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Event Details |
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Visit with a Fulani Family– Sunday, 9 September 2007
The Nigerian Field Society Abuja Chapter
hosted the first of its kind trip to a Faluni village in Ushafa on Sunday,
September 9. A small group of members
(organized by Roman) met at 8:00AM then drove to the Ushafa/Bwari junction
where we were met by Saidu Abubakar, the owner of Binatare Pottery in Dutse
(0805-444-7322) and the man who runs the government ceramic center in Bill
Clinton Village at Ushafa, who had so kindly made all the necessary
arrangements to make this trip happen and who was our interpreter in the
village for the day.
At the village, we were greeted by the
chief who gave us a tour of the village.
The villagers were curious and as excited to see us as we were to see
them. Their village consists of about
15 simple thatched huts. Each hut has at
least one bed and a table with numerous clean neatly stacked enamel dishes and
bowls--all lined up perfectly and facing the same direction. They were proud of
their huts and wanted us to look in each one.
There was a flurry of activity throughout the village: cooking, washing clothes and dishes in a
nearby stream, tending to children who were running about. After answering our endless questions for
over 3 hours, they invited us to accompany the cattle herders to take the
cattle out to the grazing area. We
presented the chief with our token gifts and departed. They had decided to delay this until after
our arrival so we could see where the cattle are kept within the village. Typically the boys take the cattle out early
in the morning and return at about 6:30 PM each evening.
Picture taking was an immediate hit, as
the children (and adults, too) were eager to pose for the cameras, then look at
the finished digital photos. At the end
of our morning visit, although cultures apart, we each felt like we had made
new friends. All in all, this was a very
extraordinary experience and another opportunity to see the beauty that
Diane.
Center: Our host, the Chief of the clan; on the left
with Saidu, the man who so kindly arranged the visit and who interpreted for
us; on the right most of the boys.
Inside a
hut
Ready for
cooking
Oh, how we
all hate washing a sinkfull of dishes!
Laundry
Look at my
nice, clean room!
Drying corn in the sun
Attendance:
This was a members-only
event.
Contact:
Rating:
Easy.
Security:
No known
security issues. There was one police
road block just after the ring road merges into the road out of town.
Gear:
Mosquito
repellent and sunscreen as needed. Be prepared to sit on the ground
or something covering the ground. Wear suitable footwear for traipsing
about. Be prepared for changing weather conditions. Please cover your legs and your
shoulders. You may be offered something
to eat/drink.
Costs:
We have been
asked to bring gifts for the women & children.
- Cloth for the women (the Friday
Mosque market (morning till 1pm, and then again after mosque at 3 until
evening) has complete sets ready to be made into an upper, a skirt and a
scarf for about 800 – 1000), they also like jewelry, but I have noticed
they like gold
- Teenage boys like showy,
glittery earrings which are not very expensive, also the plastic colorful
slip-on shoes, also pants
- Everyone likes kohl pencils
(what western women often use around their eyes)
- The boys like to wear crocheted
or other head-fitting head covering within which they can fit all their
hair (please, no baseball caps)
- Teenage girls like glittery
hair ties, and also head scarves
- Kids like what all kids like –
toys, also little individual boxed juices (I presume you may have to
demonstrate how to use the little straw). Please avoid sweets for
the kids
- No money, please
We also brought
a large bag of rice for the whole village.
Otherwise, it’s
the cost of the gasoline to Ushafa, about ½ hour outside of
Timing:
It’s about 20
minutes’ drive from Maitama to the Bwari/Ushafa junction. From there, it’s a 2-minute walk to the
compound. We spent 3 hours talking with
our hosts, and another hour or a bit more going herding with them.
Directions:
By arrangement only.