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I challenged Yari over his relative inaction since the publication of “A Day Without Cockcrow,” and he replied that he has just finished working on a hefty new biography of Alhaji Muhammadu Dikko, the powerful Emir of Katsina installed by British colonialists when they conquered Katsina and removed the then Dallazawa emir. Dikko was the chief warrior of the ancient emirate when the British came, and he struck a deal with them. The only biography of Dikko’s was authored in the last century by Walin Katsina, Alhaji Muhammadu Bello Kagara, and isconsidered an establishment whitewash. The biography by Yari has already been printed, and a lot of people are awaiting its release. It promises to be very controversial, judging from some of the content the author divulged to me. On my mention of the word ‘controversial’ he quickly denied that it would be so, saying the whole book is based on factual information such as Colonial Reports. Still, I am certain it is going to ruffle many feathers in Katsina and elsewhere, for it challenges many perceptions about the sarauta (traditional rulership) system.<\/p>\n
Labo Yari has not travelled for writers’ meetings for long. He says he is not sure whether he will attend the World Book Day events being organised in Calabar, to be held between April 23 – 30. I guess this is due to the fact that he was simply invited on phone.<\/p>\n
I am still reeling from the insight of Yari on Hausa music. We were discussing the vogue of Hausa music when I mentioned that the trend today was rap music in Hausa. I referred to the long article Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu is going to publish in the May 2007 edition of Fim magazine, which is late in coming, where the university don traces the history of Hausa hip hop and rap, linking it to divas such as Barmani Choge who Abdalla says was the first Hausa rapper. Yari insists that rap music is nothing but “gambara” music! Remember Audu Gambara d’an Mamman? To fa! Prof Abdalla may need to ponder over this, ko?<\/p>\n
Yari recalled that during his days in the Native Authority service in the 60s – 70s (NB: he was in Information Dept.), many American researchers had visited Hausa land and picked models of Hausa music. They must have gotten rap from Hausa land or another African society, he said. He said rap music did not originate from America, but from Africa.<\/p>\n
All this means we may have to rethink our position about The Fatback Band and others like Sugarhill Band, which are regarded as the originators of hip hop and rap in the U.S.<\/p>\n
His views about politics? Extremely uncomplimentary.<\/p>\n
Whatever we may think about Labo Yari’s position, we cannot detract from the fact that he is a keen repository of Hausa culture. His books, most of which have remained unappreciated, are proof of that. Go and read them.<\/p>\n