A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF GIDAN DABINO’S WORKS IN FILM, RADIO AND LITERATURE BY Salisu Ahmed Yakasai Department of Nigerian Languages Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto Syakasai2013@gmail (+234) 08035073537 Being a paper presented at the Commemoration of the award of (MON) and 50th Birthday of ADO AHMAD GIDAN DABINO, held on the 26th of October 2014, at MAMBAYYA HOUSE , Bayero University Kano, by 10 a.m. 1.0 Introduction Film and radio programmes are linked with literature by the fact that they all need stories that are presented with some linguistic embellishment. This connection gives a tripartite outlook to the three elements. In spite of this, one rarely finds an institution or individual that handles all the three phenomena at a time. A sort of division of labour usually emerges where one is found to promote film, radio programmes, or literary activities through writing. Ado Ahmad Gidan Dabino (MON) is one of the few individuals that are unique in this regard having succeeded in serving each of these genres of human concern with reasonable commitment and achievement amidst daunting challenges. This piece is an attempt to make an appraisal of the role and contributions of Gidan Dabino in these all important respects. It will go further to highlight the context in which these achievements were recorded by the person of Ado Ahmad Gidan Dabino. The presentation opts to juxtapose the pattern in which the indices of this discourse are presented in the topic by starting with issues related to literature and then follow with film and radio. Although Gidan Dabino’s role in film and radio is equally outstanding, that of the literature seems to be the first to bring him to public attention. Similarly, literature by its very nature is the power house of film and radio activities since the stories that constitute literary output serve mostly as an input for films. 2.0 GIDAN DABINO’S LITERARY WORKS There is no doubt to the fact that Gidan Dabino is one of the leading elements in the emergence and development of what is known as Kano Market Literature (See Malumfashi 1994). His book “In Da So Da Kauna” published in 1991 was first among the series of this new genre of Hausa Literature. An interview with book sellers in Kano confirmed that the emergence of this literature tremendously improves the reading culture in Hausa society with thousands of copies of the books being sold on daily basis (Buba and Gidan Dabino 2004). Similarly, Hausa literary works typical of the one in Gidan Dabino’s writing generated tremendous national and international interests and penetrated the internet more than any genre of Hausa literature before it (africantexts.soas.ac.uk:591/site.html). Specifically, Gidan Dabino contributed in the development of Kano Market Literature in two critical dimensions as a writer and publisher. Gidan Dabino authored 7 literary books along the major themes of romance in its modern garb of the Hausa society of our time as well as moral guidance. Most of the books are in series of 1 and 2 and two of them have been translated from Hausa to English by the author. The characters of Gidan Dabino’s fiction, particularly Sumayya and Muhammad, have become iconic to romance in the genre that one could be tempted to compare them with the related iconicity of Romeo and Juliet of Williams Shakespeare in the anal of English literature. As literature throughout history cannot develop without reliable publication outlet, this section will not be complete without the mention of the contributions of Gidan Dabino Publishers founded by Ado Ahmad Gidan Dabino for the past 23 years. Over the years of its existence, the Publishing Company succeeded in publishing 284 books ranging from fictions, poems, religious and academic works in Hausa and English. It is the publisher of Mumtaz Magazine and several scholarly journals for academic departments in Bayero University Kano and other institutions of higher learning. One can say that Gidan Dabino Publishers, as a private publishing company, does not have an equal in terms of long period of existence, volume of publications, quality and diversity in genre and language. To Kano Market Literature, Gidan Dabino Publishers could be said to be like what Heinemann is to African Literature. 3.0 GIDAN DABINO IN THE FILM INDUSTRY Gidan Dabino Video Production is as old as its sister publishing company discussed earlier. It was indeed highly insightful of Gidan Dabino to make a provision for replicating his literary works into home videos for more than two decades now. This insight makes Gidan Dabino to be part of the increasing relevance of technology in the preservation and promotion of Hausa language and Culture (See Yakasai 2014). The initiative also makes Gidan Dabino to be one of the founders of Kano State Film Makers Association in 1996 and participate in the formation as well as development of several other foundation associations related to film industry in Kano and Northern Nigeria in general. This achievement was made amidst several challenges of skills, funds and misunderstanding of different professional groups and the general public. Convinced by the employment generation of the industry worldwide and its awareness creation potential, Gidan Dabino courageously bore the challenges and participate actively in pushing the film industry to its present booming stage on the philosophy of Hausa adage that whoever is not comfortable with the posture of the moon should climb up and adjust it (Buba and Gidan Dabino 2004). 