Bukar Usman’s works are of high quality, timely, original, rigorous and relevant, says Yusuf Baba Gar

* …Donates books to German universities, others teaching Hausa

Yusuf Baba Gar (PhD) is a lecturer in Hausa at the Department of African Studies, Humboldt University of Berlin. He holds a PhD from Humboldt University of Berlin in oral heritage and medial transformation in Kannywood video films in Nigeria. His interest includes digital film distribution in Kannywood, orality, language, and dynamics of culture. In this interviewed by KHALID IMAM, Gar is effusive in his praise of Dr. Bukar Usman’s literary prowess and philanthropic gesture that aid scholarship by his generous donation of his books to universities globally

AS someone from Northeastern Nigeria and a Hausaist working in Germany, have you ever received any books from Dr. Bukar Usman, either personally or through mail?
INDEED, I received books directly from Dr. Bukar Usman both personally and through mail. I was at his house in Abuja on October 6, 2021, and he personally offered me many of his books. It is also pertinent to mention that prior to October 6, 2021, the day I received the books directly from Dr. Usman, I had already received Dr. Usman’s books from Professor Andrew Haruna. Shortly afterwards, Dr. Usman sent me his books to Berlin, Germany by post.

How did you first learn about Dr. Usman’s generosity in sending his books to readers, researchers and institutions worldwide?
I came to know about Dr. Usmans generosity in sending his books to readers, researchers and institutions through Professor Haruna. On one occasion, I received Dr. Usmans books from Professor Haruna for onward donation in Germany.

Can you share your experience of receiving Dr. Usman’s publications, and how it has impacted your research or studies?
I was not only greatly impressed, but I was also admiringly appreciative. I reflected carefully on the cost of publications and the cost of books. I considered how Dr. Usman spent a lot of money to publish his books, and how much money he would have gained, if he had sold them. However, rather than selling them, he decided to offer them for free.

On the one hand, generally, books point out research needs that have yet to be fulfilled, thus providing researchers with ideas for accomplishing successful research. On the other hand, a lecturer relies on books for teaching. More so, access to books create a new culture of reading. Therefore, Dr. Usman`s books are valuable sources for impacting knowledge as well as integral parts of research arsenal.

How do you perceive Dr. Usman’s game-changing role in making Hausa literature texts and culture more accessible globally?
Extremely impressive.

Have you ever had any personal communication or correspondence with Dr. Usman regarding any of his books or based on any of your research interests?
I received several e-mails from Dr. Usman. The e-mails are still coming continuously. The e-mails are mostly about his publications, interviews, awards, and so on. I received a telephone call from him on one occasion, precisely in 2022 and we had a few minutes’ conversation on the outcome of my research on Kannywood.

Newly made Fellow of Nigerian Academy of Letters (FNAL 2024), Dr. Bukar Usman

As someone keen on Hausa film studies, how do you think Dr. Usman’s foray into folktales would be integrated into film productions in Kannywood?
You are talking about converting a pre-existing work into film, which is film adaptation. The truth of the matter is, adaptations of literary works, such as best-selling fiction and non-fiction, and so on have been regularly adapted for the cinema. It is claimed that adaptations account for up to 50 per cent of all Hollywood films and are consistently rated amongst the highest box-office.

In the same vein as Hollywood, Dr. Usman’s Taskar Tatsuniyoyi 2012, being a transformation of Babur/Bura folktales, remains a suitable source for onward conversion into films, especially Kannywood, the Hausa-language films. As a back-up, I refer to Ahmad, Saìdu B. (2004:158), “In this paper I demonstrated that Hausa tales are rich sources for scripting Hausa films. It is high time that our filmmakers exploit this rich resource in order to promote Hausa values and cultural heritage.”

