Minna is home to spoken word largely rendered in different ethnic languages present in her belly, including those prevalent in the music of Minna people.
There is a genre rendered in Hausa but mostly done and popularized by the Nupe adherents of the genre in Niger state. It is both Spoken word and poetry at the same time. It largely comes in praise of politicians and prominent figures in the society. Shata Nupe leads the pack here. In Niger, Nupe spoken word is quite popular, lyrical and soothing.
Another genre, also engaged by the Nupe people, is the Spoken word that praises Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and some Islamic figures. The wordings are largely drawn from the Qur’an, Hadith and other written Arabic literatures or oral literatures written by Islamic scholars of the past. They do it in Arabic, Nupe and Hausa whichever that soothes them.
Closely related to this, is the mixture of Islamic Spoken Word with contemporary English or Hausa language spoken word. Halima Sayyadi of Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation, a novelist, has mastered this, to produce an admixture of Islamic, Hausa and English pieces in single themes. She probably has the greatest voice among the new generation spoken word artists of Minna. Her power of attraction is irresistible and synthetic. Part of her endowment and ability is to switch easily between the religious to the secular or from the secular to the religious themes.
Modern Spoken word in Minna started between 1994 and 1996 during Abdullahi/Dzukogi administration of the Association of Nigerian Authors in Niger State. That era was a period of mad writing of poetry in Minna. If you didn’t write poetry, you were not a writer. So, every writer was a poet. The proliferation of poetry in that period led to its performance, regularly. BM Dzukogi, Lucky Oghvuwu, Saidu B. Musa, Kamar Hamza, Alkasim Abdulkadir were more of the regular performers of poetry at literary events, ANA conventions, book launches, etc. They had performed at the British High Commission in Abuja, British Council organised programmes in Kano and Kaduna, National Council for Arts and Culture, Abuja, in the late 1990s. They performed long poems written by themselves or by other members of ANA Niger. In 1997, Dzukogi’s Kindirmo was born.
Subsequently, Sadisu Mohammed (Yekondunu), Hussaini Kodo and Danjuma Terfa Nenger took over the scene. They performed poems from Dzukogi’s book: These Last Year, and Abdullahi Ismaila’s Scourge of Earthworms until they produced their own works for rendetion. Terfa and Saddiq Dzukogi have the longest spoken word CD in Minna. So, ANA Niger members in Minna were some of the early popularizers of Spoken word or Poetry performance or performance poetry, in Nigeria.
Following Sadisu Yekondunu and Hussaini Kodo were Hamza Yunusa, MC Yunus and others. MC Yunus later became more identified with Spoken word than others in Minna. Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation provided him with the platform to mentor and flourish, himself.
Today, in Minna, Niger State, the flourishing spoken word scene owes much of its successes to the tireless efforts of the Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation. This organization has played a pivotal role in promoting spoken word by hosting mentoring sessions, creating short videos and infusing spoken word into school competitions they organise, especially NIFESTEENA and HIASFEST. Spoken word is at the core of the HCAF’s activities. In fact, there is a new spoken word outfit in Minna called Nigerlites Spoken Word Artistes formed by Abubakar Auwal (Prof).
The development of spoken word in Minna from years back to the present day has been remarkable, with the city producing notable and talented spoken word artistes who are gaining recognition not only in Nigeria but also on the global stage.
Among these talented spoken word artistes are Hafsat Abdullahi, Peter Kwange, Kuyizhi, Shooaib, Abdulrazak Salihu, Yusrah Dzukogi, Fatima Salihu, Joshua Sule, Adama Lami, Daniel, Olumide Ojo Emmanuel, Harajnah Ragada, Aisha Sakpe, and many others.
Hafsat Abdullahi, who started her journey at the Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation, is the biggest export from Minna. From her struggles at HCAF she rose to become one of Nigeria’s leading spoken word artistes, today. Her viral piece titled “To the girl in English class” on TikTok caught the attention of many people and celebrities including Don Jazzy from Marvin’s Records, leading to a dinner invitation in November 2022. Hafsat has garnered a substantial following on Instagram and TikTok and has been invited to perform her spoken word pieces in various places. Her deliveries are compellingly full of power and attraction. Her videos are full of theatricals and dramatics that imposes themselves on the audience consciousness for a long time.
Peter Kwange, another prominent spoken word artiste from Minna started his journey at the Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation, he creates powerful spoken word videos addressing real-life stories on survival, social justice, love, conflict, Africa, and global issues. He too is in high demand for performances across Nigeria. Peter Kwange and Abu Bakr Sadiq inaugurated the Minna Poetry Slam which had attendance from across the country.
Abdulrazzak Salihu, a young, multi-talented, ambitious poet and spoken word artist, is gaining significant attention with his craft. His unique perspective and talent are making waves in the spoken word community. He also started from the Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation.
While Halima Sayyadi is passionate about creating Islamic spoken word pieces for a global audience, Joshua Sule focuses on gospel spoken word, spreading messages of faith and hope for the global audience too.
The influence of these artists have inspired many young boys and girls in Minna to pursue spoken word as an art form, further enriching the local creative scene of the city.
Support for spoken word in Minna comes from notable non-profit organizations and individuals such as the Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation, Just for Words, Minna Literary Society, Mal. Aminu S. Mohammad, MC Yunus, Aisha Wakaso, and others. These entities are committed to nurturing and promoting spoken word in the city.
Minna is undoubtedly a hub for artistic expression like spoken word. However, challenges persist, including limited organizations and individuals to support and promote it, as well as a shortage of programmes and resources for producing high-quality spoken word videos and organising national championships.
Looking to the future, the trend in spoken word from Minna, Niger State, may likely see innovations in video styles, performances, and contents. With the dedication of local artists, organizations, and supporters, Minna’s spoken word scene is poised to continue evolving and making its mark on the global stage.
