‘How I wrote about Borno despite Boko Haram’

Vincent Hiribarren is a Senior Lecturer in African History, King’s College, London. He is the author of ‘A History of Borno: Trans-Saharan African Empire to Failing Nigerian State’ (published in 2017) which he wrote for his PhD thesis. Bookshelf cornered him for a chat in Abuja.

Bookshelf: Why did you decide to write a history of Borno?

Vincent Hiraibarren: I was interested in studying African history. I’m French and I thought I have had enough of studying European History and it would be good to discover something different. I was very interested in the history of Africa before the Europeans arrived and knew it was long. Borno has a thousand-year long history, and after reading a lot I discovered that nothing was written in the last two hundred years, the 19th and 20th century. Most people just focus on the colonial and post-colonial period. For Borno, there were more books on the pre-colonial than there were on the colonial and post-colonial period. There was Nuhu Alkali who wrote something on Borno and the Sayfawa. After that, there was only one book in the 19th century, but there wasn’t much, and I thought to myself, I’m sure history hasn’t stopped.

So, it was interesting going to Borno and meeting and interviewing people there.

Bookshelf: What was your research process like?

Hiribarren: I read everything I could find first in London. Such as Nuhu Alkali and Bala Usman’s books. Also Muhammed Tukur’s on the conquest of Borno by the British. Then I went to Nigeria and the archive in Kaduna. I spent a month. It’s a very rich place and I like going there. People are very nice and working with them is interesting. I created a website for them that helps publicise their work. I then travelled to Borno to find documents which might be useful. I interviewed a lot of people for the book, which I wrote for my PhD thesis, then travelled to the border regions. Then I went into Cameroon and crossed the border back into Maiduguri. After that I went north to Damasak, then Difa.

Bookshelf: What was most challenging for you in the process of writing the book?

Hiribarren: The most challenging was the fact that when I was doing my research, Boko Haram were already there. So, my research was harder because of their presence. But I received a lot of help from Borno people, including the University of Maiduguri. Thanks to them I have had connections with people in Yobe and Borno. I met and interviewed the Shehu of Borno, and he was able to get me some form of protection while I was travelling. So, basically, they were doing security changes, so I was very happy and thought myself lucky.

Bookshelf: How did you handle the Boko Haram aspect of your research?

Hiribarren: The thing is, the story I wanted to tell was beyond Boko Haram. I wanted to show that Borno was not just about the terrorists. There’s the old kingdom of Kanem Borno, a thousand years ago. That was why I wrote the book. I even wrote a second one in French afterward which has been published. So, the main idea was to tell a different story of the region, which goes beyond the stereotypes of the northeast.

Bookshelf: How long did it take you to complete the work?

Hiribarren: It took me over two years.

Bookshelf: How would you describe the people of Borno?

Hiribarren: They are very welcoming. There is an etiquette to follow. It’s a place where there are a lot of things to understand that I didn’t when I arrived. They showed me a different image of their region and not of one spoiled by war or ravaged by insurgency. It’s one of people with a long history.

Bookshelf: What prompted your recent visit to Nigeria?

Hiribarren: I went back to Maiduguri to have a look at the French written documents. I wanted to see if I could do another type of study. I might do a third book on the north in general. I also went back to the archives in Kaduna where I worked on their website, and with the help of the French research institute in Africa, IFRA, I went to Zaria where I taught a workshop in Ahmadu Bello University. Then I went south to Ibadan. So, yes, I like being in Nigeria.