Do you think Dr. Usman’s unique approach to sharing his books has contributed to the promotion of Hausa language, literature and culture worldwide?
Absolutely. I personally brought copies of Dr. Usman’s Taskar Tatsuniyoyi 2012 and Folklore and History: The Twin Rivers of World Heritage 2013 to Berlin, Germany. Dr. Usman generously donated the books to universities in Germany where Hausa is studied. The beneficiaries of the books are Humboldt University of Berlin, University of Leipzig, University of Bayreuth, University of Frankfurt am Main, University of Hamburg, University of Cologne and Great Zimbabwe University, Masvingo, Zimbabwe.

As a lecturer at the Humboldt University of Berlin, have you ever used Dr. Usman’s books in your teaching or research? And which of his books do you find more useful to your field of research or teaching?
We must understand the fact that teaching Hausa, or any language whatsoever to non-native speakers, is quite different from teaching Hausa, or other languages to native speakers. Therefore, in teaching a foreign language like Hausa to non-native Hausa speakers, a great deal of time and efforts have to be used in order to make the students speak Hausa – the foreign language in question. In some cases, a lot of time has to be devoted to make students write in the foreign language, which is being taught. For instance, languages like Chinese and Arabic have different phonemic inventories from German, English and French, which the students have already been familiar with. Therefore, to write in these languages (Chinese, Arabic), and then read, or speak in them requires much more time. This suggests that, at this stage, preferences or teaching them are mostly focused on language skills, such as speaking, writing, reading, and listening.

In a bid to enhance continuous process, a teacher has to make his, or her teaching more accessible by clarifying cultural allusions that may be unfamiliar to people from other countries, and or continents. At this juncture, relevant texts are considered for recommendation to students. Dr. Usman’s Taskar Tatsuniyoyi 2012 is therefore useful as a case study, or example when it comes to teaching about orality and adaptation in Hausa literature.

Have you ever recommended any of Dr. Usman’s books to your students or colleagues, and why?
Yes, I recommended Dr. Usman’s Taskar Tatsuniyoyi 2012. Consequently, a student was considering using some of the folktales in the collection for her MA degree thesis.

How does Dr. Usman’s literary engagement align with your own research interests in Hausa language and culture?
I have undertaken research which identified and critically examined Hausa-language films, popularly called Kannywood. The research centered on Hausa films whose storylines were based on oral literature, such as folktales, just like Dr. Usman’s Taskar Tatsuniyoyi 2012. The research was within the framework of adaptation, which is also the field of study on which Dr. Usman‘s Taskar Tatsuniyoyi 2012 aligns with.

What message would you like to convey to Dr. Usman regarding his remarkable contributions to Hausa literature and culture?
I have already done that. I sent to Dr. Usman a letter to acknowledge receipt of his books by the representatives of the recipient universities, which I have mentioned above. The letter contained gratitude to Dr. Usman for his particular interest in Hausa literature and culture, and in general his untiring devotion to Hausa studies.

How would you assess the quality of Dr. Usman’s research and writing, particularly in the context of Hausa literature, especially folktales?
Dr. Usman’s works are of high quality. The works are timely, original, rigorous and relevant. His works on Hausa literature, especially folktales can motivate and guide readers to explore Hausa folktales further.

Dr. Usman’s books are known for their meticulous research and attention to detail. Can you comment on the rigor and depth of his scholarship?
My take on this is based on “scholarship” in the sense of character, quality, or achievement of a scholar, rather than a grant or payment made to support a student`s education. However, Dr. Usman conveniently fits in the harmonious or all-round tendencies that surround the word scholarship. On the one hand, as a fountain for knowledge, Dr. Usman has manifested his willingness for the ultimate quest for knowledge through his devotion to publications, and grants for further studies and research. On the other hand, his books have the quality or state of being exact. For instance, his meticulous choice of characters in his Taskar Tatsuniyoyi 2012 and A Selection of Nigerian Folktales: Themes and Settings 2018, systematically help to invite readers to explore the deeper currents of human experiences, thereby offering a lens through which they can understand their desires, fears, and aspirations.

