By
Kamar Hamza
MONOGRAPH 004
First published in 2012
CONTENTS
- Group Work and the Spirit of Self Sacrifice as Bases for Growth of Society
- Community Applications and Functionality of Minna Literary Circle
- Strategic Application of Activities toward Idea Production Society
- The Writers’ Spell.
- Interpersonal/Home Mentoring
- Literature Libraries in Secondary Schools
- Anthologies as Platforms for Young Writers in the State
- Read-To-The-Child Campaign
- MBA International Writers’ Village, Minna
Group Work and the Spirit of Self Sacrifice as Bases for Growth of Society
Association of Nigerian Authors formally started in Niger State in 1988, headed by Yahaya Dangana, the chief host of the 1991 National Convention during the tenure of late Ken Saro Wiwa. However, the late Mamman Jiya Vatsa had earlier facilitated a convention in Abuja when he was the Minister of FCT. The association since then has projected that ideas could transform the society over a period of time. Writers as merchants of ideas have discussed the decaying values, depreciating work ethics and degeneration of infrastructure in the nation. The problem was traced to the neglect of individual roles at the expense of public good.
Group work and the spirit of self sacrifice became a thing of the past, selfish interest, and the promotion of mediocrity became the order of the day. As such, the association saw that the adults they tried to talk to as agents of change were not ready to listen to them. Therefore, they focused and projected ideas on the child as a change agent.
To effectively achieve the goals and strategies designed towards development-writing for children, the writers in the state imbibed the communal spirit of working together at private and association levels, which has endured for over twenty years now. In fact, ANA Niger has been tagged by other chapters as the most cohesive and bonded in the country for her family traits and operations. At certain points of this journey, especially ASCAFS, some principal actors of today’s government were partners in the literary proceedings, a participation that they radically plunged into at the inception of their administration in 2007 to cause a flood of transformation.
Community Applications and Functionality of Minna Literary Circle
This focus brought about interest in the development of the school-child in the regeneration of the society. The school liaised with some clubs in secondary schools in Minna to coordinate children in writing poems, stories, and play. They even coordinated children in writing and production of plays for the stage. At this stage, members at the weekly meeting suggested that the association should organise a state-wide competition for students in secondary schools. The programme was tagged ‘Schools Literary Expo’. The members of the association were sent to local government areas to organise students from secondary schools in the company of their teachers to compete in some events and the winners at the local levels could be brought to Minna to compete for trophies.
The ‘Schools Literary Expo’ ran for two years and was broadened to make it have a festive outlook. A new name ‘Annual Schools Carnival of Arts and Festival of Songs’ was given to it to reflect the new outlook. The programme has the following categories of activities:
a) On the spot Short Story Writing
b) On the spot Poetry Writing
c) On the spot Painting
d) Stage Drama
e) Song Rendition in Group
f) Quiz Contest
g) Automated Craft
h) Cultural Display
i) Photography
j) Lullaby and Folksong
At the early stages of the festival, we had events like poetry appreciation, open reading and on the spot play-writing.
Apart from the unalloyed commitment of all ANA Niger members to the growth of ASCAFS, the management of UK Bello Arts Theatre and the entire staff of Niger State Council for Arts and Culture were partners in progress, they served as officials at the ASCAFS events. A former Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology, Minna, Professor Jonathan Ndagi, late Alhaji Aliyu Umar and Alhaji Ibrahim Aliyu, among others, were non-writers that served as advisors to the association. Professor Jerry Gana sent in a representative when he was the Minister of Information in Abuja. He gave free airtime t the association to present ASCAFS programme on the network service of the Nigerian Television Authority, Abuja. Sheraton Hotel donated prizes to the association and the National Council for Arts and Culture sent contingents and buses to make the event colourful by packaging tour for ASCAFS participants.
Abubakar Gimba and Yahaya S. Dangana are writers and patrons of the association. Gimba had always been the shoulder on whom the association rested in its earliest years. Past governors of Niger State and their wives that supported the activities of the association include; Col. Habibu Shuaib and Fatia Shuaib, Simeon Oduoye and Samiat Oduoye, Col. Cletus Emein and Hajiya Zaynab Kure. General AbdulSalam Abubakar single-handedly sponsored the 1998 edition.
