Where the Hausa live, their old cities and a great parade of horses.
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Lesson 1 of 3
Where is Hausaland?
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Hello from Hausaland!
The Hausa are one of the largest peoples of West Africa. Tens of millions of people speak Hausa.
Most live in the north of Nigeria and in the south of Niger, in a land of wide savanna, farms and old walled cities.
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Did you know?
Hausa is also spoken by millions of people who grew up with another language. The BBC began news broadcasts in Hausa in 1957.
Lesson 2 of 3
Old cities and markets
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Seven old Hausa states
Hausa tradition speaks of the seven “true” Hausa states, the Hausa Bakwai: Daura, Kano, Katsina, Zazzau (Zaria), Gobir, Rano and Biram. Many were walled cities and busy trading centres.
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The blue cloth of Kano
In Kano, the Kofar Mata dye pits are among the oldest working dye pits in Africa. A cloth dipped in indigo looks green-yellow at first. It turns deep blue only when it meets the air!
Lesson 3 of 3
The Durbar
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A parade of horses
The Durbar is a festival in northern Nigerian emirates in which riders on decorated horses parade in colourful costumes. In 2024 UNESCO added “Durbar in Kano” to its list of the world’s intangible cultural heritage.
UNESCO describes about ten thousand riders and people on foot, in four processions with different costumes.