- Title: NIGERIA: Historic walls in ancient Nigerian city ruined after decades of neglect.
- Date: 21st April 2014
- Summary: KANO, NIGERIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF A RUINED CITY GATE AN EPITAPH VARIOUS OF OUTLINE OF OLD CITY GATE VARIOUS OF DEBRIS FROM THE OLD GATE IN A HEAP ON THE GROUND EXTERIORS OF GIDAN MAKAMA MUSEUM IN KANO CURATOR, MAKAMA MUSEUM WALKING WITHIN THE PREMISES OF THE MUSEUM (SOUNDBITE) (English) ALIYU ABDUL, CURATOR, GIDAN MAKAMA NATIONAL MUSEUM KANO, SAYING: "The walls and the gates you know they have come to represent so many things to so many people over several years. The wall itself today as it stands or the past besides the security value, purpose that it served it also you know it also demarcates the city into different groups into different sections or with different quarters with the gates. The gates also represented entry points for particular people coming from particular areas for certain activities so the general tendency is that the wall has assumed other cultural significance and values far beyond the initial just security consideration." VARIOUS OF PICTURES OF OLD CITY WALL IN KANO REMNANTS OF CITY WALL (SOUNDBITE) (English) ALIYU ABDUL, CURATOR, GIDAN MAKAMA NATIONAL MUSEUM KANO, SAYING: "The city wall of course has undergone serious deterioration over time. Basically its deterioration, the period of its deterioration started after the conquest of Kano in 1904. Because of the problem that the wall you know gave to the invaders, the colonial invaders, after the conquest they made sure that this wall was never, you know was never rebuilt." VARIOUS OF MODERN CITY GATE VARIOUS OF WORKERS ON SITE VARIOUS OF ABDULLAHI USMAN, SARKIN KOFA STANDING TALKING TO CHILDREN (SOUNDBITE) (Hausa) ABDULLAHI USMAN, SARKIN KOFA, SAYING: "The people of the city are now asking the government to rebuild the walls so that we can have our privacy and security. The wall is very important to us and gives us security there are a lot of things going wrong. Now that would not happen if the wall is there because the parts with no protection are exposed and people can come and go as they please." VARIOUS OF REFURBISHED OLD CITY GATE
- Embargoed: 6th May 2014 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Nigeria
- Country: Nigeria
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA8AKC5RIJ5ZFVIACUOD4VK6DS9
- Story Text: The ancient walls of Nigeria's biggest northern city, Kano were once famous for their ability to keep out invaders. The walls measured about 23 square kilometres, with a height of 10.5 metres and a depth of 8 metres at the base.
Local guards were stationed at the gate screening people coming and going out of the city. But today only about twenty-five percent of the walls remain as decades of disrepair and neglect have taken their toll.
Aliyu Abdul, Curator of the local Gidan Makama National Museum says the walls hold special cultural and historical significance.
"The walls and the gates you know they have come to represent so many things to so many people over several years. The wall itself today as it stands or the past besides the security value, purpose that it served it also you know it also demarcates the city into different groups into different sections or with different quarters with the gates. The gates also represented entry points for particular people coming from particular areas for certain activities so the general tendency is that the wall has assumed other cultural significance and values far beyond the initial just security consideration," Aliyu said.
The city of Kano was once renown for its trans-Saharan trade routes connecting many cities in Africa and Southern Europe. A regional economic hub, Kano produced and exported valuable agricultural goods.
The city walls built using local materials from the 11th to 14th centuries by the Kano empire, served as a protective fortress for state's residents.
But after the British conquest of Kano in the early 1900s, the walls were never restored.
"The city wall of course has undergone serious deterioration over time. Basically its deterioration, the period of its deterioration started after the conquest of Kano in 1904. Because of the problem that the wall you know gave to the invaders, the colonial invaders, after the conquest they made sure that this wall was never, you know, was never rebuilt," Aliyu added.
In 1953, Nigeria's government declared the walls a national monument with successive local administrations making commitments to repair the walls but to date no concrete plans have been made.
Some parts of the walls have become rubbish sites while others have been illegally acquired with people building homes along the wall. Excavation of sand for construction has destroyed the walls even further.
The gates leading to Kano, have however been modernised in order to control traffic into the city.
The Emir of Kano, the local monarch continues to appoint special caretakers of the walls known as 'Sarkin Kofas.'
32-year-old Abdullahi Usman took over as the Sarkin after his father died about six years ago.
He says the walls need to be saved from further collapse and efforts made to rebuild them.
"The people of the city are now asking the government to rebuild the walls so that we can have our privacy and security. The wall is very important to us and gives us security there are a lot of things going wrong. Now that would not happen if the wall is there because the parts with no protection are exposed and people can come and go as they please," Abdullahi said.
Many Kano residents say the walls are an important part of their city's history. They they hope something will done soon to save what's left not just for the present but for future generations. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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