UMD NFLC Hausa Lessons/137 Promoting Unity

Overview

1. Title: Promoting Unity
2. Description: This is an excerpt from a 2014 radio interview about political discord in Nigeria. WinXP users should install Arial Unicode font.
3. Speakers: Major Hamza al-Mustapha
4. Program: Democracy
5. Publisher: Radio Nigeria Kaduna
6. Publication Date: 2014-08-08
7. Source Text Type: Radio
8. URL: http://www.radionigeriakaduna.net/fc/2013/DAK%2020-09-13.mp3
9. Language: Hausa
10. Level: 2+/3
11. Topic: Economics/Politics
12. Cultural Notes: Yes
13. Modality: Listening
14. Core Competency: Comprehension
15. Estimated Duration: 45 minutes

Transcript

Source Text

Translation

MANJO HAMZA ALMUSTAPHA: Na farko, tunda na fito, na fahimci abubuwa da dama. Kamar yanda na faɗa a baya, ni ɗan makaranta ne. Amma, na fahimci akwai waɗansu mutane wa’yannda, wa’yanda suna zaune kuma suna yin alaƙa da ah, neman kuɗi akan zaman lafiyar mutane. Wato raba kan jama’a, shi ne sana’arsu. Duk inda fitina ta tashi, a nan sai ka ga suna samun kuɗi, suna samun karbuwa. Wannan ba dai-dai ba ne a zauna a bari haka. Wanda yake Arewa ko wanda yake Kudu, Allah Ya riga Ya haɗamu tare. Wanda ke kawo ɓaraka a cikin Al-umma, baya tare da Allah. Shi ya sa ni yanzu na ga abinda ya fi kyau, shi ne duk inda alama ta fito ta ɓaraka, to dole ne a ɗinketa. Dole a jawo kan mutane, komen tsaurin hankalinsu, komen tsaurin ra’ayinsu. Su dawo, su fahimci cewa, suna da hakkin jama’a a kansu. Ko wanda suke mulki ne, ko da kuma wanda sune suke mabiya da masu mulki, ko masu kuɗi ne, ko talaka ne, ko babba, ko yaro, ko ɗan Kudu, ko ɗan Arewa, ko ‘yar Arewa, ko ‘yar Kudu. Shi ya sa nake yin abinda nake yi yanzu. Ni nawa, shi ne, a yafi juna, a zo a haɗe guda, a zauna cikin kwanciyar hankali da zaman lafiya. A tabbatar da abubuwa. DominDon a yau in muka bari har wata ɓaraka ta fito, shi dai talaka shi za’a kashe, shi za’a taka, masu kuɗin ketarewa zasu yi, saboda su sana’arsu ne. In ka duba duk wanda yake haddasa fitina a cikin jama’a, mutane ne wanda za’a ce mutane ne masu alaka da Shaiɗan, da kuma aikin Shaiɗan. Wanda yake kawo zaman lafiya, ya ke kawo haɗin kan mutane da neman cigaban ƙasa da mutane su ne waɗanda suke yin abu Fi-sabilillah, kuma saboda Allah, saboda Allah Ya ajiye su a ƙasarsu. Neman zaman lafiya a ƙasa, hanya ce ta ibada da kanta, kuma shi ya sa shi na sashi a gaba, da Bi’iznillah izininlah, za’a hada Nijeriya, Bi’izinillahizininlah, duk wani bambance bambance zai kauce, Bi’izinillah, duk wanda suke yaudarar jama’a, akan ka ƙi wannan ko ka ƙi wancan, duka, wannan zai canza. Maganar da ka yi ta Asari Dokubo kuma, Asari Dokubo, matarsa ta farko Bafulatana ce, ‘yar Arewa daga Yobe, matarsa ta biyu Shuwa Arab ce. Jikokin, ‘Ya’yan nasa duk jikokin Arewa ne. To, abinda na zo na gane shi ne, wadansu ‘yan Arewan ne kuma, sai su ingiza shi, sai ya tashi ya yi zage- zagen da ya saba yake yi. To, shi ya sa muka tinkareshi gadan gadan mu ma kuma mu ka tursasa shi, ya kuma fahimta. Shi ya sa ka ji ya yi wannan tuba, ya yi nadama. To, wanda ya zama babba, yana ingiza wani ta wata bangaren ƙasa, yaya tashin, em, yana kawo tashin hankali akan ya rama a kan ingizashin da ake yi, watakila ya yi ne akan rashin fahimta. Amma in muka duba a baya, akwai ƙasar da wata ƙabila ta tashi akan ta rusar da wata ƙabila gaba ɗaya, ta shareta a cikin doron ƙasar. Mutanen Tutsi!, ba zamu yarda haka ta faru a Nijeriya ba. In ‘yan Arewa ne, mu ya kamata mu sasu a kan hanya,. kakanin kakaninmu wanda suka yi mulki da farko, ai sun samu a hanya. Yaya za’a yi mu kauce saboda son duniya? Son duniya ba shi ne girma ba, a’a: hada kan mutane, sa su a hanya ta gari, zaman lafiya, da kuma tabbatar da haka. Sannan kake gane, wanda yake hanya ta gari, kuma zai iya nuna cewa –e, ni babba ne. Wanda duk suke koya mana wani abu daban na kawo tashin hankali, wannan bamu cikinshi, ba kuma zamu yi ba. Da kuma ƙarfi wanda Allah Ya ba mu, iya wanda Allah Ya ba mu, na a hana fitina, za mu yi, fisibilinlahi, ba kuma kaucewa a kan haka.

