Caboose

To celebrate the end of fasting many towns in Nigeria hold a Durbar. In the past this was the Emir’s review of his troops, with cavalry regiments contributed by each district. Alex originally organised for a few of us to travel up to Kano for the Durbar there but in the end he couldn’t make it because of work commitments. Instead his sister Viviane joined Dave, Marebec, Kate and myself for the long and dusty journey north on Wednesday.

Once we had checked into the hotel we had a late lunch at a Lebanese bakery near the Central hotel then headed to Kano’s famous Kurmi market. The market was very quiet because of the public holiday, many of the stalls were closed, but we still had a quick walk around. We also went for a quick stroll along the street outside.


After the market we piled back into the car to go and see a reconstructed part of Kano’s old city wall. The walls were constructed largely of mud and have collapsed over the years, leaving only a few gates. We watched the sun set over a lake just within the walls, which unfortunately had been used for dumping rubbish.

By now it was time for food, Viviane wasn’t happy eating suya from a stall and Dave didn’t want to spend too much so we compromised. Dave, Marebec and I bought suya and then joined Viviane in the nearby fast-food restaurant.

We went for a stroll around the neighbourhood, which seemed to be deserted, many of the businesses were closed for the Sallah holiday.

The next day we went for breakfast at the Lebanese bakery, then to see some more of the sights of Kano. After a quick stop at the camel market we stopped at the famous dye pits. The dye pits were a bit of a disappointment, with little activity going on and an aggressive guide demanding money for a tour we didn’t want.

After a short rest back at the hotel, to get over the heat and dust of the morning, we went to the Emir’s palace for the Durbar itself. Alex had got us tickets in the VIP seating area but we decided that we’d get a much better view down at ground level. Being in Nigeria the whole thing started late, very late. In fact it was starting to get dark by the time the first horsemen appeared.

Each district provides its own group of horsemen, usually led by a very small boy on a big horse. Their turbans indicate that they have been given a title by the Emir, turbans with two “rabbit ears” indicate that the wearer is a member of the royal family. Many of the horsemen carry fake weapons, usually spears, and some of the districts include infantry with fake spears or swords or real clubs. Some of the infantry were putting on displays of mock fighting.

By the time the Emir and the bulk of his family arrived the crowds were pushing forward and occasionally being beaten back by horesemen with sticks. Men from each district then showed off their horsemanship by riding towards the Emir at speed. Much of the population of Kano seemed to be there watching.

The event concluded with the Emir’s infantry firing what looked like muskets, with a lot of loud bangs, smoke and dust. By this point the sun had set and it was starting to get dark, so we headed back into the palace to find the car. This was easier said than done as lots of other people were trying to get in and cars were trying to get out through a very small gateway. This resulted in more beating of the crowd with sticks, one of the aspects of Nigerian life from which white people seem to be exempt.

We were all hot, tired and dusty by the time we got back to the hotel, so we returned to the Lebanese bakery for a quick meal and then back to the hotel for a beer before bed.

The next day (Friday) Kate, Dave, Marebec and I were due to leave for Jos but first we had breakfast at an Indomie and egg stall across the road from the hotel and visited one last tourist attraction. Dala hill is (according to legend) the site of the original settlement that became Kano and is tricky to reach through the narrow, twisty streets of the old city. We eventually stopped to take some pictures of Kilishi (dried meat coated in a spicy groundnut sauce) being made and then walked from there.

After the hill we got a lift out to the motor park for the four hour journey to Jos. We had a lovely, relaxing weekend in Jos with Karen and Jenny, doing a bit of shopping and having some nice food. On the way back to Abuja on Sunday Dave’s motor vehicle jinx struck again, causing our car to start smoking in a quite alarming way. After a long delay in Akwanga another car turned up and we managed to get back before dark.

More Kano information:
History of Kano
A former Peace Corps volunteer returns to Kano
Kano Online