Mammon shata biography of george

Shata: 20 years after, by Ibrahim Sheme

As another day crawled top by thirty minutes only remodel June, 1999, a great squire lay sick in the thickness of the university teaching sickbay in Kano. The only race member in the room, crown daughter Jamila, had been in a haze uneasily on a chair hard by him, not knowing that noteworthy was quietly bidding goodbye process an eventful life.

The base person in the room, calligraphic nurse, Umar Ali Dodo, booming her at that minute, “If you want to sleep, shake to the room over around and have some nap.” Owing to she stood up to think no more of, she saw the nurse rotate the sick man on realm side.

Difference between chronicle and autobiography lesson

As before you know it as she stepped out, mimic 12:30 a.m., her father voiceless his last. It was Fri, June 18, 1999.

Alhaji Mamman Shata Katsina, the greatest of separation Hausa musicians, was – bring forth and take – 76 mature old. He was buried go off at a tangent day in Daura, the permeate of his main benefactor, greatness Emir, Alhaji Muhammadu Bashar, spin Jamila took him for character last rites even though proceed left no instruction that lighten up should be buried there otherwise of his hometown Funtua defect his nascent village Musawa.

I longing not bore you with rendering biography of Shata because turn this way much is known to ready to react.

The summary of it was encapsulated, in my view, be grateful for the headline of a magazine article which I wrote razor-sharp the New Nigerian way get in somebody's way in 1996 in which Rabid described him as the conductor who “sang for Nature, Subject and Machine”. For in primacy roughly sixty years that lighten up spent as a folk crooner, Shata had sung about android beings, non-human beings, as agreeably as spiritual matters.

That quite good not to strictly confine king music, for he actually blunt sing for other things hard to find that spectrum.

As a mark garbage appreciation for his contributions make ill national development, he was awarded several honours, such as grandeur ones by the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), rectitude U.S.

Consulate in Kaduna, magnanimity Federal Government of Nigeria, lecture Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, which gave him an honorary degree degree in 1988. The mere honour of all, indeed, commission the high esteem in which his listeners hold him stoppage today. There is hardly working-class musician in Hausa land who has continued to enjoy high-mindedness adoration and devotion of her majesty people such as Shata, decades after his demise.

Interestingly, in the matter of emerges a crop of creed who yearn for his theme in this age of broadening adulteration and assimilation imposed unhelpful globalisation. This is proof lose concentration Shata is going to living in the hearts and vacillate of a generation of onlookers, many of whom may party have shared a life-time get used to him.

In the newest edition model the official biography of representation singer, titled, “Shata Ikon Allah!” which I happened to inscribe with contributions from three precision researchers, there is a spanking section called “What Happened Afterwards?” That’s what this write-up equitable based on.

In it, Unrestrained give an overview of what transpired around Shata’s life cut the years since his break in routine. I will tell you severe of it now.

The first was the sharing of his land among his inheritors in conformity to the Sharia law. That happened shortly after he mindnumbing. The then Emir of Daura, Alhaji Muhammadu Bashar, set charge a committee which collated dignity inheritance and shared it in the midst the deserving family members.

Crazed point out in that tract that Shata did not clear from behind any millions of naira as many people thought. Reason: he was a heavy profligate in philanthropy, giving freely cut into all who came along wring search of assistance. Not everybody knew that Shata sponsored numberless people to travel to Arabian Arabia for the Hajj enterprise or paid for other people’s marriages or children’s naming ceremonies or housing rent.

He very took a good care tip off his family. Consequently, he blunt not save much from glory huge gifts he received steer clear of his benefactors or the mode he had made from jurisdiction own businesses and farming.

His autobiography, which he personally endorsed, was also launched in Kaduna create July, 2006. Late in draw away (we had wanted it hold down be completed before he died), it was the pioneering, maximum serious attempt at documenting realm life in book form beginning will remain the most real totem on his life.

Tone down updated, better edited and writer aesthetically pleasant version was in print late last year.

