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ZURU PEOPLE AND THEIR LELNA CULTURE BY BAWA AMOS

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Prince Bawa K. Amos a Nigerian author, presents a collection of the socio-cultural practices of the indigenous people of Zuru land in his book, “Zuru People of North-West Nigeria (Kebbi state): An Aspect of Lelna Cultural Heritage”.


The book is a harvest of information about the rich culture of an ethnic nationality whose traditional values, like those of many other ancient societies, are gradually going extinct.

Published in 2019 by Wadmaryamu Services Enterprises, the book contains 344 pages of lucid prose, divided into18 chapters and subsumed in five broad parts, revolving around the socio-cultural milieus of Lelna. The story, presented in the first-person point of view, typical of autobiographies, focuses on group identity.

It portrays the people in their traditional setting as a warrior tribe whose main occupation is farming and hunting with blacksmithing as a prestige trade.

The author takes the reader on an explorative journey as he unveils select aspects of Lelna culture, infusing his personal experiences into the collective experience of his ethnic group. The book encapsulates non-fictionalized, but captivating accounts of the development of man in A’lela and copious lessons on the C’lela language. Enriched with folklores that celebrate commendable deeds, but denounce deviant behaviours and punish offenders, the seminal masterpiece makes an interesting read.

Each part features subtitled chapters anchored on diverse subject matters. In Part One, the author introduces the reader to the history and language of the Lelna people. He explains why people are called Zuru or Dakarkari instead of Lelna. The topics in this part that revolve around childbirth include: A Pregnant Woman, Signs of Labour, Announcing a Delivery, Observing a Woman after Delivery, and Child Dedication.

Part Two encompasses topics such as Growth Period of Lelna Boys and Girls, Lelna Religious Cult (M’gila), and Traditional Court Process. Marriage related themes embedded in socio-cultural and economic activities are portrayed in Part Three under the subtitles: Loaning a Wife, Bridal Wealth, U’hola Festival, Economic Benefits of Shea Butter Oil, tribal marks and Chiselling of teeth.

Part Four “When Someone Dies” echoes the people’s belief about death: “When somebody dies, custom demands that there will be an inquest to ascertain what killed the man or woman. The inquest happens via consultation with an oracle.

The chief priest (Gomva d’sako) helps take care of that.” The author describes the customary activities observed before, during after the burial of a king, succession to the throne, and the handling of other burials in the society.

Part Five focuses on the relationship between Lelna and the other tribes with emphasis on the intertribal mergers resulting from the intermingling of the 33 tribes and over 300 clans living in A’lela. This segment also provides insightful commentaries on dialectal variations, the grammar, and phonology of the C’kela language. Beginning from the preface, the author reminisces on how childhood curiosity motivated him into writing about Lelna cultural heritage: “As a curious child, I used to ask a lot of questions about our culture and tradition. When I could not get information anywhere, I usually asked my grandfather Daudu K. Bawa, his wife Kukube, and my parents. My inquiries mostly involved seeking answers on why the Lelna people were a certain way.” He admits that the answers to such questions became the springboard for the present work: He showcases the various stages of “Rite of Passage for a K’lela man” from birth through death, admitting that some of the socio-cultural practices have undergone emasculation. The following passage excerpted from the “Conclusion” portrays his clarion call for the emancipation of the people from cultural alienation and reflects the theme of an identity crisis: “The Lelna people are fast exchanging their language, dialect and cultural values for Hausa and English. Due to this confusing trend, I grew interested in learning about Hausa people. By gathering information from different sources, I would say that a Hausa man is a tribesman who has lost his native or cultural identity.

If you pick out fifty men whom you assume are Hausa and interview them, you would discover that they are tribesmen from Lelna, Kamberi, Baribari, Kamuku, Saare, Hunne Yannne, Dakun, Adara, Abagi, or Bachama.” Gender disparity is one of the cardinal issues depicted in the book. This assertion is instantiated in the following excerpt: “If a woman dies in A’lela culture, a daughter or female children of the deceased only have the right to their mother’s personal effects.

