Hajiya Balaraba Ramat Yakubu is a pioneer Hausa novelist and film maker. Her 1988 debut novel, Alhaki Kuykuyo was translated into English and published in India in 2012 while her numerous other books have been subjects of study and research in many universities. There are so many levels to Balaraba Ramat Yakubu’s fame and her experiences are valid. When she speaks, her hurt comes from a deep place. Born in 1959, in Kano, at 13 she was taken out of school and married off to a man in his 40s who neither loved her nor cared. Not even the opposition of her powerful brother, Murtala Ramat Muhammed, Nigeria’s military strong man, could dissuade her father. After a little over a year, she was divorced and returned to her parents. By the time she was 17, her brother, Murtala, then Head of State of Nigeria was assassinated in a failed coup. She still finds it difficult to talk about this.
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| Balaraba Ramat Yakubu Books |
Her experiences have been documented in the novel Wa Zai Auri Jahila? The little schooling she had, she credits to her mother, who sent her to school in secret before her father discovered. That first book projected her to instant fame and has remained a major focal point for women’s literature in northern Nigeria and she has become a doyenne of women writers in Nigeria and made what has become known as “soyayya novellas” mainstay.
In this interview, the author of nine novels, and film producer, talks about the motivations for her writing, women writing in the north and the fate of men in her novels as well as her career in filmmaking. Enjoy!
Hajiya, you attained instant fame with your first book, Wa Zai Auri Jahila, which is said to have been based on your experiences in life as a child bride. How did you cope with this?
We have many fans and readers, not only in Nigeria but all over the world. Our works spread in very short time because they are subjects of university research. I will give you some examples. In the early 1990s, an American student, now Professor Novian Whitsitt, came to Nigeria to do his Master’s thesis on my two books. There have been more than 70 studies done on my books at various levels of education-NCE, Bachelors, Masters, Diploma etc. Many of these students are fascinated that Hausa writers have such great ideas. One of my books has been translated to English as Sin is a Puppy… Other translations are underway, which are being sponsored by His Excellency, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, Governor of Kaduna State and his wife, Hajiya Hadiza El-Rufai. This is great that we contribute in positive ways to our society’s attitudinal change and by extension national development. Writers are diamonds. We crystalize societies.
Hausa novelists have been criticised as corrupting the morals of the north by writing about love and relationships. Why do you think this allegations have persisted and why do you think people are worried about soyayya novels?
Littattafan Soyayya! This is very touchy subject. Writers like myself, Hafsatu Abdulwahid, and such first generation writers have used soyayya only as sub plot to send some important messages across to the world. I am not disputing the fact that some writers have crossed boundaries in their writings. Yes, some have gone the extra mile to be explicit. That is very, very wrong. I hope they will stop one day. But why are people only worried about Hausa novels? What about the English and other literature in which many things that shouldn’t be told are written bare! I advise parental control over reading.
In your books, the bad guys, who are often oppressive men or unfaithful husbands always end up in a bad way. How important is it for you as a writer that your characters are paid for their crimes or failures?
This is the law of life. Majority of people that messed up their lives end up becoming wasted. There are exceptions though. So I am not the one punishing men in my novels, life treats them accordingly.
Why do you think there are few translations of works from Hausa to English?
Many factors play a role in this. First is the story. How well-crafted is it? What is it about? When translating a book, a publishers are thinking only of the best that can compete with the best of the best outside. Another angle is the sponsor. Here also, nobody will invest in something that is not worth investing in. This is why I salute Governor El-Rufai and his wife, Hadiza for their efforts at promoting literary arts for national development. They are sponsoring the translation of my six books into English. Very soon the books will be ready. Take the Kaduna Books and Arts Festival, KABAFEST, His Excellency is doing great for writers and artists all over. I am the first published
woman Hausa writer in northern Nigeria. There are other firsts, like Hafsatu Abdulwahid who is also the first Hausa woman to publish in English and of course Zainab Alkali. While I write in Hausa, Zainab Alkali writes in English and Hafsatu Abdulwahid writes in both English and Hausa
You have gone into movie productions as well. Can you share that journey with us?
Crossing into movie making is another interesting journey in my life. It started in 1996 when Abdulkarim Mohammed approached me seeking the right to adopt my novel Alhaki Kuykuyo Ne into a film. I accepted and I took charge of the costume. That was my entry into filmmaking. In 1999, I produced Sai a Lahira, an Area Millennium Award-winning movie for Best Sound and Best Boss. In 2001, I produced Ina Son Sa Haka, adapted from my novel of same title. In 2015, after 5 years extensive research, I produced Juyin Sarauta (Palace Coup). The film has already done well in Nigeria. It won the Best Film in Nigerian Languages Award of 2017 Zuma International Film Festival, Abuja. It is a high-budget project and a Special Presentation of the film will be done in Kano on March 27, 2018. The film depicts early 20th century Hausa palaces in which intrigues and manoeuvres by Sarki Yusufu’s wives to enthrone a new king throw the palace into confusion. In the end, the least expected becomes king. In a word, Juyin Sarauta is a story that shows how women influenced society, politics and leadership from the confines of the royal palaces.
Being in the creative sector, movie makers and filmmakers were subjected to a regime of strict censorship in Kano, where you are from, a few years ago. What do you think has been the impact of this on creatives in these parts of the country?
It is true that the writers and film makers in Kano faced serious challenges when Rabo was heading the Censorship Board. A lot of water has passed under the bridge. I don’t want to go there now. But Alhaji Ismail NaAbba Afakallahu, the incumbent Executive Director of the Kano State Censorship Board, is a gentleman and has the drive and new ideas for the progress of the writers and film makers. A high point for him is that he is one of us. So he knows everything and he is treating our problems with clinical precision. Through the Censorship Board, the Kano State Government under His Excellency Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has engaged us in many positive ways. Trainings and workshops and who knows, the Kano State Government may give other support for the continued progress of our society.
