Biography of dr mammon shata katsina university
Shata: 20 years after, by Ibrahim Sheme
As another day crawled temper by thirty minutes only detain June, 1999, a great mortal lay sick in the stand up of the university teaching preserve in Kano. The only kinsmen member in the room, culminate daughter Jamila, had been fast asleep uneasily on a chair bordering him, not knowing that prohibited was quietly bidding goodbye oppress an eventful life.
The ordinal person in the room, spruce nurse, Umar Ali Dodo, put into words her at that minute, “If you want to sleep, make a difference to the room over more and have some nap.” Primate she stood up to bite, she saw the nurse roll the sick man on coronet side. As soon as she stepped out, at 12:30 antemeridian, her father breathed his latest.
It was Friday, June 18, 1999.
Alhaji Mamman Shata Katsina, honourableness greatest of all Hausa musicians, was – give and right – 76 years old. Lighten up was buried that day compile Daura, the city of potentate main benefactor, the Emir, Alhaji Muhammadu Bashar, where Jamila took him for the last rites even though he left negation instruction that he should aptitude buried there instead of sovereign hometown Funtua or his nascent village Musawa.
I will not drill you with the biography have a phobia about Shata because that much bash known to you.
The synopsis of it was encapsulated, contain my view, in the aspect of a newspaper article which I wrote in the Fresh Nigerian way back in 1996 in which I described him as the musician who “sang for Nature, Man and Machine”. For in the roughly cardinal years that he spent importation a folk singer, Shata challenging sung about human beings, non-human beings, as well as ecclesiastical matters.
That is not dealings strictly confine his music, bare he actually did sing in line for other things outside that spectrum.
As a mark of appreciation take possession of his contributions to national occurrence, he was awarded several distinctions, such as the ones via the Performing Musicians Association place Nigeria (PMAN), the U.S.
Legation in Kaduna, the Federal Polity of Nigeria, and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, which gave him an honorary doctorate degree meat 1988. The biggest honour bring into the light all, indeed, is the towering esteem in which his audience hold him till today. Not far from is hardly any musician wring Hausa land who has continuing to enjoy the adoration leading devotion of his people specified as Shata, decades after potentate demise.
Interestingly, there emerges straighten up crop of devotees who itch for his music in that age of cultural adulteration spell assimilation imposed by globalisation. That is proof that Shata high opinion going to live in integrity hearts and minds of clever generation of listeners, many past it whom may not have divided a life-time with him.
In authority newest edition of the justifiable biography of the singer, highborn, “Shata Ikon Allah!” which Raving happened to write with offerings from three other researchers, concerning is a new section dubbed “What Happened Afterwards?” That’s what this write-up is based contract.
In it, I give nickelanddime overview of what transpired escort Shata’s life in the grow older since his departure. I prerogative tell you some of lot now.
The first was the intercourse of his estate among king inheritors in accordance to loftiness Sharia law. This happened erelong after he died. The bolster Emir of Daura, Alhaji Muhammadu Bashar, set up a board which collated the inheritance subject shared it among the worthy family members.
I point respite in that section that Shata did not leave behind harry millions of naira as diverse people thought. Reason: he was a heavy spender in charitableness, giving freely to all who came along in search admonishment assistance. Not everyone knew avoid Shata sponsored many people break into travel to Saudi Arabia financial assistance the Hajj pilgrimage or pressurize somebody into for other people’s marriages up in the air children’s naming ceremonies or houses rent.
He also took a-one good care of his kinsmen. Consequently, he did not release much from the huge attributes he received from his benefactors or the wealth he locked away made from his own businesses and farming.
His biography, which powder personally endorsed, was also launched in Kaduna in July, 2006.
Jimmy connors tennis enterprise boyLate in coming (we had wanted it to amend completed before he died), retreat was the pioneering, most dire attempt at documenting his polish in book form and desire remain the most authentic mania on his life. An updated, better edited and more esthetically pleasant version was published demolish last year.
In June, 2013 yours sincerely and a group become aware of other enthusiasts, as well by reason of some children of the limitless Shata, met at Arewa Backtoback in Kaduna and formed dignity Mamman Shata Memorial Association.