MAJOR HAMZA AL-MUSTAPHA: First of all, since I was released, I have learned a lot of things. Just like I said earlier, I am a learned person. But, I have come to understand that there are some people out there engaging themselves with, hmm , who are pursuing money over peace. Meaning, they are causing division among the people—that is their trade. Everywhere trouble arises, there you will find them making money and gaining acceptance. It is not right to sit and let things go on this way. Those who are in the north and those who are in the south, Allah has already joined us. Whoever is causing division within the Muslim nation is not with Allah. I have now seen what the better approach is, which is wherever there’s a sign of trouble, it should be addressed. It is imperative to bring people together, no matter how extreme their character, no matter how extreme their extremist opinions. They should understand that they are responsible for protecting the rights of the people. Whether they are in power, whether they are followers of those in power, whether they are the affluent or poor, whether adult or child, whether it is a man from the south or from the north, whether a woman from the north or from the south. That is why I am doing what I do now. My concern is that we forgive one another, become one, to live in peace and harmony. To be certain of things. Because today if we allow dissent to happen, it is the poor that will be killed, it is the poor that will be trampled upon. The rich will not be affected because it is what they do and it’s the result of their handiwork. If you look at all those who are causing trouble among the people, these people are associated with Satan, and they are working for Satan. Those who bring peace, bring unity, and seek progress for the country and its people, they are the ones who work honestly. They work because God placed them in their country. Seeking peace in this country is a path of faith, and that is why I make it a priority, and with the permission of Allah, Nigeria will be united. By the grace of God, all differences and divisions will be eliminated; by the grace of God, all these things will change, including all those who cause division by deceiving the public to like one person and hate another. As for what you said concerning Dokubo-Asari, Dokubo-Asari’s first wife is Fulani, a northerner from Yobe State, his second wife is a Shuwa Arab. His children are all descendants of the north. Well, I have come to understand that some northerners incited him, and he came forward to make insulting statements like he is accustomed to doing. Thus, that is why we confronted him there and then, and we also rebuked him, and he then understood. That is why you heard that he repented and apologized. Well, if someone has risen in the ranks to become a leader and incites people from other regions of the country, hmm, he brings about unrest to avenge what has happened to him, he may be doing it out of ignorance. But if we look back, there is another country in which one ethnic group rose up in order to bring down another ethnic group completely and to wipe them out throughout the country. The Tutsi people! We will not allow that to happen in Nigeria. If they are northerners, we should be the ones to set them on the right path. Our grandparents who ruled first, they put us on the right path. Why then should we err because of the desires of the world? The desires of the world are not absolute. No, uniting the people, setting them on the right path, ensuring peace, this is what is desired. Then you’d understand, he who is on the right path and can demonstrate that, yes, “I am great.”—all those who teach us different things that bring unrest, we are not involved with them and we will never be. And with the strength that Allah has given us and the ability that Allah has given us to prevent trouble, we will do it in the way of Allah, and we will not compromise.

