WHERE DID ALL THE HAUSA PEOPLE GO?

Alright, let me explain the random title. I am curious as to why in over 10 years of living in the United States, I have never met a Hausa man or woman in my age range. As far as I am concerned, Hausa people are practically extinct. Of course, I know they exist, I grew up and went to school with Hausas. However, I have only met 2 Hausa people in the U.S. I met a Hausa man (and official pervert) while working at Blockbuster and a relative of mine is married to a Hausa lady. Neither of these two are my age mates and I am desperately seeking Hausa people for reasons that will become clear as you continue reading.


How did this issue come about? Well, my brother-in-law (a non-Nigerian) recently asked me to talk to him about the main ethnic groups in Nigeria. I had no problem talking about Igbo people and Yoruba people. I talked to hime Efik people, Ijaws and the Calabari, to name a few. When it was time to talk about Hausa people, however, I stuttered. It wasn't because I didn't know what to say, it was because all I had to say were negative stereotypes. That made me worry. I couldn't help but think about how some white people always claim to have at least one black friend and thus are not racist. Well, I couldn't even make a similar claim! I have no Hausa people as close friends or acquaintances and am now worried that I have a serious bias against Hausa people.

So, am I biased against Hausa people? I like to think not as I wouldn't have any reason to be. I have never had any bad experiences with any Hausa people, except for the pervert I referred to earlier. I have fond memories of sharing meat with muslim Hausa and non Hausas as is customary after Ramadan. I also have fond memories of drinkng funa de nunu (I hope I got that right) as a child when my mother was transferred to Abuja. Yet, I do have a lot of negative stereotypes in my head. Living in Lagos, a lot of the 'gatemen' were Hausa and I still to this day wonder if they, as a group, encourage schooling as much as other ethnic groups. I also, can't help but think of a girl I went to secondary school with who was rumored to be married off to a wealthy Alhaji quickly after she took her SS6 exams. Oh, and the fact that so many of Nigeria's military dictatorships were lead by Hausa men e.g. Babangida, Abacha.

When talking to my brother-in-law, I quickly realized I hadn't said anything positive, so I dug deep into my memory and remembered books I read about Hausa history. I told him the story of Queen Amina, explained that Hausa people tend to have a serious horse culture, play lots of polo, have a lovely language and have stories of great warriors and so on.

So, again, I ask - where did all the Hausa people go? My uncle explained that he knows a lot of Hausa people. He's 64 years young. He thought the reason why I didn't know any was because some Hausa people are a little conservative and I would not meet them at the normal Nigerian social functions. I figured that was fine, but how come I had not met them at the usual intellectual arenas? Such as conferences or institutions of learning. Not even at my local African store or any store where I live. Before you start thinking that that sounds ridiculous, please consider that the residential community in which I live is packed with Nigerians. In fact, my city has so many Nigerians that we have a Redeemed Church around the corner and you can never leave your house without seeing gele, buba ati iro, and hearing Efik, Yoruba, Igbo or even Calabari. You constantly see mothers screaming out for little Chioma or Lanre at the local Target store, Walmart store, Safeway and Shoppers supermarket or even the many playgrounds and parks that litter my neighborhood. In fact, in my little part of my residential community I can count at least 4 Nigerian families within seeing distance.

Anyway, what really has me worried above all else, is a concern that there is a disconnect between most southerners and northerners. I worry that southerners have had the opportunity to create social, intellectual, business, romantic and financial relationships with each other and not with northerners. I am concerned that in the future, this lack of interaction with northerners could have negative consequences and possibly foster a lack of trust and understanding. You might think that is an exaggeration but remember that this lack of understanding became evident to me during my conversation with my brother in law. Now, I wonder if there are others out there with the same predicament - not knowing what to say about certain Nigerians.