Kanem Borno Cultural Heritage: A Source Of Pride For Nigeria, Africa

The Maiden Kanem Borno Cultural Summit held in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, from Thursday to Sunday last week did not only expose the pride and elegance of the kanuri speaking tribe of Borno, Yobe States and other African countries such as Chad, Cameroon, Ghana, Benin, sudan, Central Africa Republic, among others. It as well depicted the royalty, love and power embodied in the lives of the people of one of the most respected and powerful empire in the world.

Borno is one of the most ancient kingdom in Africa. Historical sources indicate that it started about the year 700AD by the normadic Tebu-speaking kanembu who were forced to move southwards around the fertile lands of the Lake Chad due to political and ecological pressures.
The modern day Borno State was created out of the defunct North Eastern state in 1976 and further subdivided into two in 1991 when Yobe State was carved out of it to form the present state. Borno is described as a state with rich cultural historical background and moderately populated.

The cultural summit had delegates from around the world who converged in the ancient town of Yerwa (Maiduguri) for the event started from the 15th as the day of arrival, while the event proper started on Saturday, February 16, with a Friday prayer at the Shehu of Borno’s Grand Mosque and a special prayer for the entrenchment of peace and security in the Lake Chad sub region in particular and for the continued unity and development of the people of Kanem Borno wherever they may find themselves.
Of particular mention were the Sultans and Chiefs from Chad, Cameroon, Niger, Benin, Ghana, Sudan, Gabon who graced the summit. Chadian government officials including three Ministers of government, various socio cultural groups, academia and a host of others attended the Submit.

In the evening of February 16, His Eminence, the Shehu of Borno, who is the Temporal and Spiritual Head of the Kanem Borno Empire hosted delegates to a traditional horse race (garlap) at the Dandal Kura in front of the palace.

On Saturday the 16th of February, an international colloquium was held where experts and academicians presented topical papers on identified thematic areas that would bring to fore, challenges faced by all in terms of peace and peaceful coexistence, economic and social development, stabilization and integration in a post insurgency Lake Chad Basin Region showcasing the people’s most cherished culture and tradition.
The Submit climaxed on Sunday, with His Eminence, the Shehu of Borno, hosting a grand durbar of Borno contingent to show the visiting delegates and participants the pomp and pageantry with which Borno is known in terms of horses and horsemanship.

In his speech during the international colloquium held at the Muhammad Indimi International Conference Centre University of Maiduguri, the Chairman organising committee for the Submit, Alhaji Hassan Zanna ( the Zanna Boguma of Borno), said the summit is a unique privilege for this generation.
The Zanna Boguma of Borno who is also the Chairman Borno Eminent Concerned Citizens Forum ( BECCF), said the over one thousand years of sustained Islamic heritage is a source of pride not just for the people of Borno , but those of the African continent and the rest of the world.

He noted that it is therefore a cause of celebration for the entire Muslim ummah, saying that It is also an abundantly rich space and time frame for all lovers of history and culture as people gather the unprecedented dignitaries to review their history and culture.
Boguma said to accomplish this onerous task of holding a colloquium for a scholarly discussion of the diverse of Kanem Borno heritage, a global convergence of scholars and academics from various countries is indeed a source of pride.

He added that the annual consultative meeting built on the evolving partnership between the BECCF and all other sister groups and various governments is to strengthen peace building, develop a framework for cultural reintegration and language preservation he believed would align with global framework for achieving the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.
He said, “Our purpose in this year’s summit is to identify and recommend strategic areas for enhanced collaboration among our diverse communities focusing on the advancement of our ideals as a people.
“Our expected outcomes in this year’s meeting is a strategic action plan outlining the pathway for strengthened partnership and concrete collaborative engagement among our people.

“The 3 -day events starting with prayers for peace yesterday at the Shehu’s grand mosque will also provide an opportunity for our leaders, the vast majority of our people and governments to reflect on measures and strategies in the promotion of development, regional integration, stabilization, peace and security.
“The 3- day summit after a unique opportunity to participants to exchange ideas on practical implementation measures and launch a new initiative that seems to foster the effective delivery of regional integration, peace and security. It will also be an occasion to reaffirm our commitment to unity, the preservation of our dying cultures and the protection of our receding languages.”
Overwhelmed by the history and the elegance of the Kanem Borno cultural heritage during the Submit’s colloquium, the Minister of Culture, Arts and the Creative Economy, Barr Hanatu Musa Musawa, said the Federal Government would establish museum for Kanem Borno cultural heritage that would serve as a centre for research, documentation and tourism.

Further speaking at the Kanem Borno Cultural Summit Colloquium with the theme “Toward Achieving Sustainable Development” the Minister noted that the Kanem museum would be stocked with Kanuri artifacts and antiques that reflect the historical and cultural identity of ancient Kanem Borno empire and civilization.

“Despite the security challenges faced by people in Borno, they remained steadfast in maintaining their cultural heritage. The Ministry of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy would establish Kanem Borno museum to preserve Kanuri cultural identity and heritage,” the Minister said.
She also requested the Borno state government to support her ministry in establishing the museum, so that people from all over the world can come, see and appreciate the ancient culture of Kanem Borno empire.
The Managing Director North East Development Commission (NEDC ) , Dr. Mohammed Alkali who was among guests at the occasion, said the Commission was among major supporters of the Kanem Global Summit 2024.
He said the cultural summit is in line with the NEDC mandate of building resilience, peace, social cohesion and economic development of the Northeast Zone and it is in harmony with the objectives of the North East Stabilization and Development Master Plan towards recovery in the post insurgency era in the Lake Chad Region, hence the support and participation.

In his speech, Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum who represented the Vice President, Kashim Shettima at the submit , expressed his joy to address the gathering at the occasion marking the Kanem Borno annual submit in Maiduguri, and most sincerely thanked the organisers.

Zulum who noted that the submit is not only apt but timely in the annals of the people of Borno State, said the Kanem Borno empire is one of the most respected and powerful kingdoms before the advent of the western colonialism.

“ The Kanem Borno civilisation which has survived thousand years occupy space in the encyclopedia of the world civilisation. History has shown that the ancient Borno empire traded with merchants in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

“Let us come together and reserve our rich cultural heritage, this event would provide necessary avenue to inculcate our culture to our young generations and ensure that the people of Borno State.

“We are going to hold another cultural summit by the year 2025, better than this one, this is just the beginning, I urged you to be patience with us and cooperate with us in preserving our culture,“ said Zulum.

The Chief host of the summit and the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Umar Garba Al-amin Elkanemi, welcomed the Kanuri speaking people from Chad, Niger, Cameroon, Central Africa, Libya and other countries that have all gathered to witness the first ever Kanem Borno Cultural Summit in Maiduguri.

He used the occasion to call on the businessmen in Borno to avoid hoarding food items and critical goods, as a sign of respect for humanity which is a symbol of Kanem Borno empire.