Reverend Father O’Connell and Hajiya Jummai Agwai were not only the Landlords of ASCAFS but perpetual supporters of it, at certain points, Hill-Top Model School and GSS Minna became the symbols of the cervical. Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman, Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, Alhaji Ibrahim Lolo, Dagacin Bosso, Eze Igbo, Malam Dan’Azumi Musa, Sani Ndanusa were also strong sponsors of the programme.
Nigerian writers who heavily associated and attended the programme were Wale Okediran, Denja Abdullahi, Nduka Otiono, Layiwola Adeniji, Edie Adenironkun, Samaila Umaisha, Diego Okenyodo, E. E. Sule, Camillus Ukah, Maryam Ali Ali, Hyacinth Obumseh, Mimi Christopher and some members of the Creative Writers Club of ABU, Zaria. Ahmed Maiwada is not only a member of ANA Niger resident in Abuja but one that has more than any other writer coming from somewhere else committed financial weight to our teen authors’ programmes, young writers, publicly and privately. He is their father, mentor and guardian.
Strategic Application of Activities toward Idea Production Society
In the later days of 1994, the association members were meeting on the pavement of the pathways in UK Bello Art Theatre, Minna. Later, the association secured a spacious office accommodation at Abubakar Imam Library Complex near Gymnasium in 123 quarters which they still maintain till today. The Saturday meeting was moved to the Library Complex. The members were always looking forward to the gathering every Saturday, from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. Any member could read his/her poem or short story. Sometimes, topical issues of national and human concerns were raised and discussed at the meetings. Members usually appreciate any work being read through comments and observations. At times the young members would not like to comment on the works being read, but the other members do force them to analyse creative pieces presented at the meetings. This was how talent of new members were developed. The Secretary of the association then, BM Dzukogi used to produce a newsletter for the association and later Alkasim Abdulkadir produced a small journal called Agaita.
The Saturday meeting of the association created a forum for discussing the problems that plague the society and how to fix it. There were weekly activities like discussion on a national issue, reading and appreciation of poems and short stories, discussion how to move the association in a society that is fast losing its values. Issues bordering on the role of the write in the dissenting views were accommodated. Some of the views were pushed forward in essays which were published in literature columns of weekend newspapers like New Nigerian, Weekly Trust, Tribune, Post Express, The Cometh, ThisDay, This Weekened, Leadership, and other newspapers in the country. These columnists were well acknowledged in Being True to Himself: A Collection of Dzukogi’s Interviews.
Beyond the weekly reading, the association commenced house-to-house monthly reading in which a writer will host members and read from his collection or collections to see his/her process of growth in the vocation. Late Ransome N. Akale, Abdullahi Ismail, BM Dzukogi, Kamar Hamza, Uthman Akanbi, Baba Akote, Alhassan Shebe and Lucky Oghuvhu hosted the association in their houses for the appreciation of their work. The experience was rewarding for old and new members and it served as point of inspiration for all and many scripts were produce as response to divergent artistic vision and temperament. Members could write but could not have access to publishing outlet as such one of the members Nma Hassan Muhammad, used to introduce himself as a prolific writer of unpublished works.
THE WRITERS’ SPELL
From 2010, the young individuals who took over ANA leadership in the state, reintroduced the monthly reading in which an author’s manuscript is given critical attention on a Saturday from 10:00am to about 3:00pm. Under the leadership of Mahmud Mallam Almamun, Awwal Idris Evuti, Abba Abdulkareem, B. M. Nagid, Adedayo Opeyemi, Terfa Nenger Danjuma, Balkisu AbdulAzeez, Aisha Evuty and others, writers’ spell was used as forum for assessing manuscripts to see whether they were good for the press. At this forum B.M. Nagidi’s Slaying the Wayfarer, Adedayo Opeyemi’s The PlayThings of War, Terfa Nenger Danjuma’s Pachy Pachy Nika and Oda Poems Dem and Paul Liam’s indefinite Cravings successfully passed through the eye of the needle and got published. Terfa Nenger Danjuma, Banma Baba Suleiman, Zainab Manko and Umar Dada are yet to publish the works presented at the forum.
