Who Are the Hausa?
The Hausa are one of Africa's largest ethnic groups, numbering approximately 70-80 million across northern Nigeria (where they form the largest group), Niger, and diaspora communities throughout West Africa. Hausa language, a Chadic language of the Afroasiatic family, serves as a lingua franca across the Sahel, spoken by over 100 million people. The Hausa created great city-states (Kano, Katsina, Zaria, etc.) famous for commerce, scholarship, and Islamic learning. Their long-distance trade networks connected forest and desert, spreading Hausa language and culture. Today, Hausa political influence shapes Nigerian and Sahelian politics.
City-States and Commerce
The Hausa city-states (hausa bakwai—the "Hausa Seven": Kano, Katsina, Zazzau/Zaria, Gobir, Daura, Rano, and Biram) flourished from the 7th century. Walled cities surrounded by agricultural hinterlands, they specialized in crafts and trade: Kano for indigo-dyed cloth and leather; Katsina for scholarship. Trans-Saharan trade brought salt, horses, and goods from North Africa; kola nuts and gold came from southern forests. Hausa merchants (fatauci) established diaspora communities across West Africa. This commercial culture—entrepreneurial, mobile, networked—remains Hausa hallmark, with Hausa traders prominent throughout Africa today.
Sokoto Caliphate
The Fulani jihad led by Usman dan Fodio (1804) conquered the Hausa states, creating the Sokoto Caliphate—one of Africa's largest 19th-century states. Though Fulani-led, the caliphate absorbed Hausa culture and population; today "Hausa-Fulani" describes this blended identity dominant in northern Nigeria. The caliphate centralized Islamic authority, promoted learning, and reformed society. British conquest (1903) preserved indirect rule through caliphate structures; the Sultan of Sokoto remains a major traditional and religious authority. This history shapes northern Nigerian identity and politics, including periodic tensions with southern Nigeria.
Hausa Culture
Hausa culture blends Islamic and pre-Islamic traditions. Distinctive architecture features decorated mud-brick buildings; elaborate embroidered robes (babban riga) mark status. Hausa literature—poetry, prose, songs—thrives in both Arabic script (ajami) and Latin transcription. The Kannywood film industry (based in Kano) produces thousands of films annually, creating distinctly Hausa popular culture. Traditional crafts—leatherwork, dyeing, weaving—continue. Gender segregation (purdah) is common among conservative Hausa; women's economic activities often operate within domestic spaces. This vibrant cultural production makes Hausa influence felt across the Sahel.
Contemporary Hausa
Modern Hausa wield significant political power in Nigeria—presidents, military rulers, and political leaders have frequently been Hausa-Fulani. Yet challenges abound: northern Nigeria faces poverty, limited education (especially for women), and security threats from Boko Haram insurgency. Hausa diaspora communities—in Accra, Lagos, Abidjan—maintain trading networks. Debates over sharia implementation in northern Nigerian states reflect Hausa Islamic identity. How Hausa navigate Nigeria's fractious politics, address development challenges, and maintain cultural vitality in changing times defines their contemporary trajectory.
References
- Smith, M. G. (1978). The Affairs of Daura
- Last, M. (1967). The Sokoto Caliphate
- Paden, J. (1973). Religion and Political Culture in Kano