Sallar Gang is an age old festival observed in Daura Emirate. Every year during the Eid Maulud celebration, precisely on the 12th Day of Rabi'ul Awwal in the Islamic calendar, sons and daughters of Daura Emirate return home to take part in the prestigious festival.
"Gani" is a Hausa word meaning ‘here I am’, from which the festival derived its name. The festival has over the years become a hub for tourist attractions, with people coming from all over the world to catch a glimpse of the funfare.
During the festival, a special durbar is observed which is the climax of the event. In the past, between 10 to 14 days were spent celebrating the festival, but nowadays the event is celebrated between 2 to 3 days.
There are other side attractions like traditional sports which include local boxing and wrestling, traditional drummers, artistic displays of acrobatic performances, as well as special prayer sessions, amongst others.
The festival is also an avenue for a reunion where the emirate indigenes come and reunite with old friends exchanging pleasantries, make new friends to boost their harmonious coexistence. It is a homecoming and thanksgiving period.
Katsina Media and Publicity was at the event this year and reports that the event held on 20th November, was no different from all the glamour and fanfare.
A spectacular durbar was held as about 16 District Heads of the Emirate took turns to display cultures and traditions of the emirates. Men on horses, gun men shooting in the air intermittently to the admiration of the spectators adorning major roads of the town, sword display, and there were traditional drummers and dancers entertaining the crowd. Cheers and jeers greeted each display.
Research has it that the festival started with the assumption of males at the helm of affairs of the Daura Kingdom. Hitherto, females had ruled the kingdom before the 17th female, who gave birth to the first male king called Bawo.
The history behind this has it that the event began since the reign of Bawo. Bawo gave birth to 6 sons who later established 6 other dynasties, making 7 dynasties in all.
Every year, these 6 sons on this day, which coincides with the Maulud celebration, do return home to meet their father and share experiences and challenges of their respective kingdoms, with a view to finding or cross fertilizing ideas.
When ever they came they normally say in Hausa ‘Gani na zo’ meaning "here I am or I have come" also so that it can be recorded, so that’s how the name came into being.
Since Daura of then used to be the capital, they have come to share issues and get solutions, Bawo is a skillful leader who learnt all modes and style of leadership from his mother and father, Abu Yazid or Bayajidda in Hausa; 'Yazid' is an Arabian, having come down to Daura and married Daurama. He has good leadership skills.
However, with years gone by and following the Usman Dan Fodio jihad that conquered most Hausa states, Daura not left out, the festival suffered some shortcomings, as it was not fully observed. Habe (Hausa) clan rulers were replaced by the Fulani.
With the return of Habe as leaders after the colonial masters, they revived the festival, the colonial masters restored the past Habe leaders in Daura and some other kingdoms.
The festival was revived but with some modifications, because the colonial masters gave autonomy to some kingdoms who were under Daura, thereby the festival was narrowed down to the Daura kingdom.
@katgovmedia reports that, instead of the rulers from the past kingdoms coming to pay homage and say "Gani nazo" it turned out to be District heads and other title holders from the kingdom that will come to meet the Emir and say so.
It was also modernised with Durbar sessions, aside the normal Qur’anic recitation and traditional games being observed.
This history was given from generation to generation, the grand father of the present emir, Sarki Abdurahman used to pass on the tales.
Our correspondents report that this year’s event was no different. A mammoth crowd adjoined major streets to watch the funfare. It was not short of the needed entertainment as families, friends, women and children came out en masse, to watch the horse riding men fully dressed in traditional regalia.
On the first day which is the Maulud day, the Emir of Daura Umar Faruk left the palace through Kafar Arewa to motel junction, then he proceeded to Kofar Sarki Abdurahman before returning to the palace, amidst cheers from the populace who thronged the road to pay homage to the emir.
Today, the 13th day of Rabi'ul Awwal is the Hawan Magajiya, Katsina Media and Publicity saw the emir leaving the Palace to Gidan Magajiya where he distributed Kola nuts, then headed to Kofar Sarki Musa through Shaiskawa and Tone Quarters, before terminating at the palace.
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