Soyayya books first emerged from Kano, the metropolitan centre of northern Nigeria. Originally authors came together to organise writers' clubs modelled on the famous drama clubs organised by heroes of independence in the north, Mallam Aminu Kano, Sa'adu Zungur and Maitama Sule. The first and most famous clubs were Raina Kama ('Deceptive Appearances')(19) and Kukan Kurciya ('The Cry of a Dove'), created in order to exchange mutual aid and advice among neophyte authors. Since that time new writers' clubs have appeared in many major cities and contemporary soyayya authors come from all northern urban centres. Many authors began by basing their first novel on an experience that had happened to them or their friends, often an affair of love. In da so da K'auna I, II (meaning 'Where there's love and desire') by Ado Ahmad (1989) or Garnak'ak'i I, II by Adamu Mohammed (1991) are both examples of this. Many authors go on to write about other issues, whether it be politics in Bala Anas Babinlata's Tsuntsu Mai Wayo I, II ('The Clever Bird', 1993) or 'yan daba [thugs] and crime in 'Dan Azumi Baba's Rikicin Duniya I, II, III ('This Deceptive World', 1990). The dominant theme with which most books are identified remains the conflict over love.
Soyayya books dramatise the problems of contemporary sexual relations, criticising forced marriages and the increasing material demands of both lovers and parents. Many authors claim a didactic purpose for their writing, arguing that they are educating young people and their parents against the problems that beset contemporary youth. The fact that many authors begin writing as a direct result of a personal experience underscores the close relation between the stories and perceived social problems. Adamu Mohammed explained to me that he began writing books when the parents of the girl he loved married her off, against the wishes of both the lovers, to a wealthier man. As a poor man, Mohammed argued, he had no means of fighting the decision except by writing his book Garnak'ak'i - 'Uncompromising'. The sense of outrage and vindication is common to many of the early soyayya writers. A similar event sparked off the career of Ado Ahmad. As Maigari Armed Bichi (1992) reports, the arrangements for Ahmad's first marriage were broken off despite the fact that he and his fiancee were in love and her parents were happy about the marriage: 'a misunderstanding between their two families . . . was caused by the grandmother of the girl, who. . . had arranged for the girl to be given to one Alhaji(20) for marriage' (1992: 7). Bichi continues that as a result Ahmad intended his first novel to 'show how love is played in Hausa society and the role of parents in marriage affairs' (ibid.). One fledgling author from Kaduna, Adamu Ciroma, who also began writing after a personal experience, argues that many if not most soyayya authors begin writing this way:
Our writers today we share experiences which makes us start writing . . . . An experience happens to me and so I decide to write about it in order to enlighten people on what has happened . . . .Nine out of ten writers begin writing soyayya because they have experienced it.
No comments:
Post a Comment