4.0 RADIO RELATED ROLES Ado Ahmad Gidan Dabino is a prolific producer of programmes on national and international radio stations. At the national front, he produces programmes for Freedom Radio while at the international level he worked in similar capacity for Shukura Radio in Damagaram, Niger Republic and Deustsche Welle Radio, Germany. For the latter, he was Producer and Director of the popular programme, ‘Ji Ka K’aru’ (Learn by Air). The themes of Ado’s radio programmes border around public enlightenment on issues related to education, health and family life among others. He also features prominently in the popular request programmes of various radio stations as a writer; and his books were read on different radio stations for the entertainment of audience. 5.0 THE CHALLENGES OF INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY The landmark legacies and achievements of Ado Ahmad Gidan Dabino in the above areas would be appreciated with a glimpse into the daunting challenges in which they were realized. Human being, in his individual and collective, is bound to be timid in the face of change and mount antagonism and resistance to things ushered in by the factor of change. Gidan Dabino and his contemporaries faced challenges that are normally associated with innovations and creativity. In the literary wing of his endeavour, Gidan Dabino has to struggle with critics of literary works like his for their apparent deviance from their precursors in the works of Alhaji Abubakar Imam, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Abubakar Tunau Mafara among others. Of course, the work of Gidan Dabino was not without favourable academic appraisal typical of which Abdalla Uba Adamu led in different scholarly journals within and outside the country. This certainly makes Gidan Dabino himself to assume academic position of presenting papers during conferences and publishing in scholarly journals to add to the voice of defense on the endeavour that he has the credit of belonging to its key founders. On the other aspects of Gidan Dabino’s endeavour, the skepticism of preachers, imams and other religious leaders to Hausa films in general was common place and documented by media practitioners and academics. In fact, governments had to follow these concerns with legislations and enforcement outfits which culminated into an atmosphere of tension among practitioners irrespective of their motive and operational pattern. In addition to this, the rivalry among practitioners of different callings in a new venture cannot but count as a great challenge in terms of control and bearing the consequences of the action and inaction of co-practitioners in the face of already suspicious and pessimistic public. Similarly, the paucity of models and funds must be counted as a great challenge in which film making by Gidan Dabino and likes evolved. 6.0 CONCLUSION Two decades of the bold literary and broadcasting move of Gidan Dabino have indeed generated a great deal of influence and legacies for generations yet unborn to explore through reading, appreciation and critical appraisal. The name of Ado Gidan Dabino is inseparable with that of modern literary development in Hausa society, film making and radio broadcast. It must be emphatically stated in this concluding part that it takes an incredibly dynamic and committed personality to be this successful in so divergent calls. REFERENCES Adamu, Abdalla Uba (1999) “Hausa Literature in the 1990s”. New Nigerian Weekly Literary Supplement. April 24, p.14 (Part 1); May 1, p.14 (Part II). Buba, Malami And Gidan Dabino, Ado Ahmad (004) “Adabi Mai Tafiya: Waiwaye Fasahar Mai Da Littafi Zuwa Fim”. Hausa Home Video: Technology, Economy and Society. Gidan Dabino, Ado Ahmad (1994) “Wanda Ya Raina Tsayuwar Wata Ya Hau Ya Gyara: Martani Akan Adabin Kasuwar Kano.” Nasiha, September 16. Malumfashi, Ibrahim (1994) “Adabin Kasuwar Kano”. Nasiha, July 3 and 24. Yakasai, Salisu Ahmad (2014) Language and Cultural Preservation: Hausa in the Face of Technological Advancement. Kano: Gidan Dabino Publishers. Yakasai, Salisu Ahmad (2012) Jagoran Ilimin Walwalar Harshe, Sokoto: Garkuwa Media Services. africantexts.soas.ac.uk:591/site.html
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 06:27:05 +0000
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