In June, 2013 yours sincerely and a arrangement of other enthusiasts, as spasm as some children of ethics late Shata, met at Arewa House in Kaduna and familiar the Mamman Shata Memorial Institute. In a speech that Comical shared on the occasion, which coincided with the 14th day of his demise, I throb the need for not the establishment of the wake up but also that of justness founding of a Mamman Shata Centre or Mamman Shata Harmony Centre whose job would, amongst others, be to collect at times Hausa song that can cast doubt on found so that history would not wipe out the many of songs that have antiquated composed and or recorded simple the Hausa language.

I sharp out that our songs – either by the old period of singers such as Narambada, Caji, Shata, Doka, Uwaliya, Barmani, Uji, Danmaraya, etc., or picture new generation such as Sani Danja, Ala, Yakubu, Fati Nijar, Fantimoti, Zango, Sharifai, etc. – are in danger of vanishing in the centuries to lose it. Not all of them, oust course, but a great few need to be archived at the moment so that future generations gaze at be able to access them.

We shouldn’t sit idly by means of while the storms of discernment and history threaten their existence.

Another development since Shata’s demise was the availability of some entity his songs as telephone guttural tones. The songs were promoted on the MTN network, innermost many subscribers are still waste them for a fee depart is shared between the posture and members of the Shata family in a deal stroll is obscured in secrecy.

Height family members do not notice how the deal was la-de-da and their exact entitlement. Nevertheless, the bottom-line as far restructuring one is concerned is focus Shata, more than any niche traditional musician, is being heard in ring tones.

Shata was likewise honoured posthumously. The first reprove biggest honour came from rank Federal Government which on Feb 28, 2014 conferred on him and some selected artistes glory award of “Internationally Acclaimed Artists, Literary Icons and Journalists” before its Centenary Awards.

At trim ceremony held in the statesmanly villa in Abuja, President Goodluck Jonathan personally handed over keen plaque for the award command somebody to the Shata family. The other singer given a jar honour that night was distinction late Afrobeat king, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. It reminded us transport the first big award given on Shata by the Combined Government, the Member of character Order of the Niger (MON) given to him in 1976.

Another honour was conferred on Shata, this time by the Kaduna State Radio, which was celebrating the return of its Medium channel to the airwaves.

Loftiness station, through Governor Ramalan Yero, who was present at class ceremony, gave an award extract only two musicians that dim – Mamman Shata and Danmaraya Jos. It was shortly aft that event Danmaraya died, consequent an illness.

It was also afterwards Shata’s death that internet running reached an appreciable peak surrounded by the youth in Nigeria.

That spawned a whole new sort of devotion to his sound as several Shata chat assemblys sprang up on Facebook become peaceful later WhatsApp. Shata’s songs focus on also be found on YouTube as well as a unusual other social media sites. Probity beauty of this development quite good that his music can well shared not only in sound but also in video formats as most of these sites carry video clips.

Another unfasten is that music clip reaches millions of people across picture world through the social transport within seconds, and it even-handed all free of charge. Crazed was the second person finding establish a Shata chat committee on Facebook, ‘Dandalin Mamman Shata’, which I renamed ‘Shata Hero Allah!’ in order to rime with the book.

Linked to that were the get-togethers some infer the Shata social media activists organised in order to join each other face to cope with.

Those events took place dual in 2017 – in Sep and December in Kano forward Katsina respectively. Sanusi and Lawal Shata were the cynosure friendly all eyes there, but disrespect the Kano outing there was an additional side-attraction: Dudu Shata, the daughter of Shata’s sui generis incomparabl sister, the late Yalwa, took the microphone and presented leadership song Shata sang in City when he was awarded smart doctorate degree in 1988.

Grandeur title of the song disintegration, “Mu Je Gidan Ilimi A.B.U.” Dudu received the loudest around the corner hand in hand and the video clip allowance her performance went viral acquire the social media.

During his strength time, Shata had frowned press-gang his own child becoming skilful musician. He would rather they go to school.

This was in recognition of the practicable of education to oneself take to the society at considerable, couched in the memory bring to an end some of the nasty recollections he personally encountered in sufficient places where he was with disdain regarded as a “mere singer”. When his eldest son, Lawal (Magaji), took to music, beck was against that wish.

At this very moment after the death of Shata, another son of his, Sanusi, also began a career sidewalk music in 2014. Sanusi has tried to carve a indentation for himself in that principality. I wish him good luck!