To maintain the strong link between the past and the present, older writers are the ones that chair the writers’ spell. These include, Yahaya S. Dangana, Ezekiel Fajenyo, MB Dzukogi, Ahmed Maiwada, Edwin Oribagbor Eriata, Olu Jacobs, Abdullahi Ismail among others. The writers’ spell usually has in attendance, an eminent citizen who has interest in the arts and education. Over the past few years that the programme has held, it has had in attendance people like Alhaji Nuhu Galadima, Yabagi Alfa, Librarians, Parents and well-wishers from the general public. One interesting mark of the exercise is the presence of students who are not necessarily members of the association as the writers’ spell is not an exclusive programme of members alone.
Interpersonal/Home Mentoring
In the middle of 1990s, the members of the association were involved in interpersonal mentoring of their younger colleagues in creative writing where young writers visit the adult members of the association to interact, to learn from each other and share in the experiences of those who started earlier. This interpersonal mentoring has contributed to the sustenance of the art of writing in the state and has largely been responsible for the close bond associated with writers in Niger State. This has also cultivated in them the spirit of volunteerism, group philosophy that now culminated in the guiding principle of regeneration as a platform for operation among writers in the state.
Today, this type of mentoring has been carried further through contract/ volunteer service of people like Paul Liam who now mentors mine and Dzukogi’s kid authors. Nagidi, Terfa, Luka, Paul and Nam Hassan are also volunteer creative writing mentors at the Hill-Top Arts Centre. This is the community that is unfolding in Niger State. A community that is expected to induce in the state, the spirit of critical thinking for the evolution of a serious society that would operate on quality and creative services.
Literature Libraries in Secondary Schools
The ASCAFS programme was an avenue for practical tutoring on volunteerism, leadrehsip and citizen training, self-restrain, and discipline and general roles and values that artists/writer are expected to imbibe.
Saidu Bala Musa, BM Dzukogi who were teachers in conjunction with Matina Ebijimi of GSS, Minna and Mrs Abbas of GGSS Old Airport who were associate of ANA teaching in secondary school made their principals to establish Literature Libraries in their schools. Government Girls Secondary School, Old Airport, Minna, Government Secondary School, Minna and Hill-Top Model School, Minna were schools that created separate libraries for literature books. Mrs Naomi Badu, the Principal of Government Girls Secondary School was given an award by the association during ASCAFS programme. Rev. Father J. D. O’Connell was also given award for his contributions to the development of the association and education in general. The goal of the literature libraries were to house novels, poetry and other literature texts for wide reading because the development of a critical society is built upon how much knowledge the citizens have acquired. And to effectively achieve this, facilities for attaining such must be put up in homes and schools.
Therefore, at ANA Niger, this conviction was with every member which they worked towards for the realisation of a formidable society in Niger State. This library currently exists in Hill-Top Model School where it can boast of over 1,500 titles; novels, poetry, play, biographies and books on leadership, arts and culture. In GSS, Minna, the literature library is a flourishing centre of excellence.
Anthologies as Platforms for Young Writers in the State
The association produced an anthology of poems entitled Dance-Steps of Down in 1997. A substantial number of poets were featured in the publication. Prior to that, the association was typing newsletter where poems and stories of members were printed and read at our Saturday gathering. Dance-Steps of Down were followed by Unique Madmen and Other Stories in 2002. Other anthologies published through the effort of the association include Shadows, Fireflies, Pyramid and Breading the Bud. The proceeding of the Northern Writers’ Conference entitle Towards Sustaining Creative Writing in Northern Nigeria was also published by the association.
Some members published their works during the trying years when all they had were their love for literature and creative writing. Demons and other Poems, The Scourge of Earthworms and Ellipsis, were published by Abdullahi Ismail. Midnight Lamp, These Last Tears, Potholes in my Dream, were published by BM Dzukogi. Kamar Hamza published Best Book of Fhymes and Rhino and Others Rhumes. Ezekiel Fajenyo published Bandaged Candles, Night of the God Mothers and Lucky S. Ogvhu published his bilingual play-text Mr Culture. Aminu S. Muhammad published The Moon and the Stars, while Usman Akanbi published Weevil on Grains. Baba Akote published his The Moving Cloud in 1998.
The Write Stuff column in the Weekend edition of New Nigeria Newspaper contributed to the loud voice that Niger State ANA possess. Essays, reports and creative pieces of members were published every Saturday and the column gradually became the colony of ANA Niger members. Ibrahim Sheme has the credit for creating and encouraging upcoming writers at that time. When he moved to Weekly Trust Newspaper the colony of ANA Niger State was extended to Bookshelf.
