Saturday, March 29, 2008

Adam A. Zango's "Bahaushiya"--the song that landed him in prison

Preparing for the defense of my dissertation proposal this coming Monday, I do a little "studying" on YouTube and find the video I have been looking for since last September.

This, ladies and gentlemen, maza da mata, is the song Adam A. Zango was sent to prison for 6 months for.

Apparently, the biggest problem (other than the vigorous dancing, occasionally glimpsed middriffs, and perhaps the shirtless young men?) was that he named the album "Bahaushiya" (Hausa woman), which was seen as "slander" against "all Hausa women," under the censorship laws against slurs against ethnicity, because "Hausa women don't dance like that." Wai.

For more information on this case, see
"How Adam A. Zango ended up in prison"
http://allafrica.com/stories/200710011384.html

"Exodus of Artistes hits Kannywood"
http://allafrica.com/stories/200711050273.html

"Resumption of Film Activities in Kano"
http://xymbollab.org/stories/200802181008.html

"Aftermath of the Nude Video -- Resurgance of Kannywood"
http://allafrica.com/stories/200711120468.html

5 comments:

Talatu-Carmen said...

Sorry, Actually, the song is named "Lelewa" and the ALBUM is named Bahaushiya. I'll try to post a few other performances from the album.

jinni said...

Talatu,this case has an ethnic undertone.Adam A.Zango has had a problem with some hausas because he is not hausa but from zango kataf which is a tribe the hausas have had a history of violent conflicts with.Moreover the suggestive dancing and the hiyana sex tape scandal(although she is hausa fulani) did not help matters.The bearded ulamas want to tell the world that their women are so chaste and pious and they do not dance or engage in promiscuous affairs.But we all know it was a Hausa fulani,moslem girl who was the first nigerian lady to be involved in such a shameful act,now they want to use non hausa practitioners of the hausa film industry as scapegoats.What a farce!
On a positive note,I want to let u know that hausa film(with singing and dancing) is well and alive in Jos!

Talatu-Carmen said...

Jinni,

Thanks so much for your feedback. I had heard something about the ethnic undertone, but it's good to hear this from several sources. I'm hoping to be back in Nigeria by the end of the month, pending visa, ticket purchase etc, and I will definitely be in Jos. Perhaps if the filmmaking I'm interested in has moved to Jos, I'll be spending more time there than originally anticipated. Thanks again for the heads up, and I hope to meet you in person soon!

T-CLassic Communications said...

Jinni, i feel u very well, however, maybe its time we stop identifying who to be blamed and for what reasons. Rather we should concentrate on what is the way forward, this doesnt relate to the film industry alone, there are other numberous things that needs serious addressing, else we will be capsized in the ocean of backwardness.

Talatu, make sure we know when you arrive Nigeria.

Ismail zamanix said...

We love u zango