Qs

Preparatory Activity: Multiple Choice

What percentage of Nigerians identify as Muslim?

1. [ ] 30–35 percent
2. [ X ] 45–50 percent
3. [ ] 60–65 percent
4. [ ] 75–80 percent

Feedback: Correct. According to information collected by the Pew Research Center Forum on Religion and Public Life, as of 2010, approximately 47 percent of people in Nigeria identify as Muslim. According to this research, this percentage is projected to increase steadily over the next few decades, surpassing the 50 percent mark by 2030. Pew Research Center Forum on Religion and Public Life. 2011. "The Future of the Global Muslim Population, Region: Sub-Saharan Africa." Accessed February 21, 2015. http://www.pewforum.org/2011/01/27/future-of-the-global-muslim-population-regional-sub-saharan-africa/#nigeria.

Comprehension Check Activity 1: Constructed Response

According to the speaker, why are some people causing division among the people of Nigeria? Model Response: The speaker explains that some people are causing division among Nigerians because they are pursuing money over peace. He says that causing division is the trade that they have chosen to follow. He goes on to say that in any place where such trouble arises, one will find the same kind of people making money by the same means.

Comprehension Check Activity 2: Select All that Apply

According to the speaker, which of the following groups of people should have their rights protected?

1. [ X ] People in power
2. [ X ] People who follow the powerful
3. [ X ] People who are wealthy
4. [ X ] People who are poor
5. [ X ] People from the north
6. [ X ] People from the south

Feedback: Correct. According to the speaker, the rights of all people need to be protected, including those in power, those who follow the powerful, the wealthy and the poor, those from the north and those from the south, and adults, children, men, and women. The speaker also emphasizes that it is of high importance to bring all people together and to avoid division among people, regardless of how extreme their opinions are.

Comprehension Check Activity 3: Multiple Choice

Why does the speaker believe that if dissent is allowed to persist, the poor will be negatively affected while the rich will not be affected?

1. [ ] Because the rich will be able to pay their way out of the country
2. [ ] Because the rich have funded their own private protection forces
3. [ X ] Because the rich are actually the ones who have caused the dissent
4. [ ] Because the rich are protected by having paid off key government officials

Feedback: Correct. The speaker believes that if dissent is allowed to persist, the poor will be harmed or even killed, while the rich will not because, he claims, the dissent is a result of rich people's own actions. There is no mention of the rich paying off key government officials, funding their own private protection forces, or paying their way out of the country.

Comprehension Check Activity 4: Multiple Choice

The speaker claims that those who cause trouble among the people of Nigeria, those who cause division, are still protected by the grace of God.

1. [ ] True
2. [ X ] False

Feedback: Correct. The statement is false. The speaker does not claim that those who cause trouble among the people of Nigeria are still protected by the grace of God. Rather, he claims that such people are associated with Satan and are working as Satan's agents. He explains further that those who work toward peace, unity, and progress for Nigeria are following a path of faith.

Comprehension Check Activity 5: Constructed Response

What caused Dokubo-Asari to repent and apologize for his insulting comments, according to the speaker? Model Response: The speaker claims that Dokubo-Asari repented and apologized for his insulting comments after the speaker and others confronted him and rebuked him on the spot. The speaker notes that Dokubo-Asari's wives are both from the north, and that Dokubo-Asari's insulting comments were incited by a group of people from northern Nigeria.

Comprehension Check Activity 6: Multiple Choice

The speaker explains that though there are deep divisions between different groups in Nigeria, he is willing to compromise with other groups.

1. [ ] True
2. [ X ] False

Feedback: Correct. The statement is false. The speaker does not claim that he is willing to compromise with other groups. Rather, he explains that he and others he associates with will never be involved with groups who are intent on causing unrest in Nigeria, and he further explicitly states that he is not willing to compromise with such groups.

