The winner of the 2021 BBC Hausa annual short story contest for women, “Hikayata” 18-year-old Aisha Musa Dalil has disclosed that she received the news of her win with great joy knowing the odds against her.
Speaking to BBC Hausa Service, she said: “I was called by the BBC staff and informed that, I have won the contest. I fell on my face to thank Allah (Sujudus Shukr). I wasn’t even wearing a Hijab because I woke up from sleep.
“I entered the contest with a mixture of hope and a probability of losing; two things that I know either of them will happen.
“I have a chance of winning because like in every contest, there must be a winner. But in my heart, I know there are more experienced and older writers in the contest.
“I am a student of English and French and Umaru Musa Yar’adua University Katsina, but that did not stop or discouraged me from writing in Hausa”.
Aisha emerged as the overall winner of the contest with her short story called “ Hakkina” (My Right) and went home with a $2,000 cash prize.
Her story was about a 15-year-old girl who was sexually abused by her mother’s husband. The mother and her husband tried to conceal the abuse by threatening to kill her if she reveals anything. She summoned courage and wrote to her teacher about it.
The teacher later informed the police and her stepfather was eventually arrested and prosecuted.
Speaking further, Dalil said, she grew up with a passion and flair for writing stories.
She said: “ While growing up, I always like to tell stories and that has been entrenched in me and always like to do it. I have a special passion for telling and writing stories”.
BBC started the Hausa short story contest since 2016 announcing winners every year.
Previous winners of the contest were; A’isha Mohammed Sabitu from Katsina state who won is the first winner in 2016; Maimuna Idris Sani Beli from Kano state won in 2017; Safiyya Jibril Abubakar from Kaduna state was the winner in 2018.
The rest include; Safiyya Ahmad from Kaduna state who won in 2019, Maryam Umar from Sokoto state won in 2020 while Aishatu Musa Dalil who is also from Kaduna State won in 2021.