These females, however, do not get any part of their mother’s property, and this happens because she will eventually be married and blessed with children.” Moreover, the role of mothers in preparing their daughters for marriage is highlighted with emphasis on sex education: “Mothers are required to give their daughters sex education. “By Lelna customs, it is a taboo for a woman to lose her virginity before marriage. It amounts to sacrilege, and if this happens, she will be mocked by her age group and parents. Such girls are usually screened out during a virginity screening ceremony in D’bitti, the ninth month of Lelna calendar, and will not be presented as virgins to their suitors during U’hola festival.” The author recalls experiencing a culture shock when he was to receive a tribal mark on his maiden visit to the village: “One day, while we were sitting under a tree, a stranger came to visit our grandparents. “Little did we know that our grandparents had decided to give us tribal marks. Our sister was called aside and the next thing we saw was blood running down her cheeks. The rest of us took to our heels and ran into the bush. We returned at sunset when we were sure that the stranger had gone. That was how we, the boys, escaped getting tribal marks.”

Widowhood is another thematic concern depicted in the book. The author reveals that during the mourning period the widow is confined to her room for three months or as long as one year, depending on her age and within the period, she wears leaves on her waist together with a thin rope tied around her waist, adding: “In 1979, a woman called Muni visited my grandparents’ compound. That was the time I saw a woman dressed in leaves. She was holding a stick and a calabash. I asked my uncle who this was and why she was dressed that way? He replied that she was a ‘bomse,’ ‘Bombshell?’ I asked, trying to pronounce what I thought I heard, but my uncle gave me a warm smile. ‘No, boy I said bomse…Bomse is a woman whose husband is dead.”

On the people’s religious stance, the author explains that Lelna people believe in the existence of a supreme spiritual God, Asila who is represented by the spirits of the ancestor, Aknu. They also believe in reincarnation, life after death and that earthly life is transient as physical death precedes eternal judgment. He reveals that the Lelna have a traditional religious cult, “M’ gila” which serves as an institution through which young boys are initiated and groomed from their teens into responsible adults.

He adds that the adherents of M’gila are conservative traditionalists, who accept neither Christianity nor Islam. The author also presents some myths and superstitious beliefs as exemplified in: “Women and children don’t eat chicken and eggs because chickens are used during their dedication rituals. Besides, it is also believed that children who eat chickens could turn out greedy.” Some of the traditional practices are similar to those recorded in the Bible. For instance, Golmo resonates with the account of Jacob who served his father-in-law, Laban for seven years in order to marry Rachel.

According to the author, Golmo which doubles as a military training institution for Lelna young men is a marriage contract that mandates a prospective son-in-law to serve the father-in-law on the farm for seven years. Surrogate or Ghost Marriage on the other hand allows the younger brother of a man to marry the widow and raise children for the late husband, reflecting the belief that marriage continues in the next life where the woman will belong to her first husband.

The book has been endorsed by renowned scholars as an invaluable resource material for research. In the foreword, a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Ishaya Bamaiyi recommends it saying: “This book should be read by those who associate with the Lelna people and would like to learn more about them. As for us Lelna people, I would like to say that reading this book will, not only enable us to know our culture, it will also enable us to know those around us who have the same or similar traditions and cultures. We will also be educated on the relationship between people in Zuru land as well as where these relationships started and the reason we should remain one despite the difference in dialects.”

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Lifestyle

Bishop George Biguzzi (1936 – 2024): Humility Beyond Reproach

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By Sule Musa (WhatsApp: +23276613799)

Whether night or day, I can no longer remember. Thereabout March or April. It was the year 2000. And at Lamina Sankoh Street in the central business district of Freetown, capital city of Sierra Leone.

This was the address of my short lived newspaper, Daily Adviser 2000 – 2001.

The office phone rang and I dashed for the receiver. Mobile phones were rare then; at least in Sierra Leone. Pioneer operator Mobitel was as rare as it was erratic. You could lay two handsets side by side on a table and dial the other with reports that the second handset was out of coverage area. So, it was mostly land phones

“Yaah!” I answered in my usually busy note. “Hello!” came back from the other end.