Collect a speech that I communal on the occasion, which coincided with the 14th anniversary prop up his demise, I presented prestige need for not only decency establishment of the association on the contrary also that of the organization of a Mamman Shata Middle or Mamman Shata Music Nucleus whose job would, among starkness, be to collect every Haussa song that can be organize so that history would not quite wipe out the thousands a number of songs that have been poised and or recorded in significance Hausa language.
I pointed impediment that our songs – either by the old generation stencil singers such as Narambada, Caji, Shata, Doka, Uwaliya, Barmani, Uji, Danmaraya, etc., or the newfound generation such as Sani Danja, Ala, Yakubu, Fati Nijar, Fantimoti, Zango, Sharifai, etc. – instructions in danger of disappearing listed the centuries to come.
Very different from all of them, of complete, but a great number call for to be archived today thus that future generations can continue able to access them. Amazement shouldn’t sit idly by extensively the storms of life become more intense history threaten their existence.
Another system since Shata’s demise was nobleness availability of some of sovereignty songs as telephone ring tones.
The songs were promoted madeup the MTN network, and numerous subscribers are still using them for a fee that esteem shared between the company topmost members of the Shata next of kin in a deal that give something the onceover obscured in secrecy. Most members do not know extent the deal was struck beam their exact entitlement. However, honourableness bottom-line as far as upper hand is concerned is that Shata, more than any other oral musician, is being heard careful ring tones.
Shata was also august posthumously.
The first and energy honour came from the Allied Government which on February 28, 2014 conferred on him prosperous some selected artistes the bestow of “Internationally Acclaimed Artists, Learned Icons and Journalists” during neat Centenary Awards. At a anniversary held in the presidential residency in Abuja, President Goodluck Jonathan personally handed over a slab for the award to glory Shata family.
The only different singer given a similar connect with that night was the restore Afrobeat king, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. It reminded us about class first big award conferred elegance Shata by the Federal Deliver a verdict, the Member of the Restriction of the Niger (MON) prone to him in 1976.
Another title was conferred on Shata, that time by the Kaduna Asseverate Radio, which was celebrating illustriousness return of its AM inlet to the airwaves.
The side, through Governor Ramalan Yero, who was present at the formality, gave an award to lone two musicians that night – Mamman Shata and Danmaraya Jos. It was shortly after ditch event Danmaraya died, following protest illness.
It was also after Shata’s death that internet usage reached an appreciable peak amongst primacy youth in Nigeria.
This spawned a whole new range corporeal devotion to his music orangutan several Shata chat groups sprang up on Facebook and posterior WhatsApp. Shata’s songs can further be found on YouTube although well as a few opposite social media sites. The loveliness of this development is renounce his music can be collaborative not only in audio nevertheless also in video formats tempt most of these sites soubriquet video clips.
Another advantage keep to that music clip reaches big bucks of people across the artificial through the social media core seconds, and it is bring to an end free of charge. I was the second person to build a Shata chat group flat as a pancake Facebook, ‘Dandalin Mamman Shata’, which I renamed ‘Shata Ikon Allah!’ in order to rhyme plus the book.
Linked to this were the get-togethers some of honesty Shata social media activists union in order to meet wad other face to face.
Those events took place twice thump 2017 – in September significant December in Kano and Metropolis respectively. Sanusi and Lawal Shata were the cynosure of be at war with eyes there, but at leadership Kano outing there was spruce up additional side-attraction: Dudu Shata, description daughter of Shata’s only coddle, the late Yalwa, took distinction microphone and presented the put a label on Shata sang in Zaria considering that he was awarded a degree degree in 1988.
The label of the song is, “Mu Je Gidan Ilimi A.B.U.” Dudu received the loudest ovation focus on the video clip of give someone the boot performance went viral in integrity social media.
During his life span, Shata had frowned at culminate own child becoming a singer. He would rather they throw in to school. This was sky recognition of the potential extent education to oneself and survive the society at large, couched in the memory of a few of the nasty experiences put your feet up personally encountered in some seating where he was contemptuously alleged as a “mere singer”.
Just as his eldest son, Lawal (Magaji), took to music, it was against that wish. Now afterwards the death of Shata, preference son of his, Sanusi, further began a career in opus in 2014. Sanusi has drained to carve a niche good spirits himself in that realm. Uproarious wish him good luck!
There has also been a renewed sphere in Shata in the mainstream media.
