Yusha’u A. Ibrahim, Kano
It was a busy day at Gidan Gurasa in Muskwani Quarters, Municipal Local Government Area of Kano State when Daily Trust paid a visit on Wednesday, January, 4, 2018, as young ladies in their 20s were found performing their best in one aspect of processing Gurasa, or the other.
There were about 50 locally-made earthenware pots called Tanderu in Hausa language meant for processing Gurasa scattered all over the premises of the house, with about 40 young ladies busy preparing the local flat bread-like delicacy. The business has been a routine for the young ladies since childhood. They start as early as 5am and close at 7pm every day, it was gathered.
To Hajiya Maryam Sulaiman, Gurasa means everything. She bought houses, lands and performed pilgrimage all from the proceeds she earned from the business, which she learnt from childhood. She said even the Gidan Gurasa itself was bought from the proceeds of the business, and that courtesy of that, she even married off three out of her seven daughters and is now about to marry off two others.
Maryam is one of the elderly women that prepare and bake it, at Gidan Gurasa. She said processing it is practically a family business in the area, with no gender or age barriers.
Gurasa is a flat bread popular among Arabians, said to be brought into Kano by immigrants precisely from Sudan and Algeria about 200 years ago. Made from flour and yeast, it is then baked. In the 70s, it was known to be a meal reserved for royals and elites in Kano, but now it has become a food for all, not only in Kano but in the whole northern region, and even beyond.
Gurasa is processed in three different ways. Salty, sugary and one free from both. It can be combined with different accompaniments like soup, suya, meat and even kuli-kuli.
According Maryam, they could process at least 15 bags of assorted flour every day when the market was at its peak, but when not favorable, they could process between 6-8 bags in a day. “We receive orders from individuals, restaurants and suya spots among others. They place their orders and we provide them with best Gurasa,” she said.
“It may interest you to know that even royalty buy Gurasa from us. And we also sell it to so many people from various towns and villages across Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Gombe and Bauchi states among other states.”
She added that although the business was more pronounced in Chediyar Yan Gurasa, Karofin Dala and Muskwani quarters, it is also being practiced by women in other places within and outside Kano city.
Maryam said other areas where women engage in making Gurasa within Kano city include Tudun Makera, Aikawa, Dandalin Turawa, Rijiya Biyu, Bakin Ruwa, Durumin Kaigama and Rijiya Hudu among others.
Zahara’u Alasan, 20, was among the ladies at Gidan Gurasa in Muskwani quarters and she told Daily Trust that she was trained in the business by her mother, Hajiya Maryam Sulaiman.
She said, “I learnt the practice from my mother. I started as moulder and gradually, I become expert in mixing, moulding and baking processes. As I am speaking to you, there is no aspect of Gurasa processing which I cannot practice perfectly. I am thankful to God Almighty and my mother for the gesture. At least I have learnt a business which I can rely upon for a living even when I got married.
“This is what I knw best in my life so I will never joke with this business. I am earning between N700 to N1, 200 per day and I am content with it,” she said.
Zahara’u, who finished Asiya Bayero Secondary School in 2013, said they supply Gurasa to Nasarawa Suya, Kofar Wambai market, Kano Abattoir and Sabon-Gari market among other places.
She said, “About 50 of us are working at Gidan Gurasa from 5am to 7pm daily, while our brothers take over from us from 7pm to 12pm every day. The Gurasa we processed in the morning is meant for selling to customers that normally come from outside the city, while the one processed by our brothers is sold to the customers from within the city because they usually come here to buy it early in the morning.”
Another woman, who had been in the business for almost 20 years, Ummi Alasan said the business of Gurasa was profitable, noting that “Although I am single, I am taking care of my basic needs, like clothes and cosmetics. And from the proceeds of this small business, I have bought a piece of land and I will soon start developing it.”
Ummi, however, said the major challenge they were facing was cost of ingredients especially flour, noting that a bag a flour that was sold N6,000 is now being sold at N10,400. She therefore appealed to Kano State governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to come to their aid by extending his women empowerment programmes to them.
“We have witnessed how he empowered tea sellers and other segments of entrepreneurs in the state and we want him to also extend the gesture to us.”
Hajiya Hajiya is a leader of the women preparing Gurasa at Gidan Alhaji Mamman na Yan Gurasa in Chediyar Yan Gurasa, Dala local government. She told Daily Trust that she started preparing it from childhood. The 70-yr-old said, “This is the base of Gurasa business in the area. The business started from this house over 200 years ago. We grew up to see our ancestors practicing it. They started making Gurasa in this house with wheat and tamarind, before we replaced tamarind with yeast .
“We have various sizes, to carry everybody along. For instance, we have sizes for N100, N50, N30, N20 and N10. And it may interest you to know that we have recently introduced a modern Gurasa which is being prepared with milk and butter. If you taste it, I assure you, you will stop eating regular bread completely.
“All I can say about this business is Alhamdulillah. We have learnt it from our ancestors and we have trained our children and grandchildren as well as the children of others. Another interesting thing with this business is that, we have helped our husbands and parents in different ways from its proceeds. I bought and reared about 65 domestic animals from the proceeds of this business.”
Malama Hadiza Ibrahim, another Gurasa-maker, said although the business was small in nature, it was a blessed one. “I am now planning to go for pilgrimage this year. I have already mobilised more than half of the money I intend to pay for the seat and by the grace of God, I will complete the balance before the commencement of the payment.” She also said that she had been assisting her husband in sponsoring the education of their two children, who were expected to write their West African Examination Council (WAEC) next year. Tasty news, indeed.
