themes to clearly show the impact of urbanization on the city of Kano. Like Kano, many major cities in Nigeria lack proper infrastructure to cope with the rapid growth in population. I commend and congratulate you on a job well done. Agho
Thanks for your comment! I’m glad you enjoyed the film.
Yes, overpopulation was an important theme in the film– it’s the reason the gate was demolished (to ease the growing traffic) and the theme came back up later in the discussion of education. We need to better address how to deal with/work alongside the growing population so that we can ensure as many people as possible move along with the change instead of being forced to passivity about the changes happening around them.
Please join the conversation on the blog section of this website. Thanks!
The documentary is highly informative, being far away from home and seeing my people, Hajiya Hasiya (Umma), Ibrahim, Sarkin Dori etc. and offcourse the former kofar Naisa is like “being at home far away from home”. Thumbs up Girl.
This is an excellent piece and should be available to participants at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin and UNESCO in Paris. Culture and cultural diplomacy is now the only option available to bring about peace, equality and uderstanding globally.
Nussy I very good job I would like to put a link to d video for more votes from the north in afrinolly awards u are the single person that represent us.
I couldn’t bring myself to see the Gate destroyed. For me it brought back old memories of Kofar Na Isa when I used to go visit a friend of mine Ibrahim Suleiman (Baita) who Is is actually a son of the former Sarkin Dori and I guess the present one must be his sibling. i would appreciate it very much if you could confirm this for me. You did a great job with the documentary. In as much as we love old historical structures, they have to give way to new ones some day. I miss the city of kano a lot. More grease to your elbow as they say.
Thank you for your comment! I’m glad you enjoyed the film and that it was able to bring back old memories for you. I’ll double-check the facts regarding the Sarkin Dori and get back to you as soon as I figure it out. Please vote for the documentary in the Afrinolly Competition (http://afrinollyshortfilmcompetition.com/vote.php)– it’s #18 in the documentary category. Please help spread the word
I am commending you for a job well done, the documentary was well made and it was very informative as well. I really enjoyed watching it and learned a thing or two about kofar Na’isa. Keep up the good work. -Maryam
Thank you for your comment! I’m glad you enjoyed the film. Please share it with others and consider leaving a comment or two in the blog section. I’d love to move the discussion forward to see what other ideas are out there regarding some of the issues the documentary touched on.
A very nice articulated documentary. The videos is of extremely high quality. Job well done.
Thanks! Please visit the blog and add to one of the discussions
great job Nusaibah! this was a great documentary and i feel like I am in Kano. I Learned a lot about Kofar Na’isa. The documentary was very informative and i believe that you are the right person for this task and I don’t think that anyone could’ve done a better job. Congratulations!
Thank you! I’m glad you found the documentary informative. All in all, I had fun putting it together
Please visit the blog and add to one of the discussions.
Salam Bappa welldone ooo.
Thank you. Please visit the blog and join one of the discussions.
In deed a coat of many colours! It however summarises our major problems from lack of local contents in our interventional efforts to the basic mistrust of oursiders that still exist and is encouraged in some cases, to the neglect of education and the huge expenditure incurred as a result by the ppl that take their children abroad to study and that is just tip of the iceberg of our wasteful behaviour, to our lack of respect for the disabled, to the over stretching of facilities by the growing population, to the lack of respect for our own history to the narrow mindedness of our policy maker in solving a traffic problem by eliminating our roots, to the neglect of agric in preference to the oil sector which helps in distorting our realistic interaction with each other with the government and with the environment.
It is indeed a collage and Yar-Kohwar Na’isa has given us the view of the large picture. It will however be impossible to swallow a whole elephant at once. I therefore hope that she will later give us a closer view of the seemingly unralated pieces of the collage.
Another perspective. Yar-Kohwa kina ina yan-Kano film suke cin karensu ba babbaka on themes that will not take us anywhere? Ai ina ga nan ma ya kamata ki kawo dauki. I hope to see a film with the proper theme of unity, dedication, hard work, repect for labor, ills of begging, hospitality etc in the new future from “Na-isa productions”.
