Northern Nigeria — From East to West
“Njangen; Nduren; Ndemen! — Let us study; let us rear cattle; and let us farm” Adamawa State Motto
After a few days in Lagos, I set out to start my journey in Northern Nigeria, going from the eastern border with Cameroon to the western border with Niger and Benin. I spent the last year working as a Pulaar interpreter in New York City. Pulaar or Fulfulde, is the the language spoken by the Fulani people — an ethnic group spread throughout the Sahel region, from present day Senegal to Sudan. Part of my cross Africa travels is dedicated visiting Fulani communities, to learn about the history, the evolution of the language and while following their reverse migratory route.
A brief general History of the Fulani: The history of the Fulani is the history of our species — a nomadic people forever in search of greener pastures. The name “Fulani”, I learned, was given to the “Fulbe” (what Fulani people called themselves), by the Hausa people of Nigeria. Today, in the English speaking world, the Fulbe are called “Fulani”. In French they are referred to as “Peul”. While the exact dates are unclear (some say the Fulbe have been on the move as early as the 12th century), what is known is that hundreds of years before the arrival of European colonialists, the Fulbe were roaming the borderless Sahel region in search of greener pastures for their cattle. Along the way, some stayed in place while others continued the journey. In some places, conflicts erupted between the settled Fulbe and the various indigenous group along their transitory route. Some Fulbe engaged in conquests of their own and formed empires — the most prominent ones being Fouta Toro in Senegal, Fouta Djallon in Guinea and Sokoto/Adamawa in Nigeria. Eventually, after the Berlin Conference in 1884 where Africa was carved up for European interests, borders were drawn up encircling the Fulani who settled in various parts of the migratory route. Suddenly, some Fulbe were now under French rule while others under English rule — the beginning of the disconnect between the people in each country.
About the Fulani in Nigeria: It is almost impossible to separate the Fulani from Islam — which they embrace during its infancy and contributed immensely toward its reform and popularization on the continent. Over 90 percent of the 32 million Fulani in Africa are muslim, according to missionary organizations which have been trying for many years to spread the gospel to the Fulbe with very little success. Usman Dan Fodio is credited for establishing the Fulbe Empire in Nigeria. Dan Fodio was born in a town just outside of north Western Nigeria around the border with Niger in 1754 and traced his roots to Fouta Djallon in Guinea. A university in Sokoto, north-west Nigeria, is named after him.
Another man credited with spreading the Fulbe and with it, Islam, to the Eastern part of Nigeria is Modibo Adama. Today, the region bears his name, Adamawa State.
Across Nigeria — From Adamawa to Sokoto: Through the people I met in Lagos, I was connected to folks in Yola Adamawa. “Yola is the undisturbed pot of Fulani culture” someone told me in Lagos. As soon as you arrive in the city, you can see why — there are street signs welcoming you to the city are in Pulaar and the language is still spoken fluently by many, despite Hausa being the language of Northern Nigeria.
I have long believed and accepted that Pulaar is just a spoken language and not written. In Yola, I was given books, written entirely in Pulaar. The level of scholarship amongst the Fulani, both men and women, is impressive.
I met with numerous college professors across different fields — accounting, geology, education, math, history, languages and poetry. I visited a Fulani history museum.
For all of the prosperity and advanced education, the Nigerian Fulani I met were dedicated to preserving their culture and language. They eagerly took me around to their farms and showed me their cattle.
When they learned that I was from Fouta Djallon, they were overjoyed. “Our grandparents told us that we came from Fouta Djallon” they told me. They called themselves my “long lost family” and indeed it felt that way.
I was invited for Iftar at the home of one of the leading educators in the country — a Fulani woman with a masters degree which she obtained in the 1970s! I later met an accountant by training whose hobby was to collect rare Fulani poetry. “My mother used to recite poetry and that’s how I fell in love with it”, he told me when I asked him how an accountant in his 70s own the largest collection of rare Fulani poetry. After his mother passed away he inherited her collection and he has been adding to it.
Before Western education was introduced, Arabic letters were used to write Fulani. I believe that colonialism interrupted the formalization and the further development of the language. During the colonial era, arabic alphabet slowly stopped being used to write Pulaar and roman alphabet took its place. Roman alphabet splintered the formal development of the language and was not conducive to broader standardization of the language across the 32 million Fulani spread in both anglophone and francophone countries.
There are still some Fulani people in Nigeria who are nomadic, moving to different parts of the country based on the seasons to ensure their cattle is fed.
Their entire livelihood revolve around their cattle. Agriculture is big in Nigeria. Driving from Yola to Sokoto via Abuja, I saw farms with sophisticated manual irrigation systems tailored to the varied terrain. The farms are being worked on by both men and women, and this being ramadan, they work all day while fasting. The farms, extending for miles, rotate different crops — rice, cassava, wheat, millet, corn and much more for both commercial and consumption.
Nigeria is a diverse country and it embodies it in a real way. I met children as young as 5 years old who speak 3 languages, fluently. Just about everyone in the country is multilingual — it is the only way to be functional in an extremely diverse nation. On the political side, the current administration is praised for its commitment to ending corruption. I met people working in government who are committed to building a prosperous, vibrant, multiethnic and multicultural nation. When Nigeria gets it right, and all signs are pointing to that, the ripple effect will be felt across Africa and the continent will be transformed from within.
After two weeks in the country, I am headed to neighboring Niger. The desert heat blowing through the car was the clearest sign that I was leaving the Sahel and encroaching on the Sahara Desert. Triple digit temperatures and a full day of fasting meant no one in the car was in the mood for any conversation during the drive north to a border town called Illela. I decided to treat myself, paying for two people so I can have the front seat all to myself! The francophone journey begins.
