Langa: A culture going extinct

participants in the Langa fiesta are usually divided into two equal groups in accordance with the number of people participating. One of the groups would take-off their shirts, leaving the other with their shirts on for identification purpose.
It is after this that the battle line would be drawn, and specific spot would be marked as the target or destination point where the captains of the sides, (Ruwa) as it is called in the game would reach to earn his group a point and that destination is referred to as  Sha.
Ruwa is the only person that will determine the completion any round of the game. It is he reaches the Sha (final destination) and wins points for his group or be defeated to the advantage of the opponents.
Defeat in Langa game varies. It could be by Ruwa defeating all members of the opposing group or the Ruwa being able to reach the final destination without being overpowered by the opponent. This marks the end of a round.  
Any group that loses all its members during the battle is considered defeated. So also if the group that produces Ruwa loses him during the play, the group is considered defeated. However, losing some members during the game by both groups is not considered a defeat until the end of the round.   
The person to be chosen as Ruwa must attain certain qualities. First, he must be strong, bold and skilled in the art to face the opponents as Ruwa while his group members are to provide the necessary backing that would make him reach the destination. The opponents on the other hands are to erect barriers that would prevent the Ruwa from reaching the sha.

It is after this that the real fighting game involving all the group members would ensue. Though it is a make-believe battle, it is usually tough, and participants adopt all strategies, tactics and styles of real battle to ensure that their group emerge victorious at the end of the day, and by so doing the game is made interesting. 
The method of fighting is that each member of the two groups would hold one of his legs with one hand and start jumping with one leg while fighting his opponent with the other hand. 
Sometimes the game led to infliction of serious injuries on the participating members, but it would never lead to fight between members of the two groups since the entire episode is being considered a game. In fact, it is always starts as a game and ends up as a game.
In those days, the competition is organized among youths of different communities. It was learnt that apart from being a game that is serving as a way of exercising one’s body, it was also promoting unity, friendship and oneness among youths of various communities of Hausaland.
However, in spite of its significant roles in promoting and projecting Hausa culture, unity among the youths, Sunday Trust observed that this culture is currently dying.
Findings revealed that substantial numbers of youths, particularly those in the urban areas today no longer know Langa game because it is gradually but steadily fading from the Hausa society.
It is observed that, one of the factors militating against the Langa game is lack of adequate play ground, particularly in urban areas. This factor is greatly responsible for the demise of not only Langa game but that of many other cultural activities in Hausa communities.
Other factors are the lack of encouragement from parents. In other words, parents are not encouraging their children to participate in traditional games, particularly during their usual play times.
It is also observed that modern civilisation has reduced values placed on some of the cultural events, just as the absence of such games from school curriculum makes the younger generation not to know them.
Speaking on the dying culture of Langa, Professor Adulkadir Muhammad Dan-Gambo of Nigerian Languages Department, Bayero University, Kano (BUK), explained that, “The dying culture of Langa may not be unconnected with modern civilisation brought from the western world. Games like football, relay, basketball and handball have completely replaced our traditional games”.
He stated that in the past, Hausa communities had no other alternative games than their traditional ones. But now plenty new games are available, adding that, “The games were introduced to us in a modern way that cannot be easily ignored by our children”.
Professor Dan-Gambo noted also that, “Those in the corridors of power did contribute to the dying of Langa culture because the attention given to our tradition by the government is not enough to sustain the culture not to talk of of developing it in modern ways. You can hardly find a new layout today with provision of adequate playground in it.”
Also speaking, a 16-year-old-player, Muhammad Aliyu, told Sunday Trust that he was discouraged from participating in Langa by his parents whom he said were always preventing him from going out in the night for the usual Langa game.
Aliyu said, “Although I am not happy with this sudden change, I reasoned with my parents because of the current situation where cases of kidnapping and missing of children are on the increase”.
He added that in the past, one can play with colleagues from 8pm to 11pm without any fear, but nowadays, the situation has completely changed.Parents must keep eyes on their wards for fears of such unfortunate vices.
Abdulrahman Ibrahim, 15, also explained that the culture of Langa is dying because of many reasons, including non-availability of playground in most Hausa communities. He noted that, in the past, each and every community made provision for community playground where young boys and girls gather in the night to play.
Alhaji Ibrahim Aminu, a father, corroborated with Muhammad Aliyu on why parents no longer allow their children to keep late night playing.
 “Is it quite unfortunate that most of the children do not even know such plays, not to talk of participating in it, but such may not be unconnected with the increasing rate of insecurity in our country, where vices like ritual killing, kidnapping and missing of children have become the lot of the society”.
Aminu also blamed the dying Langa culture on the advent of satellite television services: “With satellite, children could spend several hours in their homes without going out for any play. They could also engage themselves in playing TV games at home instead of going out for traditional plays in the night”.