BM Dzukogi, Abdullahi Ismail, Saidu Bala Musa, Kamar Hanza established and registered Centurial Cultural Collaborations (a cultural NGO) to create awareness on work ethics and value reorientation in the society using creative writing and other cultural activities as a medium. This NGO developed a programme, poetry acts and drums which never saw the light of the day due to lack of funding. A journal of creative writing and literary criticism Epun was also floated but there was no fund to publish the articles gathered. In collaboration with Odia Ofeimun the NGO also planned Kwaryar Waken Mawalafa (a poetry fiesta) in which Odia who inspired it at the Jos Convention refused to feed the NGO back when the proposal was submitted to him.
Abdullahi Ismail, Alkasim Andulkadir, BM Dzukogi and Kamar Hamza consulted for German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) to train young Nigerian writers on the technicalities involved in creative and development writing. The component was in business development services of private sector orientation that the GTZ initiated to teach people on how to work as independent entities. Several aspects of writing were discussed in details with the trainees and Mr Elcanela and another consultant from GTZ made presentations on how trainees would earn a living through creative/development writing. Members of ANA Niger, Kamar Hamza, BM Dzukogi and Alkasim Abdulkadir mentor students through the net using the Dignet Schools net programme at Hill-Top Model School and government Secondary School, Minna. Mr Rafiu and Anti Sidi who were in-charge of Government Secondary School, Minna ciber-cafe and Mr Segun Akomolafe who was in-charge of Hill-Top Model School, Minna Ciber-Cafe contributed a lot to the success of the online training and interaction. At that time, access to internet was an elitist thing as such training students online was luxury.
The Echo of Yung Minds was also published by Hill-Top Model School in 1990s. Through the activities of Usman Katako, Kamar Hamza and BM Dzukogi students of Hill-Top Arts Centre were published in 2004 with the tag Hill-Top Teen Authorship Scheme. Zainab Manko, Halima Aliyu and Saddiq Dzukogi were published in the school. Jibrin Bala Jibrin who was a teacher at Government Day Secondary School, Minna invited Kamar Hamza and Dzukogi to his school to organise a creative writing workshop for the members of literary and debating society of his school. The materials generated at the workshop were published under the title, Life is Like a Flower. This experiment lured the trio to send letters to schools for mentoring and production of poetry anthologies at Government Secondary School, Minna, Bosso Secondary School, Minna, Himma International College, Minna, FUT Staff School, Minna and Government Girls Secondary School, Old Airport, Minna. The following titles were produced after the workshop: Rays of Sunligh, Vineyard of Angels, Littler Lambs, Wave of Dreams and Gentle Emerald.
The poems produced in these anthologies were published in an online literary Jorunal, Othervoices.net under the caption “ASCAFS”. About 45 children were published as at 2006.
Saddiq Dzukogi, Zaynab Manko, Ummi Kuthum Abdullahi, Halima Aliyu and Khadija Abdullahi are now undergraduates in Nigeria Universities. Maryam Shuaibu and others are presently doing their Youth Service Corps.
To create platform for publishing children, Ahmed Maiwada, Sadisu Mohammed, Hussaini Yusuf Kodo, Alkasim Abdulkadir, BM Dzukogi and Kamar Hamza came together to establish Mazariyya Entertainment Company. Initially Sadisu Mohammed had a film script he wanted to produce as such he created a platform for its production, but as a member of the association, he contacted others. It was this contact that brought about the establishment of Mazariyya as a film production and publishing company. The company produce the popular “Teacher Yekodunu” and “Lati”.
The consolidate on the progress made in Teen Authorship Scheme, ANA Niger packaged proposal on National Teen Authors’ Prize sponsored by Mazariyya with (funds provided by Ahmed Maiwada) and National Examination Council Headquarters in Minna respectively. The objective of packaging the prize was to encourage teenagers to write and create ideas as teenagers. The inaugural award was announced in Minna during the 2008 convention hosted by the state branch.
The association members like Ibrahim Isyaku, Awal Abdullahi Sakiwa, Sulay Ndubong, Francis Sokomba, Kamar Hamza and BM Dzukogi now embark on the establishment of art Centre in secondary schools under the banner of an NGO named Hill-Top Arts Foundation. Two schools have established art centres. They are Hill-Top Model School and Government Girls Secondary School, Old Airport, Minna. The foundation plans to establish arts centres in rural area to expose students in rural areas to creative writing. At the Hill-Top Arts Centre, children are taught the art of creative writing, painting, leadership and citizenship values, Nupe language, French, photography, performing arts and video arts production.