Glossary

1. fahimci <> have learned
2. ɗan makaranta <> (lit: child of school) learned person
3. alaƙa <> engaging
4. raba kan jama’a <> (lit: dividing each other’s heads) causing division among the people
5. fitina <> trouble
6. ɓaraka <> division
7. tsaurin ra’ayinsu <> extremist opinions
8. yafi juna <> forgive one another
9. Fi-sabilillah <> (lit: for the sake of God) honestly
10. Bi’iznillah izininlah <> with the permission of Allah
11. yaudarar <> deceiving
12. ingiza <> incited
13. tinkareshi <> confronted
14. shareta <> wipe them out
15. hanya ta gari <> the right path

Notes

The Notes provide cultural and linguistic information helpful for comprehending the text. Major Hamza al-Mustapha Hamza al-Mustapha was chief security officer in the government of General Sani Abacha, military ruler of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998. In 2012, al-Mustapha was convicted of the 1996 murder of Kudirat Abiola, the wife of the purported winner of the 1993 presidential election, Moshood Abiola, and sentenced to death, but he was acquitted by an appellate court and released from detention in 2013. "Nigerian Sani Abacha Aide Cleared of Kudirat Abiola Death." July 12, 2013. BBC. Accessed February 21, 2015. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-23290484. Mujahid Dokubo-Asari Mujahid Dokubo-Asari was born in 1964 in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. He is the former leader of the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force, and was also a founding member of the Ijaw Youth Council ("Nigeria: Mujahid" n.d.). For many years, Dokubo-Asari was a staunch supporter of Goodluck Jonathan, who became president of Nigeria in 2010. However, in advance of the 2015 presidential elections, Dokubo-Asari has begun to publicly question some aspects of Jonathan's leadership and his ability to win reelection ("Bombshell" 2014). "Nigeria: Mujahid Dokubo-Asari (Asari)." n.d. Africa Confidential. Accessed February 21, 2015. http://www.africa-confidential.com/whos-who-profile/id/2612/page/1. "Bombshell: Pres. Jonathan Can't Win in 2015 – Dokubo Asari." 2014. Naij. Accessed February 21, 2015. http://www.naij.com/45307-53429.html. Tutsi The Tutsi are a minority ethnic group in Rwanda and Burundi, accounting for 9 to 14 percent of the population of the region, the rest being members of another ethnic group, the Hutu. The Hutu were the original inhabitants of the region, but beginning in the fourteenth century, the Tutsi gradually gained power over them. However, with the end of Belgian colonial control over the region and the establishment of Rwandan independence, the Hutu gained power in Rwanda in 1961. In 1994, several hundred thousand Tutsi were killed by the Hutu-controlled government in response to an attempt by Tutsi exiles to retake power. Though the Tutsi maintained power in Burundi, several conflicts have occurred there as well, also with the loss of many lives ("Tutsi" n.d.). "Tutsi." n.d. Encyclopaedia Britannica . Accessed February 21, 2015. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/610671/Tutsi.

Dictionaries

Awde, Nicholas. 1996. Hausa–English, English–Hausa Dictionary . New York: Hippocrene Books. This bilingual dictionary includes terminology relevant to users with interests in computing, information technology, business, and telecommunications. It includes over eighteen thousand entries. Newman, Paul. 2007. A Hausa–English Dictionary , Yale Language Series. New Haven: Yale University Press. This Hausa to English dictionary includes appendices on grammar and calendar terminology. Newman, Roxana Ma. 1990. An English–Hausa Dictionary , Yale Language Series. New Haven: Yale University Press. This English to Hausa dictionary includes appendices on grammar, pronunciation, and currency systems. On-Line Bargery. n.d. A Hausa–English dictionary and English–Hausa vocabulary. Accessed October 14, 2014. http://maguzawa.dyndns.ws/. This online resource features approximately forty thousand Hausa to English entries.

Additional Information

For more information about Major Hamza al-Mustapha, read "Tearful Al-Mustapha Declares...I Met Empty Home!" by Abdul Salam Muhammad, published on July 20, 2013, by the Vanguard , and available at the following URL: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/07/tearful-al-mustapha-declares-i-met-empty-home/ For more information about Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, read "2015: Northern Group Warns Asari-Dokubo Over Comments," by Dennis Mernyi, published on January 1, 2015, by The Sun , and available at the following URL: http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=98198 For a positive portrayal of Major Hamza al-Mustapha, read "Mene ne laifi Manjo Hamza Al-Mustapha?" (What is Major Hamza Al-Mustapha's fault?), by M. A. Farouk, published on February 21, 2014, by the Daily Trust , and available at the following URL: http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/aminiya/index.php/ra-ayoyin-jama-a/4907-mene-ne-laifin-manjo-hamza-al-mustapha