Unit 6: Dr. Mustapha Hashim Kurfi

Mustapha Kurfi
Videos
Community Images
Pedagogical Activities

Metadata

TitleConversation with Dr. Mustapha Hashim Kurfi
InterviewerMalam Muhammad Fu’ad
SubjectHis life story, works on Hausa Ajami, and signage, posters, and billboards in Hausa Ajami
ContentDr. Mustapha Hashim Kurfi was born in Kaduna to the families of Alhaji Hashim Khalid and Hajiya Khadija Ma’ruf. He has two Masters degrees: MSc. Sociology from Bayero University, Kano, and an M.A. in International Studies from Ohio University, USA. He also earned a PhD. in Sociology from Boston University. His major research interests are religion, Islam in Africa, gender, civil society, and Ajami studies. Dr. Kurfi served as a Senior Teaching Fellow at the African Studies Centers at Ohio University and at Boston University for nearly a decade. He digitized the Hausa, Kanuri, Fulfulde, Nupe Ajami and Yoruba Anjemi manuscripts hosted at the African Ajami Library (AAL) at Boston University. Dr. Kurfi co-edited with Toyin Falola and Fallou Ngom The Palgrave Handbook of Islam in Africa (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020). He has also authored several works in Hausa Ajami including Jagoran Koyon Hausa Ajami a Aiwace: A Practical Guide to Learning Hausa Ajami (Boston University African Studies Center, 2017) and Jagoran Koyon Hausa Ajami don Lafiyar Al’umma: Hausa Ajami Workbook for Public Health (Boston University African Studies Center, 2017). Dr. Kurfi is currently the Associate Dean in-charge of Facilities of the Faculty of Social Sciences, at Bayero University, Kano. In this interview, he provides insights into what it means to have Hausa Ajami on signage, political posters, billboards, as well as in public and private spheres. He provides policy recommendations on how to effectively utilize Hausa Ajami in the public sphere in order to demonstrate the rich cultural identity and heritage of the Hausa people.
LanguageHausa
ScriptHausa Ajami
LocationKano, Nigeria
Pedagogical content/applicationIncludes relevant linguistic, stylistic, and cultural skills as identified in our assessment guidebook/ ACTFL guidelines
Access condition and copyrightThese materials are subject to copyright and are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License, which permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. For use, distribution or reproduction beyond these terms, contact Professor Fallou Ngom (fngom@bu.edu).
ContributorsFallou Ngom, Jennifer Yanco, Mustapha Kurfi, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, Alison Parker, and Frank Antonelli.
Required citation informationFallou Ngom (PI), Jennifer Yanco, Mustapha Kurfi, and Daivi Rodima-Taylor. 2023. “Conversation with Dr. Mustapha Hashim Kurfi.” https://sites.bu.edu/ria/hausa/hausa-unit-6/

Videos

Hausa with English Subtitles

Hausa with Latin Script Subtitles

Community Images

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  • Malam Bashir Abdullahi Gwammaja yana riƙe da jaridar Hausa Ajami mai suna Jaridar Alfijir, wacce a kamfanin ya yi aiki sama da shekara ashirin. || Mr. Bashir Abdullahi Gwammaja holding a copy of Hausa Ajami newspaper called Alfijir (from Arabic: al-fajr, dawn), for which he has worked for more than twenty years.

  • Malam Ghali Mujitaba, edita kuma ma’aikacin Jaridar Alfijir na farko tun kafuwar ta yana nuna mana yadda suka fara shirya jaridar Alfijir ta farko. || Mr. Ghali Mujitaba, editor and veteran staff member of the Alfijir Hausa Ajami newspaper showing how they prepared the inaugural edition of Alfijir.

  • Malam Ghali Mujitaba yana riƙe da Jaridar Alfijir ta farko, ya yin da yake nuna girman ta da yadda aka faro ta a shekara ta 1982. || Malam Ghali Mujitaba holds the inaugural edition of the Alfijir newspaper, reflecting its size and foundation in 1982.