The Minna Literary Movement had also shown its experiment in Jagawa State. Amini S. Mohammed donated books and organised literary fiesta during his youth service in Dutse. Nma Hassan Muhammad also organised ASLIF in Gombe State at Biliri during his service year. Idris Awal Evuti also made secondary school students have a feel of what ANA Niger makes children experience at ASCAFS also during his mandatory one year service to the nation. Terfa Nenger Danjuma is now doing his mandatory one year service in Calabar. He is flying the flag of ANA Niger in capital of Cross River through Neighbourhood Library Scheme.
As a parent BM Dzukogi introduced a schools literary project at Himma International College with the tag class library initiative. The initiative involves the purchase of story books, poetry collections and play texts for the class. Each member of the class must also contribute and read at least a book in a week. This will help enlarge the vocabulary of the students in no small way. Parents in other classes will pick clue from this experiment, thereby making the arms competitive at class level and within arms. Kamar Hamza, the Principal of FORMWAN Schools, Minna also introduced an all encompassing festival to the school with the tag Edufeast. In the tradition of making creative engagement in education, a thing of fun, the programme is designed to have multiple events in a day and on the second day, the clubs and societies display their talents to the students and invited parents. A food fare is organised to finalise the events. From the first day of the week being celebrated as Edufeast week, there are exhibition of art works, photographs, debate, quiz, live painting, drama, song, competition and exhibition of crafts and innovations made by the science and JETS club.
Read-To-The-Child Campaign
The programme Read-To-The-Child packaged by the association and sponsored by the state government is also to rekindle the success recorded by the association in the past. The Chief Servant was present at the launch of the programme at the UK Bello Arts Theatre, Minna. Eight books were published with the grant and classics were purchased and distributed by the association. The books were distributed free to pupils in public and private schools in the three senatorial districts in the state. The books published include: Biribiri Save Us by Nma Hassan Mohammed; Ndakpa in Kuso Forest by Aminu Sheikh Muhammad; Tata and the Sugar Ants by Hussaini Yusuf Kodo; The Wicked Brother by Abdullahi Ismail; Teacher Dangana is a Cheat by BM Dzukogi; Dauda and the Cockreel by Alkassim Abdulkadir and Faisal and the Zuma Rock by Kamar Hamza.
The authors of the books read to the children at events organised in the three senatorial districts. Pupils were made to represent their local governments at the events. They were made to read along with the Chief Servant at the flag-off. Authors also read along with children at the other events. Reading was fun for the children at the events. The notion that children do not read was debunked at these events. Writers were unanimous on the idea that if parents buy good and well illustrated books for their children, they will read and acquire more knowledge through reading.
The Read to which that was inspired by the association is now a tool in the hands of Education Secretaries of local governments and development areas. The Education Secretary of Tafa Local Government area tried to replicate what he saw at the association’s event, while the Chief Servant was reading to pupils of primary schools. He worked on it while in Chanchaga Local Government, but could not realise the dream until he was posted to his home local government. He did the flag-off on 6th August, 2012 with a ceremony that gathered the who-is-who in Suleja Emirate Council. The Emir of Suleja who was a former governor was in attendance. The Education Secretaries of other local government areas are challenged by the gesture. They are now competing to encourage school children to read and be free from ignorance and poverty.
MBA International Writers’ Village, Minna
The development of MBA Writers’ Village is the on-going project that the association is working on at present. The village will be the best and the biggest in Africa when completed. The committee has gone far with professionals who made designs, drawings, layout and bill of quantities for presentation to donors, developers and arts patrons. To continue the mutual relationship, the Niger State Government donated an expansive land to the association for the purpose of establishing a writers’ village.
The writers’ village has a teen author’s academy in its plan. The aim is to create a forum where enthusiastic teenagers from all over the world will be trained to write creative pieces. There will be classrooms, hall and hostel accommodation. Students could come and study any of the genres of creative writing and study any of the genres of creative writing and later pursue it as a career.
The development of any backward society that strives to develop always begin from the notion of how much value it places on knowledge acquisition and book development activities. Societies that value the generation of knowledge will create wealth in no small way within a very short time frame.