On another related note, there was this clip that NTA used to air on unity among the diverse tribes of Nigeria. It has a beutiful song and in my opinion can serve to inculcate mutual respect among our use that will help reduce the animosities and blood shed. If I remember it goes something like this “We are the ones to make Nigeria a better plaaaaaaace. We all have to do what is right and that right is in our minds. We are the ones! Don’t hurt your neighbor. He is a friend” etc etc. Another one I remember is “Hello Nigerians let us come together and work together for our self-reliaaaaaance. Fishermen and famers let us come together and work together…..” etc. I still cannot understand why somebody felt that those clips had become stale and had to be thrown away! Please, if you know anybody that can influence their being brought back on our National and state TVs help. Better still if you have the clip find our the best way to share it here please.
Kai na gode Allah sam-barka.
Thanks for your comment. Yes, you picked up on the criticisms of Kano (of which there are many); but there still remains a sense of pride and the hope that we will overcome these challenges given the proper attention to the issues because “koda me ka zo an fika”
Lol, apologies if the scenes seemed like “unrelated pieces of the collage.” However, I would argue that they are very related and it doesn’t take much to see that: The subtitle of the film is “the reality of modernization in Kano.” The changes to the gate show us that the physical city is changing; the question that I bring up is whether or not the people in the community are properly moving with that change. So for instance, we hear from Aminu who speaks about the problem of polio in the region (Nigeria is one of only 3 countries with new cases of the disease). Aminu explains that it is believed these new cases of polio exist because there is a mistrust for modern medicine amongst some Nigerian families– so as our gate is modernizing, in some cases the mentality of the people is not modernizing with it. The traditional healer and the night-guard symbolize the bits of tradition that are still found in the area. The fact that the night-guard volunteers to look after his community but the government doesn’t look after him in his day job as a farmer hints at the idea that people continue to find resonance and comfort with old ways but don’t have the same feelings for the newer institutions they belong to. What then does this say about modernization in Kano? This same theme can be applied to the scene about education, etc.
You’re right in pointing out that I didn’t delve too deeply into any one issue. But that was an intentional decision on my part. The goal was to raise more questions than answers so that, together, we can look more broadly at the situation in Kano and devise ways of moving forward.
I encourage you to check out the blog on this website and join the conversation there. Thanks!
On a lighter note, a reminder: it is not Kano that is the home of hospitality. Stay with your tumbin-giwa and that is it. The home of hospitality is ours. Do not hijack it. It belongs to us. It is Katsina dakin kaara forever. If however you see the value in that you can borrow free of any royalty. You guys snatched the trans-Saharan trade now you want to misappropriate kara kuma? Is that not an infringement? Lol!
…again, Kano timbingiywa. Koda me kazo an fika
It is difficult to link all the issues in the documentary, clearly noted is the complete lack of consultation with the community before the demolition of the old monument or new design concept for “ Kofar Naisa”; on the other hand you did not interview the authority that ordered the demolition to get their side of the story.
The Veteran (Magaji Danbatta) brought the issue around quality of education and people’s awareness and demand for accountability.
I noted the from the clips the clear pressure on the old infrastructure and monument that are dare need for modernization to accommodate the growing population and way of life (Kano is no longer the donkey riding community….rather the speeding bikes and cars).
I wonder what else communities do with monuments that outlived the community’s need; Who is responsible for those monuments; to what end are the changes being made; how do we bring accountability to the process?
Thank you, Nusaiba for standing up for all us with this beautiful effort, Thank you.
Thanks for your comment! In regards to your first point, I’ll paste a comment I made above:
“Lol, apologies if the scenes seemed like “unrelated pieces of the collage.” However, I would argue that they are very related and it doesn’t take much to see that: The subtitle of the film is “the reality of modernization in Kano.” The changes to the gate show us that the physical city is changing; the question that I bring up is whether or not the people in the community are properly moving with that change. So for instance, we hear from Aminu who speaks about the problem of polio in the region (Nigeria is one of only 3 countries with new cases of the disease). Aminu explains that it is believed these new cases of polio exist because there is a mistrust for modern medicine amongst some Nigerian families– so as our gate is modernizing, in some cases the mentality of the people is not modernizing with it. The traditional healer and the night-guard symbolize the bits of tradition that are still found in the area. The fact that the night-guard volunteers to look after his community but the government doesn’t look after him in his day job as a farmer hints at the idea that people continue to find resonance and comfort with old ways but don’t have the same feelings for the newer institutions they belong to. What then does this say about modernization in Kano? This same theme can be applied to the scene about education, etc.”
