Until the last day, it seemed as though the entire weight of Kano rested on Naseeba Babale’s shoulders. Her often-cynical Facebook posts made you expect a sharp remark at any moment, but in Kano, all of that receded into the mountainous pot called KAPFEST, balanced squarely on her head. Meanwhile, Salim Yunusa, founder of Poetic Wednesdays, the art platform under which KAPFEST is held remained the calmest of all the organisers, even as the looming outcomes buried his co-curator. You will never see distress on Salim’s face, no matter the trouble. Mr. Clean was at his best as usual. Like always, I told him to go and marry:
“You can’t be carrying a clean face about just like that.”
“Baba, it is close.”
“Ka ce Allah!”
“Allah!”
If anyone matched or even surpassed Salim’s tensionless calm, it was the ever-confident, assertive iron lady of the team, Nana Sule. Her synthetic voice overwhelmed every space. If Nana writes well, what is greater than her writing is her voice, one destined for international platforms. Yet in this country that kills its young, such potential lies dormant for now. Still, Nana has an ace: her unmatched courtesy, whether in emails, on WhatsApp, on the microphone, or face-to-face. She is politely tough in her convictions, softly independent-minded, and self-assured in carriage and operation. This time, however, I saw a different side: a relaxed, jovial housewife and sociable mother, diligently pushing for the success of KAPFEST’s second edition. Motherhood tames even the toughest, but Nana’s natural cheerfulness still shone through. For us in Niger’s literary community, she remains simply our member.
Sophiyya, too, was dutiful, prompt, and committed. The first time we met physically was at HIBAF’s first edition in Kaduna. “Embee!” I called.
“Sir, you know my name?” she exclaimed, her excitement unrestrained.
“Yes, I do,” I replied.
Since May, she and Nana had been my contacts for KAPFEST. She even interviewed me for the festival magazine (which I still hope to see in print). She kept calling while we travelled, checking on our journey. At one point in Kaduna, when KASUPDA extorted us because our bus bore Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation stickers, Sophiyya volunteered to intervene. We paid ₦15k there, only to lose another ₦30k in Kano, despite holding a national permit meant to exempt us. Still, she was happy when we arrived safely. During KAPFEST, each time food was served, Sophiyya delivered mine straight to my room before disappearing again with her usual “pap-pap-pap!”
Then there was Karofi, always looking fagged out. No foreman at a festival venue finds rest. Alongside AbdulBasit and AbdulJalal, he worked endlessly, sweat never drying from their foreheads. Naseeba, too, shared that exhaustion. Only Salim’s fine face seemed untouched by sweat. Yet when we arrived, it was these same young men who received us gently and cautiously into our rooms. Their professionalism set the tone for the entire festival.
The festival began with tours: Dala Hill, the ancient dye pits, the centuries-old tannery, and King Sanusi’s palace. The King himself attended the final day, declaring Nigeria “a country full of unserious leaders” and daring anyone to say he had not done his work well as Central Bank Governor.
Our Kano Chronicles tour guide was excellent, patient even with Dr. Yahooza of Maiduguri, the historian whose open-heartedness, friendship, and booming voice made it impossible to be angry with him for long.
By day two, bookstores had sprung up, including Mahmud Dzukogi’s Minna Kiddies Book Hub. Saddiq Mustapha from Lapai exhibited photographs, while a bohemian lady displayed her paintings. Food flowed freely: kunun aya, kunun zaki, and surplus zobo (sogborodo). The day’s main events were panel discussions and the poetry slam. Dike Chukwumerije electrified the stage with his nationalistic appeal and infectious laughter. With King Sanusi and Dike in attendance, plus the Lagos contingent, senior literary figures like Prof. Ibrahim Malumfashi, Ismail Bala, Prof. Saka, Dr. Ola Ifatimehin (who read my award citation), Malam Mahmud Zukogi, Umar Sidi, Sabourke, Dr. Jalaludeen, AbdulAziz AbdulAziz, Mal. Suleiman Yusuf Usman, Harajnah, the articulate Abba Musa Idris, Madam Fatima Zahra Umar who handed me my award, Hassana Maina, and strong turnouts from Abuja, Jos, Kaduna, Maiduguri, Bauchi, Sokoto, Nasarawa, Lokoja, the East and South-South, KAPFEST solidified itself as a truly national poetry festival.
Outside Kano, Minna’s contingent was the largest. Many came independently, some on my bus: Zakiyyah Dzukogi, Aisha Sakpe, Aliyu Umar Muhammad, Emmanuel Umeji, and Abdul Alfa Babakolo. Richard Ali and his wife, Star Zahra, carried the family-attendee baton. Their baby, Zurain, was the stargirl of KAPFEST, shaking hands with everyone, even the King. She was not just the star, she was the darling queen of all. Before Kano, Zurain avoided me at events, perhaps because Richard’s smooth face is forever beardless. But in Kano, my strange war with her ended; she let me carry her for photos. Lesson: If you want a wife, keep wooing her. Maybe that’s what’s delaying Salim, you can’t fill your fiancée only with poems every night. Brother, add an iPhone, and the marriage will come quickly.
For Minna’s Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation (HCAF), this edition was truly ours. Our members swept the slam prizes: Shafa’atu (HCAF Kaduna) won 1st place, Ubandoma (HCAF Minna) came 2nd, and Naziru (HCAF Minna) clinched 3rd; a total of ₦1 million. AbdulRazaq Salihu and Usman Odu Ode were panellists; AbdulRazaq even gave my driver space in his too-much room. Saddiq Mustapha, our associate, exhibited photographs, while Minna Kiddies Book Hub stood prominently. And I, the author, received the 2025 KAPFEST Lifetime Achievement Award. How could this edition not be ours? KAPFEST was big, international, and unforgettable.
Despite the heat she bore as chief host, Naseeba still remembered to get me the Flagyl I requested and even secured Mahmud a free stall for his books.
Now, back in Minna, talk has begun about reviving MinnaBAF (Minna Book and Arts Festival), abandoned for over seven years after its first edition led by Aminu S. Muhammad and Nurudeen Busari. The huge success of KAPFEST has rekindled that fire, with Saddiq Mustapha set to lead the charge.
KAPFEST raised the bar. Kano has birthed a grand national poetry festival.