  • Shugaban ƙasar Najeriya, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, yana ba da babbar nambar girmamawa ta ƙasa (MON) ga Alhaji Ado Ahmad Gidan Dabino dangane da gudummawar da yake bayarwa ga bunƙasa harshen Hausa, adabin Hausa da Ajami. || The President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, decorates Alhaji Ado Ahmad Gidan Dabino with a national merit award titled Member of the Order of Niger (MON) in recognition of his contributions to the development of the Hausa language, literature, and Ajami tradition. Source: Alhaji Ado Ahmad Gidan Dabino’s personal archives, 2022.

  • Alhaji Ado Ahmad Gidan Dabino (MON) ya yin wata ziyarar girmamawa ga mai martaba Sarkin Daura, mai martaba Faruk Umar Faruk. Shi Alhaji Ado Gidan Dabino (MON) yana bada kyauta ga mai martaba sarki bisa gudummawar sa ga al’umma. || Alhaji Ado Ahmad Gidan Dabino presents a gift to the Emir of Daura, his Royal Highness Alhaji Faruk Umar Faruk in recognition of his immense contributions to society. Source: Alhaji Ado Ahmad Gidan Dabino’s personal archives, 2022.

  • Ginin da ya fi kowanne tsawo a Kano, wanda a yanzu Jami’a ce mai zaman kan ta mai suna Skyline a tsakiyar birnin Kano. || The tallest building in Kano, which hosts Skyline University, a private institution in the middle of Kano city.

  • Gwamna Ganduje, tare da ƴan kwangilar da ke gina babbar cibiyar kula da masu cutar daji, (wato cancer) wadda ake ginawa a babban asibitin Muhammadu Buhari a unguwar Giginyu. || Governor Ganduje (of Kano state) in a meeting with the contractors, who are constructing a Cancer Center at the Muhammadu Buhari General Hospital, located at Giginyu county. Source: Alfijir, August 28-September 3, 2023.

  • Gwamna Ganduje, a lokacin are da yake sahun Sallah a Masallacin Juma’ah na Ansaru-Din da ke Babban Birnin tarayya, a Abuja. || Governor Ganduje at a Friday prayer congregation at the Ansar-ud-Deen mosque, federal capital territory, Abuja. Source: Alfijir, August 28-September 3, 2023.

  • Kwamishinan gidaje da sufuri na jihar Kano, Mahmud Muhammad Santsi a lokacin da yake ziyarar ofishin KAROTA (Hukumar kula da sufuri da tuƙi). || The Commissioner of Transportation of Kano State, Mahmud Muhammad Santsi during an official visit to the Kano Roads and Traffic Agency (KAROTA). Source: Alfijir, August 28-September 3 2023.

  • Taran ɗaurin auren ƴar gidan Malam Ibrahim mai suna Sumayya, a lokacin da wasu daga cikin ma.aikatan kamfanin Triumph suka halarta. || A wedding ceremony of Sumayya, daughter of Mr. Ibrahim – who is a staff of the Triumph Publishing Company. The picture above shows some staff members of the company in attendance. Source: Alfijir, August 28-September 3 2023.

Pedagogical Activities

Glossary
Notes
Exercises
Hausa Keyboard

Glossary

  1. Allo: Wooden slate for writing lessons in Quranic schools
  2. Ankara: To realize, pay attention, take notice, be alert
  3. Babban digiri: Master’s degree, higher degree
  4. Basaja: To disguise
  5. Bincike: Research, investigation
  6. Ɓad-da-bami: A trick, tongue-twister
  7. Doki: Horse
  8. Fassara: To translate, interpret, explain, expound (from Arabic)
  9. Jarida: Newspaper
  10. Jaridar Tabarau: Name of a Kano-based Hausa Ajami newspaper
  11. Kai-tsaye: Direct, without  hesitation, straight forward
  12. Kamfanonin sadarwa: Communication company
  13. Karin magana: Proverb
  14. Kuturi: The hindquarters of a horse
  15. Kyautata: To improve, enhance, beautify
  16. Ƙwarin gwiwa: Support, encouragement
  17. Makaranta: School, institute
  18. Mu’amala: Business transaction, economic relationship
  19. Mulki: Rule, government, leadership, control
  20. Munana: To worsen, humiliate, make ugly
  21. Sakamako: Result, outcome, reward
  22. Sake haihuwa: Rebirth, reinvigorate  
  23. Tabarau: Eyeglasses
  24. Yi wa ƙasa hidima: To serve the nation
  25. Zomance: To transform, convert