Given the challenges of book production in Nigeria, where costs are high and resources limited, how does Dr. Usman’s generosity in sharing his books impact the Nigerian academic community and improve the culture of reading among readers, especially in Northern Nigeria?
Indeed, lack of capital and the subsequent publication of low-quality books along with piracy are some of the challenges of book production in Nigeria. As publication is a capital-intensive venture, most publishers find it uneasy to raise enough fund to finance the publication of unpublished materials. Additionally, piracy has almost become an institution in both the print and electronic Nigerian publishing industries. Hence, piracy is neck-deep in eroding publishers’ profit.

Fortunately, Dr. Usman has helped tremendously to break the jinx, and he has single-handedly managed to overcome some of the heinous acts in publishing. Dr. Usmans accessibility to the publishing house, Klamidas Communications Ltd in Abuja, Nigeria where he lives, and the Dr. Bukar Usman Foundation have aptly facilitated the production of books not only on Hausa but also on other indigenous languages in Nigeria, such as Igbo and Yoruba. This development goes along with Dr. Usman‘s reputation for open-mindedness, original thinking, and above all, his persistence and free will attitudes towards donations. Consequently, Dr. Usman’s books have reached the book shelves of many universities and individual scholars, thereby enhancing or boosting reading culture, which is being stamping out by the day, especially in this time of digital age.

In your opinion, what sets Dr. Usman’s journey into the literary world apart from other authors, not only in the field of Hausa studies, and how does his generosity reflect his commitment to knowledge dissemination?
Personal conviction, commitment and time management are some factors that could enable someone to embark on a journey into the literary world. As for Dr. Usman, I think, so far, his achievements in the imaginative world of fiction-writing can be said to be reflections of the firmly held opinion he formed about writing. Here, “writing” does not refer only to skill of writing, but it also involves the activity, or occupation of composing texts for publications. Needless to say, Dr. Usman grasps the opportunity and ability to use his time not only effectively, but also productively, especially to engage in creative writing. He has obtained the time due to attaining the compulsory retiring time, either by age, or by years of service. This suggests that Dr. Usman had to retire as a Permanent Secretary from the Federal Government of Nigeria in 1999 after thirty-five years of active service, not because he was tired. As you would expect, he coordinates his tasks and activities to maximize the effectiveness of his own efforts. In this case, he organizes, plans and schedules his activities in order to take advantage of the available time in the best possible way. Summarily, I would say that many writers became writers accidentally or unintentionally. But in case of Dr. Usman, it was obligatory hence, a different and new ball-game, as he confesses that, “in my own case, it must have been an involuntary decision, more like yielding to the impulse to yawn than to have a walk,” – Usman (2020:3).

How do you think Dr. Usman’s approach to sharing knowledge and resources can serve as a model for other scholars and authors in Nigeria, particularly in the context of limited resources and infrastructure?
Commitment and generosity are inherent human characteristics. Indeed, Dr. Usman has perfected in using these qualities for the benefit of the humankind. In the same manner, he has equally proved to be a role model. This is evident by the numerous awards he received and the honours conferred on him. In this way, other scholars and authors can use Dr. Usman as an example to follow or imitate, as two good heads are better than one.

Share with us your view on the NAL Fellowship awarded Dr. Bukar Usman recently?
The recent NAL Honorary Fellowship given to Dr. Usman was well-deserved. The volumes of his literary works have spoken loudly about him, and they have taken him to places. These are what made him jump or skip the existing status quo regarding NAL Fellowship.

Considering some of the high-profile honours and awards organizations and institutions have been doling to him, do you still see Dr. Usman receiving more accolades in the future?
Absolutely. In as much as more organizations and institutions are coming into existence, and Dr. Usman keeps alive what he is doing, only the sky will be his limit.

Many thanks for your wonderful time.
It is my pleasure.

* Imam is a poet, writer and school administrator based in Kano, Kano State, Nigeria