I will never be able to explain how that voice sounded like Emmanuel Turay’s. Emmanuel was the maiden news editor of the newspaper. I had been looking for him for the better part of that day.

So, I heard myself yelling “ah go kick you ass when I see you!

The response from the other end cut me by the groin. That could certainly not be Emmanuel. The voice responded “miself go kick u ass!”

I calmed down. I knew instantly that something was wrong somewhere. “Who’s this please?” I heard myself pleading. The answer and the voice hit me at once. I sought the ground to swallow me but it didn’t even yield a crack. “This is George Biguzzi” he said and began laughing, asking “where’s Emmanuel?”

My response was in whispers. “Mi Lord, ah don die!” I cried. “I thought it was Emmanuel.”

And he said coolly “Sule, let’s talk about important things. Tell Emmanuel I want to see him.”

I remained in the chair immobile for a long time. What sort of humility is this? I kept asking myself. And have not stopped going over same question whenever Biguzzi came to my mind.

But I had to know the man better from a closer proximity when the then director of Caritas Makeni, Ibrahim Sesay hired me as a communication consultant for the Catholic aid and relief agency. As Bishop of the Makeni diocese, Biguzzi was the chairman of the Caritas Makeni board.

The Daily Adviser newspaper had extensively covered the operations of Caritas Makeni especially in the course of ending the eleven-year war through peace negotiation and consolidation championed by the Sierra Leone commission for disarmament, demobilization and resettlement (DDR).

The guns had barely gone quiet when Caritas Makeni wrestled the child combatants in their thousands from the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) high command in Makeni. They were brought to Port Loko in about fourteen trucks owned and driven by the Pakistani contingent of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL).

In all the hectic and hair raising operations led by Ibrahim Sesay and the dedicated Caritas Makeni team, Bishop Biguzzi was there in the background soliciting for funds from far and wide.

On countless occasions, I would be in the company of Ibrahim Sesay in the Wilkinson Road office of Caritas Makeni late into the night and long after the staff had closed. In nearly all of these sessions, there would be back and forth consultation with the Bishop on issues relating to the peace and relief operations.

The national award conferred on Bishop George Biguzzi by the government of President Ernest Bai Koroma was consequently well deserved.

Developments in nearly every area of human needs brought to Makeni and parts of the north of Sierra Leone are attributed to the glowing accomplishments of George Biguzzi who was always mentioned in one breath with his predecessor Bishop Azzolinni.

Perhaps the most touching pronouncements attributed to Biguzzi was his response to alarmists who ran to him in Freetown during the thick of the war, wailing that all he laboured to build in Makeni was reduced to rubbles by the rebels.

His response was classical patriotic zealotry. He said, “Once the ground is still there we will rebuild.”

When his obituary was published on Monday first of July, accompanying news that his remains would be brought to Makeni for interment according to his will, only cemented the fact that he was always Sierra Leonean by body, soul and spirit.

The soil of Sierra Leone is enriched by the mortal remains of George Biguzzi, a Catholic priest of rare breed.

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International

Nigeria Endorses Samoa Agreement, Clarifies Stand on LGBTQ

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The Nigerian Government on Thursday confirmed signing Samoa agreement, but insisted that the nation’s law on same sex marriage supersedes the agreement.

The agreement reportedly has some clauses that make it mandatory for  poor and developing nations to support the agitations by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community for recognition, as condition for getting financial and other supports from advanced societies.

The agreement is named after the Pacific Island country where it was signed, and is gradually gaining traction, despite opposition by many countries that cherish Islamic and Christianity values, in addition to the sensitivity of their cultures.

The issue has generated controversy, with some clerics and human rights activists, criticising the government over the agreement.

But in a statement on Thursday night, Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information, gave further clarification to issues on the agreement.

“On 28 June 2024, Nigeria signed the Samoa Agreement at the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium. The partnership agreement is between the EU and its Member States, on one hand, and the members of the OACPS on the other.”