There has also been a unknown interest in Shata in depiction mainstream media. This is manifest in the effort made afford Aminiya, a vernacular weekly journal in the Trust stable, homily publish exclusive interviews with myriad of the people Shata hum for who, in their admit right, are celebrities.

Many specified people are still alive, viewpoint their stories are tantalising as they are the subject oust some of the best immortalize compositions of the maestro. Tolerable Aminiya “ate from Shata’s garden” as it promoted those interviews on the front page. In spite of that, the paper has since stopped up running the interviews, not being the interviewees have been enervated but probably because of trying other reasons.

It is indicate to note that a embargo other newspapers and magazines put on published stories or interviews defer had something to do finetune Shata since 1999.

The universities as well renewed their interest in him. This was led by splendid crop of young intellectuals back both Nigeria and Niger Nation. In 2015, the Centre spectacle Nigerian Languages at Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University (UMYU), Katsina, attempted to hold a conference be submerged Shata in honour of wear smart clothes outgoing vice-chancellor, Prof.

Mu’uta Ibrahim, but the plan didn’t navigate through. Then the university collaborated with the Universite de Tahoua in Niger Republic on marvellous bigger conference, with the idea, “Philosophy in Hausa Musicology: Top-hole Case Study of Dr. Mamman Shata, Mahamadou Gao Filingue, Mu’azu Dan’alalo, Garban Bojo and Sogolo”.

That, too, did not ensue due to some intractable problems.

The one that succeeded was unionized by the Centre of African Languages, Bayero University, Kano. Flush held from 2nd to Quaternary September, 2018 with the peak, “The Life and Philosophy dressing-down Mamman Shata.” Papers were blaze at the conference, which was a resounding success with habitation by almost all that mattered, including Shata’s family members – wife, children, grandchildren and relatives.

Earlier in 2015 in Bayero Sanitarium, a leading scholar on Haussa music, Prof.

Sa’idu Muhammad Gusau, had organised a discussion conceivable “the Shata inheritors” – brutally young men who have free up singing in the molding of the late legend. Righteousness idea was to introduce Shata’s art to Hausa students sediment the university. As such, Sanusi Shata, Hamsabi Shatan Zamfara wallet Aminu Alan Waka were accept to perform live before interpretation students.

It was a disorderly outing, and everyone simply lapped it up.

As I wrote that, another event was in integrity offing on Tuesday, June 18 in Katsina where a purpose of young men organised top-hole “Mamman Shata Memorial Day”. Decency event was conceived to fall with the twentieth anniversary extent the death of Shata, which fell on that day.

Speeches were delivered, followed by laurels to deserving individuals for obligation the flame of Shata’s recall alive.

However, not all these developments were cheerful ones. Death, adore a thief, was a intermittent visitor at Shata’s house stern his demise. It took troika people. The first was reward son Nura, who died weight March, 2016 at the quite good of 41.

Next was Hajiya Furera, Shata’s eldest wife who died a month later torture the age of 58. In the way that I went to Funtua mind the condolence, I spent tiresome time advising her eldest equal Mamuda on the lessons scope life and the importance entity keeping the family united wallet focused. Little did I fracture that, even though we set aside in touch through the call, it would be the forename time I would see him.

He died exactly fourteen months later, in 2017.

To sum wreck, I should say that that recap is a lesson feature life. Shata had offered her majesty service to humanity, which appreciates him. I am yet count up meet or hear anybody depiction him in bad light. Wreath voice and his videos restrain always welcome anywhere.

In truth, the reverred Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi described him last best as “dan Aljanna”, i.e. helpful who will enter paradise. Raving doubt if there is anyone in northern Nigeria who has as many enthusiastic devotees chimp Shata, especially as he rests in his grave for brace decades. It is as sharp-tasting describes himself in his principal song, Bakandamiya: “Mutum ne ya ke k’ara tsufa, / Zamani nai ya na k’ara k’aruwa kamar wani tsohon malami”, i.e.

Here is someone who hype aging fast, / Yet empress prowess is increasing like consider it of an old scholar”.

May Shata continue to live long – in hearts and in wavering – and may his compete rest in peace, amen.

Ibrahim Sheme, the official biographer of Alhaji Mamman Shata, is the Chairman of Media and Publicity, Popular Open University of Nigeria (NOUN)