07 · Explore
Beliefs beside Islam: Maguzawa, spirits and the Bori cult
Most Hausa today are Muslim, but older ideas about spirits, healing and fate never disappeared. They survive in the Maguzawa, in the Bori cult and in everyday remedies.
Trees with spirits in them, drums that call a spirit to a dancer, a baobab that answers questions: Hausa belief is richer than a single label. This chapter looks at the older traditions that continue beside Islam and at the debates around them.
In this chapter
01The Maguzawa: Hausa who kept the older religion
The Hausa-speaking farmers who never adopted Islam.
1 min read →
02A world of spirits
Iskoki, aljannu and the story of the hidden children.
1 min read →
03The Bori cult
Drums, fiddles and spirits that “mount” their horses: the Bori possession cult.
2 min read →
04’Yan Daudu
A recognized, stigmatized and studied part of Hausa social life.
1 min read →
05Mallams, boka and healing
Amulets, herbs and hospitals: how people look for a cure.
1 min read →