{"id":18152,"date":"2021-06-28T14:52:49","date_gmt":"2021-06-28T12:52:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.auxsons.com\/?post_type=focus&p=18152"},"modified":"2021-06-28T14:56:40","modified_gmt":"2021-06-28T12:56:40","slug":"women-in-northern-nigerian-music","status":"publish","type":"focus","link":"https:\/\/www.auxsons.com\/en\/focus\/women-in-northern-nigerian-music\/","title":{"rendered":"Women in Northern Nigerian music"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article was originally written for  Music In Africa<\/a><\/strong> and shared with #AuxSons as part of a media partnership agreement.<\/em><\/p>\n

This article provides an overview of the role and status of women in Northern Nigerian music, contributing both a historical perspective and a discussion of recent trends.<\/p>\n

Historical overview<\/strong><\/p>\n

The musical traditions of Northern Nigeria predate both the age of Sharia law and British colonial conquest. Although the history of music in the region is dominated by male figures, there are instances where women played a significant role in the composition and archiving of music, especially during times of war. Prominent leaders of the Gobir Kingdom, Ibrahim Babari (1742-1770), Dan Gude (1770-1776) and Bawa Jangwarzo (1776- 1794), had songs composed for them and publicly performed by women such as Yashe Tsohuwa.<\/p>\n

Traditionally, female musicians of the region have been involved in the composition of songs and dance forms that can loosely be categorised as \u2018folk\u2019, including lullabies and music for children (wakokin reno), songs for decorating a new house or a room for a bride (wakokin dabe), work songs (wakokin nika) and devotional songs (wakokin bege). This musical heritage has been interpreted as a means for women to gain agency, and to insist on lives that incorporate creative activities into the demands of their private, domestic roles.<\/p>\n

Beginning in the early 1980s, when Bollywood films began to be introduced to the region, and then later translated and remade in the Hausa language, a new genre of music (wakokin fina-finai) was born. As the Northern Nigerian film industry, known locally as Kannywood, developed in the late 1990s, this style of music (also called nanaye) became widespread throughout the Northern Nigerian entertainment industry. Nanaye songs, which to a large extent carry the narrative of Kannywood films, rely on a call-and-response structure involving both male and female vocalists,  thus creating opportunities for female musicians in the sphere of popular music. These musicians would largely have learnt their trade as members of religious recital groups.<\/p>\n

The early 1980s also saw some Northern Nigerian women emerge as popular musicians. Most famous of these was Funmi Adams, who performed songs in Hausa featuring contemporary forms and modern instruments.<\/p>\n