Your comment, “I wonder what else communities do with monuments that outlived the community’s need,” is a great one! This is one of the issues that I want to push forward. The film relates the modernization of the gate to many other aspects of Kano life (healthcare, agriculture, education), that at some point the gate becomes more of a symbol instead of the actual focus of the film. During some of my interviews, people responded that they didn’t necessarily care for the gate and would be willing to demolish as many as needed if it meant that they would get better access to urban ways of life. Then there were others who were of the belief that no matter how much Kano progresses, the gates should be left untouched. I imagine that there are lots of viewpoints that sit between these two extremes. What is your position on the issue?
Hello Nusaibah! It has been a long time. Thank you so much for creating this. It is always my priority to learn more about the dynamics of our home and how globalization is changing it. This documentary was beautifully done, and touches upon some very pressing issues. The demolition of this gate really illustrates the old vs. new imbalance. I am surprised it lasted over 900 years! The reasons for the shortcomings in the education system were very startling. It would seem as if emigration is in a sense sapping resources from Nigeria. Those in the country who have gained the ability to help, subsequently leave, en masse. The long term effects of this are very devastating. I will keep this and the other issues brought to light in this documentary very close in mind. Thank you so much!
Hey, thanks for your comment! I’m glad you enjoyed the film.
During filming, I found the information about education pretty startling as well. As we progress and become more modernized, it makes sense that the borders of Nigeria are opening up further (I think this is the case in many places), but it seems like it is a one-way transaction where some of our best talent is going abroad and strengthened abroad, and our actual communities back home aren’t receiving any of the benefit from this.
In the past, Nigerian universities were very prestigious– people would come from afar to attend the schools in this country. I wonder what made us move in the opposite direction. Furthermore, I wonder what needs to be done to get us back on track. If these issues aren’t properly addressed, then I think you’re right in saying that “the long term effects of this are very devastating.”
Please join the conversation on the blog section of this website. Thanks!
This is an impressive documentary. I enjoyed all the segments. I lived in the Northern part of Nigeria in the early 1960 and was able to relate to the themes of the documentary. It is sad to see what the beautiful city of Kano has become. If you have the time to do more work on this documentary you should consider focusing your attention on one or two themes to clearly show the impact of urbanization on the city of Kano. Like Kano, many major cities in Nigeria lack proper infrastructure to cope with the rapid growth in population. I commend and congratulate you on a job well done. Agho
Hello,
Thanks for your comment! I’m glad you enjoyed the film.
Yes, overpopulation was an important theme in the film– it’s the reason the gate was demolished (to ease the growing traffic) and the theme came back up later in the discussion of education. We need to better address how to deal with/work alongside the growing population so that we can ensure as many people as possible move along with the change instead of being forced to passivity about the changes happening around them.
Please join the conversation on the blog section of this website. Thanks!
The documentary is highly informative, being far away from home and seeing my people, Hajiya Hasiya (Umma), Ibrahim, Sarkin Dori etc. and offcourse the former kofar Naisa is like “being at home far away from home”. Thumbs up Girl.
Thanks for your comment! I’m glad I could bring you a small reminder of home
Please join the conversation on the blog section of this website. Thanks!
This is an excellent piece and should be available to participants at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin and UNESCO in Paris. Culture and cultural diplomacy is now the only option available to bring about peace, equality and uderstanding globally.
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Please share the link as widely as possible.
Nussy I very good job I would like to put a link to d video for more votes from the north in afrinolly awards u are the single person that represent us.
I couldn’t bring myself to see the Gate destroyed. For me it brought back old memories of Kofar Na Isa when I used to go visit a friend of mine Ibrahim Suleiman (Baita) who Is is actually a son of the former Sarkin Dori and I guess the present one must be his sibling. i would appreciate it very much if you could confirm this for me. You did a great job with the documentary. In as much as we love old historical structures, they have to give way to new ones some day. I miss the city of kano a lot. More grease to your elbow as they say.
Thank you for your comment! I’m glad you enjoyed the film and that it was able to bring back old memories for you. I’ll double-check the facts regarding the Sarkin Dori and get back to you as soon as I figure it out. Please vote for the documentary in the Afrinolly Competition (http://afrinollyshortfilmcompetition.com/vote.php)– it’s #18 in the documentary category. Please help spread the word