“Negotiations on the agreement started in 2018, on the sidelines of the 73rd United Nations General Assembly. It was signed in Apia, Samoa on the 15th of November 2018 by all 27 EU Member states and 47 of the 79 OACPS Member states.

“The agreement has 103 articles comprising a common foundational compact and three regional protocols, namely: Africa –EU; Caribbean-EU, and Pacific-EU Regional Protocols with each regional protocol addressing the peculiar issues of the regions.

“The African Regional Protocol consists of two parts. The first is the Framework for Cooperation, while the second deals with Areas of Cooperation, containing Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth and Development; Human and Social Development; Environment, Natural Resources Management, and Climate Change; Peace and Security; Human Rights, Democracy and Governance; and Migration and Mobility.

“Nigeria signed the Agreement on Friday 28 June 2024. This was done after the extensive reviews and consultations by the Interministerial Committee, convened by the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning (FMBEP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Federal Ministry of Justice (FMOJ). It was ensured that none of the 103 Articles and Provisions of the Agreement contravenes the 1999 Constitution as amended or laws of Nigeria, and other extant Laws.

In addition, Nigeria’s endorsement was accompanied by a Statement of Declaration, dated 26th June 2024, clarifying its understanding and context of the Agreement within its jurisdiction to the effect that any provision that is inconsistent with the laws of Nigeria shall be invalid. It is instructive to note that there is an existing legislation against same sex relationship in Nigeria enacted in 2014.

“It is necessary to assure Nigerians that the President Bola Tinubu Administration, being a rule-based government will not enter into any international agreement that will be detrimental to the interest of the country and its citizens. In negotiating the Agreement, our officials strictly followed the mandates exchanged in 2018 between the EU and the OACPS for the process.

“The Samoa Agreement is nothing but a vital legal framework for cooperation between the OACPS and the European Union, to promote sustainable development, fight climate change and its effects, generate investment opportunities, and foster collaboration among OACPS Member States at the international stage.”

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Lifestyle

Stone Gay Couples, Burundian President Advocates

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Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye launched a virulent anti-gay tirade on Friday, saying same-sex couples should be publicly stoned.

He also lashed out at Western countries that press other nations to allow gay rights or risk losing aid.

Homosexuality in Burundi, a conservative Christian country in East Africa, has been criminalised since 2009 with prison terms of up to two years for consensual same-sex acts.

Évariste Ndayishimiye-Burundi President

Ndayishimiye, a Catholic, described marriage between same-sex couples as an “abominable practice”.

“Personally, I think if we see these kind of individuals in Burundi we should put them in a stadium and stone them. And it would not be a sin for those who do,” Ndayishimiye said in response to a question at a public event in the east of the country that was broadcast by Burundian media.

He also criticised Western countries that urge smaller nations to allow gay marriage or risk losing aid, saying: “Let them keep their help, let them keep it.”

Burundians living abroad who have “chosen the devil” and practise homosexuality should “not come back”, he added.

Homosexuality is illegal in many East African countries, which have a history of repression and stigmas against gay people, often encouraged by conservative Muslims and Christians.

Uganda in May adopted what has been described as one of the world’s harshest laws against homosexuality, prompting outrage among rights groups and Western powers.

In response, Washington has said it would remove Uganda from a key trade deal and has imposed visa restrictions on some officials, while the World Bank suspended new loans to the country.

The legislation is currently being challenged at Uganda’s constitutional court.

In March this year, Burundi charged 24 people with “homosexual practices” in a crackdown on same-sex relationships.

The move followed a call by Ndayishimiye for citizens to root out homosexuality and treat gay people as “pariahs”.

Ndayishimiye took power in June 2020 after the death of president Pierre Nkurunziza and has been lauded by the international community for slowly ending years of Burundi’s isolation under his predecessor’s chaotic and bloody rule.

But he has failed to improve a wretched human rights record and the country of 12 million people remains one of the poorest on the planet.

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