Notes

  1. Allunan tallace-tallace: This refers to billboards or signboards used for advertising generally placed on roadsides or in busy areas to draw people’s attention. It comes from alluna (the plural form of allo which refers to a writing board used in Quranic schools) and tallace-tallace which is advertisement.
  2. Gidan Goldie, Kano: “Goldie’s house, Kano.” This refers to Goldie’s Home in Kano, an old historic two-story colonial era building in downtown Kano, which serves as the center for buying and storing products such as cotton, groundnuts, animal hides, fertilizers, and so on. It is located on Niger Street in the Fagge Local Government area in the heart of the city’s central business area, near the Kano Central Rail Station. The name comes from Sir George D. T. Goldie who was the first Governor of the Northern Protectorate in colonial Nigeria. The Hausa Ajami phrase Gidan Goldie Kano was inscribed on Goldie’s home so that local farmers who were literate in Ajami could easily locate the place where they should unload their produce.
  3. Gidan Sarkin Ilorin: “Home of the Emir of Ilorin.” This refers to the royal home of the Emir of Ilorin, which is in the locality called Unguwar Sarki in Kaduna state. It is located on the busiest road in Kaduna called Ali Akilu Road. Just like Goldie’s Home, the phrase Gidan Sarkin Ilorin (Home of the Emir of Ilorin) in Hausa Ajami is inscribed on the building, a common practice to indicate the homes of Emirs in Hausaland.
  4. Gudummawar kamfanonin sadarwa: “Contributions by the communication service providers.” This phrase is used to refer to corporate social responsibilities, i.e., the contributions that the private companies such as communication service providers ought to give to the communities from which they make profits. The interviewee in the video used the phrase to call for communication companies such as MTN, 9mobile, Globacom, and Airtel to make concerted efforts to enhance the role of Hausa Ajami in local communities where they make significant profits.
  5. Hausa ba dabo ba ce: “Hausa is not magic.” These words are used to describe how complicated Hausa language can be. Hausa can be confusing, especially when idioms, proverbs, and adages are involved. For instance, the true meaning of proverbs may not be the same as the literal meanings of the words. Yet, native speakers will easily understand them while non-native speakers need contextual explanations to grasp their true meanings.
  6. Maidoki ya koma kuturi: “The horse owner has been pushed to the back.” This is a Hausa saying that is used to describe a situation in which deserving people are downplayed, belittled, or taken advantage of. A situation in which this saying could be used is, for instance, former colonial powers who extract raw materials, manufacture them, and then return them back to their former colonies to sell them at high prices. In such cases, the manufacturers get the credit, while the real producers–the farmers, miners, and so on–are not recognized.
  7. Yi wa ƙasa hidima: “Serving the nation.” There are many aspects of serving the nation,  including providing services in the public sector, paying taxes, engaging in voluntary services, fulfilling civic responsibilities, and so on. But the phrase yi wa ƙasa hidima has a special meaning in Hausa. It is specifically used to refer to the National Youth Services Corps (NYSC), a mandatory national program that was introduced by the military junta of General Yakubu Gowon in 1973 to foster national unity and integration. Soon after the Nigerian civil war, also known as the Biafran war (1967-1970), the country realized the need to address the tensions across its various regions. Thus, graduates from universities and polytechnic schools were required to participate in a year-long mandatory service called National Service Year. It often involved teaching in schools in regions different from one’s own. The program has been useful in fostering national unity and integration through intermarriages and appreciation of the cultural diversity of Nigeria. Journalists have contributed to the popularization of the Hausa phrase yi wa ƙasa hidima. 

Exercises:

Comprehension || Writing || Listening / Speaking and Conversation || Cultural Competence

Comprehension: Video

Comprehension: Image

Writing

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Listening / Speaking and Conversation

  • Mutane biyu su tsaya a matsayin ɗaya ɗan jarida ne, shi kuma ɗayan a matsayin malamin makaranta. Wanda ya tsaya a matsayin ɗan jaridar ya riƙa tambayar wanda ya tsaya a matsayin malamin makarantar; suna hira.

Cultural Competence

  • Zaɓi wani abu daga cikin faifan bidiyon, sai ka/ki kamanta shi da na garinku ko al’umarku. Rubuta kamanceceniya da bambancin tsakanin su.