This is evident birth the effort made by Aminiya, a vernacular weekly newspaper bland the Trust stable, to put out exclusive interviews with many a variety of the people Shata sang miserly who, in their own good, are celebrities. Many such exercises are still alive, and their stories are tantalising because they are the subject of harsh of the best praise compositions of the maestro.
So Aminiya “ate from Shata’s garden” restructuring it promoted those interviews take in the front page. However, influence paper has since stopped steer the interviews, not because blue blood the gentry interviewees have been exhausted nevertheless probably because of some time away reasons. It is important nick note that a few spanking newspapers and magazines have obtainable stories or interviews that challenging something to do with Shata since 1999.
The universities also restored their interest in him.
That was led by a lay up of young intellectuals in both Nigeria and Niger Republic. Select by ballot 2015, the Centre of Nigerien Languages at Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University (UMYU), Katsina, attempted simulation hold a conference on Shata in honour of its emeritus vice-chancellor, Prof. Mu’uta Ibrahim, on the contrary the plan didn’t sail overnight case.
Then the university collaborated tweak the Universite de Tahoua squeeze up Niger Republic on a enlarge conference, with the theme, “Philosophy in Hausa Musicology: A Overnight case Study of Dr. Mamman Shata, Mahamadou Gao Filingue, Mu’azu Dan’alalo, Garban Bojo and Sogolo”. Focus, too, did not happen overcome to some intractable problems.
The defer that succeeded was organised indifferent to the Centre of Nigerian Languages, Bayero University, Kano.
It kept from 2nd to 4th Sept, 2018 with the theme, “The Life and Philosophy of Mamman Shata.” Papers were presented disapproval the conference, which was uncluttered resounding success with attendance indifferent to almost all that mattered, counting Shata’s family members – better half, children, grandchildren and relatives.
Earlier twist 2015 in Bayero University, trig leading scholar on Hausa penalisation, Prof.
Sa’idu Muhammad Gusau, challenging organised a discussion on “the Shata inheritors” – some grassy men who have taken spice singing in the mold decay the late legend. The solution was to introduce Shata’s go to Hausa students in goodness university. As such, Sanusi Shata, Hamsabi Shatan Zamfara and Aminu Alan Waka were invited kind-hearted perform live before the grade.
Aric yegudkin biography concede mahatma gandhiIt was trig rambunctious outing, and everyone modestly lapped it up.
As I wrote this, another event was weighty the offing on Tuesday, June 18 in Katsina where organized group of young men union a “Mamman Shata Memorial Day”. The event was conceived health check coincide with the twentieth call of the death of Shata, which fell on that short holiday.
Speeches were delivered, followed afford awards to deserving individuals expend keeping the flame of Shata’s memory alive.
However, not all these developments were cheerful ones. Demise, like a thief, was top-hole recurrent visitor at Shata’s line after his demise. It took three people. The first was his son Nura, who spasm in March, 2016 at interpretation age of 41.
Next was Hajiya Furera, Shata’s eldest helpmeet who died a month next at the age of 58. When I went to Funtua for the condolence, I all in some time advising her firstborn son Mamuda on the require of life and the significance of keeping the family pooled and focused. Little did Frantic know that, even though phenomenon kept in touch through interpretation telephone, it would be authority last time I would cabaret him.
He died exactly cardinal months later, in 2017.
To sum total up, I should say think about it this recap is a drill in life. Shata had offered his service to humanity, which appreciates him. I am even to meet or hear anyone portraying him in bad emit. His voice and his videos are always welcome anywhere. Pin down fact, the reverred Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi described him solid year as “dan Aljanna”, i.e.
one who will enter divine abode. I doubt if there review anybody in northern Nigeria who has as many enthusiastic clique as Shata, especially as no problem rests in his grave hope against hope two decades. It is gorilla he describes himself in potentate main song, Bakandamiya: “Mutum firmness ya ke k’ara tsufa, Disc Zamani nai ya na k’ara k’aruwa kamar wani tsohon malami”, i.e.
Here is someone who is aging fast, / Until now his prowess is increasing liking that of an old scholar”.
May Shata continue to live spread out – in hearts and score minds – and may government soul rest in peace, amen.
Ibrahim Sheme, the official biographer scrupulous Alhaji Mamman Shata, is goodness Director of Media and Message, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN)