The
study of Hausa language, literature and culture started very long ago, in fact
it started during the pre-colonial period when Hausa was written in Arabic
scripts known as the Ajami form or in
non standardized roman scripts by European scholars. After the fall of the
Sakkwato caliphate, the study of Hausa people intensified. Hausa as a language
is spoken by millions of people across Africa, besides being a lingua-franca in
Northern Nigeria and Southern Niger. There is no language that enjoys patronage
in Africa as Hausa. It has been established that Hausa Literature is the
fastest growing literature in African languages. The literary production
especially by women in Hausa is so far ahead of all indigenous literatures in
Africa.
By the
1960s there were new departments in various universities studying the Hausa language
and awarding academic degrees. Within this period, Hausa people started
studying their languages, literature and culture through the modern educational
system, and started earning degrees including PhD. In this period, the teachers
were largely Europeans who studied the language, the people and their
literature and culture. Colonial officers like R.M. East ushered in modern
Hausa fiction, while earlier scholars like Bargery produced the first
dictionary of Hausa language. Many non-Hausa scholars like Schon, Hiskett,
Skinner, Kirk-Greene, Schuh, Besmer, Coles, Cosentino, Crow, De Campos, Edgar,
Erlmann, Newman, Hill, Jaggar, King, Pilaszewicz,
Pweddon, Scharfe, Westley, Larkin and so on, have produced a large body of work
on Hausa people, their environment, language and culture.
Here
at home, our departments and centres have also produced scholars who have done enormous
work on Hausa. The teaching and learning of Hausa is still on at primary,
secondary and tertiary levels. Hausa linguistics which used to be taught in
English is now taught almost entirely in Hausa now. Studies on Hausa literature
and culture have also gone far.
In
Nigerian Universities, notably Bayero University, Kano, Usmanu Danfodiyo
University, Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, the University of
Maiduguri, Umaru Musa ‘YarAdua University, Katsina, Kaduna State University and
so on, studies in Hausa have reached an advanced stage. There are also two key
centres that study Hausa language, literature and culture, in addition to other
languages, notably Centre for the Study of Nigerian Languages at B.U.K. and
Centre for Hausa Studies at U.D.U.S. In Niger Republic, Hausa studies have also
gone far. Outside Nigeria, in Europe, Asia, the U.S.A., Hausa is studied in
Centres for African Studies and the like.
Based
on the fact that Hausa studies, if we may call it so, stands internationally as
an academic and scholarly field of study, there is a need to have a kind of a
professional or academic body that will bring scholars, students and other
professionals into one fold. For instance, in the social sciences, each
discipline has a professional or academic body like the Nigerian Geographical
Association, the Economic Society of Nigeria, Political Science Association of
Nigeria and so on. Even in the Faculty of Arts or Humanities where Hausa studies
is based, we have academic Associations like the Historical Society of Nigeria
for Historians, Nigerian English Studies Association for English academics,
Arabic and Islamic Studies also have such Associations. Hausa studies have no
umbrella Association. Some may say that there is the Linguistic Association of
Nigeria (LAN). Yes, Hausa linguists can be members of LAN but other scholars in
literature and culture will be at the periphery. The Folklore Society of
Nigeria is also there, but it does not accommodate studies in Hausa
linguistics. However, there is no Academic Association for Nigerian Languages
which Hausa studies may hide under.
In
addition to other academic disciplines in Arts and Humanities having Academic Associations,
Hausa studies have world renowned scholars who are established nationally and
internationally and in all walks of life. In fact, a Hausa linguist was a
President of the Linguistic Association of Nigeria and one was also the
President of the Nigerian Folklore Society. Therefore, Hausa Studies has all it
takes to form an Academic Association that will be an umbrella Association for
all scholars and students of Hausa studies.
Lack of
an Academic Association hampers Hausa studies in no small measure. Firstly, because
there is no academic and or professional body for Hausa studies, Hausa scholars
and students cannot have annual conferences as other academic Associations do.
This affects the growth of Hausa studies because scholars have to wait for the
irregular international conferences organized by the Centre for the Study of
Nigerian Languages at the Bayero University, Kano or sporadic seminars and
conferences organized by departments of Nigerian Languages.
Secondly,
because conferences allow scholars and students to share and interact, in
addition to knowing the state of knowledge in different areas of Hausa studies,
lack of regular conferences serves as a disadvantage to young Hausa studies
scholars and students.
Thirdly,
the inability of Hausa scholars to have an Association has left them with the
moribund Hausa Board which is not able to make any meaningful contributions to
Hausa studies. Also, scholars who are not within the mainstream Hausa
departments and centres are not supported to give meaningful contributions to
Hausa studies.
Hausa
studies students and scholars have no official voice and no one takes them
seriously because they do not have an Academic/Professional body that can stand
and speak on their behalf. This does not only affect the language but also its
literature and culture.
We Hausa scholars in Diaspora as we often
call ourselves, see the need to have a Hausa Studies Association that will be
an umbrella for all of us interested in Hausa studies and this article, is a
wakeup call to those in the departments of Nigerian Languages in our
Universities and other tertiary institutions of learning and those in research
centres to come together and form this Association. This is also a challenge to
Bayero University, Kano, the navel of Hausa studies. The time is now. We are
waiting.
