The ’yan daudu (“sons of Daudu”) are men who adopt feminine speech and mannerisms and often work in food-selling, cooking at festivals and brokering. The name refers to Dan Galadima or Daudu, a handsome “prince” spirit of the Bori. They are traditionally associated with Bori gatherings and with the markets and festivals around them.
Ethnographers such as Rudolf Gaudio (Allah Made Us, 2009) and earlier Renée Pittin describe the ’yan daudu as a recognized, though stigmatized, social category in some Hausa cities. Salamone interprets them as an “anomalous category” that shows how Hausa ideas of masculinity are constructed and policed.
Attitudes have varied over time and place, and in recent decades some ’yan daudu have faced harassment, arrests and campaigns in states with Sharia penal codes. Readers who need guidance for specific situations should consult local human-rights and legal sources.
Sources for this article
- Gaudio 2009, whole book
- Salamone 2010, ch. 2, p. 12; ch. 10, pp. 108–110