Review by Prof. P. Shea
Department of History, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria.

It is an exciting and wonderful thing to have, for the very first time, a full length book on the overall history of Kano in English, written by a knowledgeable and senior indigene of Kano. Previous works, useful as they have often been , have been produced by English, American, West Indian, Igbo and Bole authors. This work is comprehensive, covering as it does Kano history from ancient times to the present. Kano is presented as a sophisticated, tolerant, and progressive city-state, which has managed well the process of balancing indigenous development, foreign trade involvement, and colonial occupation. The picture that emerges is all encompassing, and the author deals freely with religious, political, economic, social and traditional issues. In its totality this book is an uncompromising praise of the city and the state of Kano.

The central focus of this book is definitely Kano City. In the very beginning of the book is a praise song of Kano written by the author himself in which he asserts " Of thirty thousand cities built, Kano is surely the star of them all." The analysis takes the city as its focus and " urban cultural ecology as a framework." Few would dispute with the author the overwhelming dominance of Kano City in the history and development of the land and emirate of Kano, but it is certainly refreshing to have this work which does not equivocate or apologize about the centrality of the city. This book resonates with the civic price and the assertive patriotism of the author who is, of course, one of the leading citizens of Kano.

Dr. Muhammadu Uba Adamu has traveled far and wide, and although he has a Master’s degree from the United States, he also has a B.A. and a Ph.D. (in History and Political Science, respectively), from Bayero University in his native Kano. He has devoted his life to the service of his people in Kano, and he has served as the principal administrator of Kano City, and also as a lecturer in management in the state polytechnic. Dr. Uba Adamu knows the history of Kano City as only one born and brought up in her can know it – from the stories of the old people whom he has listened to and questioned over the years, from local anecdotes and legends repeated in the various quarters, and through academic study which he has pursued for virtually half a century. The author has ingeniously woven together oral traditions, community and family legends, traditional written English and Hausa and Arabic histories (such as The Kano Chronicle) and his own experience into a fascinating and forceful analysis of the city which he so clearly loves. His own life has brought him into contact with some of the immigrant communities which have definitely influenced Kano. This personal and intimate knowledge has enriched his study of Kano with the aromas of the Arabic delicacies such as alkaki and the breadth of the European-introduced golf course, both of which Dr. Uba Adamu clearly enjoys as much as his own Hausa and Fulani foods and entertainments. The author has called this book Confluences and Influences, but equally well he might have named it: Complexities and Intricacies.

Dr. Uba Adamu’s exegesis of The Kano Chronicle is one of his principal vehicles for tracing the history of Kano through the centuries. This is imaginative, and the reader is bound to be intrigued by the author’s use of the present to explain the past. Occasionally, however, I feel that the folksy analogies overstep the boundaries which we formal historians seem to cherish. To call al-Maghili the "first Izala" may have some heuristic value, but it certainly is not the literal truth (p.42). Everyone agrees that there was a swamp in early Kano, but I doubt that it was "surrounded by mangrove" (p. 15). Similarly, although Lokoja was undoubtedly important to the Royal Niger Company, it cannot really be described as "the corporate headquarters" (p. 108).

When the author steps out of his own specific field of expertise, which is Kano, he makes some regrettable errors. It is not correct to say that the Sokoto Caliphate had dominion over "the entire northern territories" (p.112) , and it is unfortunate to read that the author seems to agree with Goldie that there were "Southern communities which lacked organized local system of government " (p. 112). Although it is true that the author is required to simplify some things for his readers, it is misleading to say that the first major administrative step that the British took in 1903 was to create thirteen provinces, and that these included Sardauna Province (p.113). Again, while the British have tried hard to assert that there were some humanitarian facets to their imperial rule, it is simply not true that "with the British occupation… slavery [was] abolished " (p.149) , for in fact it lingered on for decades . The author should have avoided dealing with historical issues outside of Kano with which he is not very familiar.

When the author deals with the city itself he sometimes treats us with delightful new insights, such as when he connects the traditions of Bacirawa and Gobirawa with the history in The Kano Chronicle (p. 49), and when he tells us of the entanglement between the settlement of Gwagwarwa and the warriors from Damagaram. (p.148). There are also some issues which I would love to know more about, and hopefully Dr. Uba Adamu will enlighten us more in the future. He tells us, for example, that the Emir of Kano Abdullahi Bayero wanted to settle former slaves on some land " he specifically bought for the purpose " (p. 150). The whole question of the commodification of land during the reign of Abdullahi Bayero certainly needs more attention and explanation. As comprehensive as this book is, it seems to just skim the surface of Dr. Uba Adamu’s knowledge of this vast and complex city, and one hopes that in the future he will continue to enlighten us with his own insights and recollections and explanations.

To summarize, I would like to say that although this book has some problems with trying to present an incredibly complex city to an English speaking readership, it will prove itself an essential work for anyone who wishes to know how Kano Citizens view their own city’s history. Without wishing to carp , I have pointed out a few difficulties with the book in the hope that they will prove useful to the author and his publishers when they come to issue a new edition, which everyone will certainly look forward to as this will be essential reading for those who want to know about this great city of Kano.

Prof. Philip J. Shea, Department of History
Bayero University, Kano
25 August 2000