CALL FOR PAPERS - GINSHIƘIN NAZARIN SALON WAƘOƘIN HAUSA: A FESTSCHRIFT IN HONOUR OF PROFESSOR ABDULLAHI BAYERO YAHYA

 

CALL FOR PAPERS

THEME: HAUSA LANGUAGE, LITERATURE AND CULTURE

Sub-themes

(i) Hausa Literate Poetry

(ii) Hausa Oral Poetry

(iii) Literature and History

(iv) Genres of Literature Interaction

(v) Style in Poetry

(vi) Literature and Security

(vii)   Literature and Development

(viii)  Literature and Politics

(ix)    Poetry and Descent

(x)     Poetry and Semantics

(xi)    Poetry, Language and Children

(xii)   Poetry and Translation

(xiii)  Poetry, Language and Metaphysics

(xiv)  Hausa Poetry and Defence of Culture

(xv)   Film Industry and Hausa Poets

(xvi)  Poetry, Enlightenment and Reform

(xvii) Poetry as a Tool of Cultural Destruction

(xviii) Contemporary Issues In Poetry

(xix)  Poetry, Dialect and Pragmatics  

About

Professor A. B. Yahya as he is well known among colleagues and students, was born in 1953 to a family of scholars (Mallams or cleris) in a quarter called Gi]a]awa in Sakkwato town, first the capital of Sokoto Caliphate and of the present day Sokoto State in the north-western region of Nigeria. It is therefore no surprise that for the fifty years (1972-2022) Professor A. B. Yahya has spent in the service of his motherland and beyond have been in the teaching profession. Professor Yahya at the age three or four was first enrolled, like any other Hausa child, into a Qur’anic school headed by Mallam Haliru Gi]a]awa. He was then at the age of about seven years enrolled into Waziri Ward Primary School, Sokoto (later renamed Waziri Model Primary School, Sokoto) in 1961. Although in those days primary education took seven years to complete, Yahya spent six as he was promoted from class three to class five. In 1967 he was admitted into Government Secondary School, Birnin Kebbi. On completion of this school in 1971 he took up to teaching in early 1972 at Kware Town Primary School, Kware, despite his classmate friend’s pleas that both of then should apply for admission into Pre-degree studies of Abdullahi Bayero College, Ahmadu Bello University, Kano. His reason was to gain admission into the Advanced Teachers College, Sokoto which was established in 1970, so that he could be trained as a teacher. Thus, in October 1972 Yahya gained admission into the teachers college which is today called Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto. Upon graduation in May, 1975 A. B. Yahya became a certified trained teacher who had done his Teaching Practice at Gusau Teachers College, Gusau and Government Teachers College Bida as a student teacher in 1974 and 1975 respectively.

Yahya was posted to teach in Government Secondary School, Anka where he stayed until in 1978 when he secured admission into Bayero University, Kano. He graduated as a combined honours graduate of Hausa and Islamic Studies in 1981 as well as obtaining a Graduate Certificate in Education which he pursued concurrently. After his NYSC at G.S.S, Anka in 1982, Yahya secured admission to read M.A. Hausa again at Bayero University from October 1982 to October 1983. It was during this period that he secured an appointment with University of Sokoto, now Usmanu [anfodiyo University, Sokoto, and assumed work in November. No sooner had he assumed work in the university than he registered for Ph.D degree as one of the first three graduate candidates in the Department of Nigerian Languages of the university. He defended his thesis in 1987.

Yahya rose from the rank of Assistant Lecturer to that of Professor which he attained in 2003. Beside his primary assignment as a lecturer he also served in many capacities like Departmental Examination Officer, Head of Department, Deputy Dean, Director Academic Planning, Director Cibiyar Nazarin Hausa as well as a member of the University Governing Council. Yahya was also on secondment as an Associate Professor to the University of Sabha, Libya and Provost, Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto. He was also in the United States as an award winner of Senior Fulbright African Research Scholar at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. As a teacher and lecturer from primary through secondary schools up to tertiary institutions, Prof. A.B. Yahya nurtured pupils, boys and students who rose to high positions as doctors, professors and administrators, including a governor of a state and later a senator of the country’s National Assembly.

In addition to conducting viva voce of several theses and dissertations, assessing works for those aspiring to become Associate Professors and Professors in many universities in the country, Professor Yahya has to his credit over fifty publications that include articles in respected journals and books that include three Hausa text books he co-authored for foreign students (specifically for Libyan secondary school students), three text books for university students and one text book for public (for ordinary man in the street as he considers it to be). He also has many works in progress on his table.

Over eighty per cent of the works by Yahya were written in Hausa Language because, as he often puts it, of his love and passion to promote the Language and his dislike to write in English, except for a specific purpose, like the co-authored one currently in process of being written in order to enlighten those who misunderstand the love that Muslims have for the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) and all the prophets and messengers of Allah. By far the most sought after text books of the Professor by both students and lecturers of Hausa Literature are his Salo Asirin Wa}a which has been published two times and Jigon Nazarin Wa}a which he is trying to revise like the former.

It is in recognition of Prof. A. B. Yahya's contributions to the academia that the department of Nigerian Languages, UDUS, wishes to honor this distinguished Professor with a festschrift to appreciate his over three decades contributions to research in the area of Hausa poetry. This festschrift is expected to offer an opportunity for his colleagues, friends, teachers, students and associate to acknowledge, with gratitude and respect, the enormous contributions of this intellectual giant.

FESTSCHRIFT SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

·        Abstract should be not less than 250 words

·        Full length paper should not be less than 6000 - 8000 words at least (15 pages).

·        Papers should be typed, using Abdallah or Rabiat and Times New Romans, 12 font size and double space, either in Hausa or English Language.

·        Both MLA and APA references styles are welcome.

·        Contributors will pay a non-refundable processing fee of #5,000.00 (Five thousand Naira) only per paper into Department Account:

Acct Name – Department of Nigerian Languages
Bank – Polaris Bank
Acct No – 4090257451

Submission Deadline

Fully developed papers should be submitted on or before Thursday August 31, 2023 electronically to: 

yahayaidris33@gmail.com, or
ABYahyaFestschrift2023@gmail.com

For more information contact any of the organising committee members:

Prof. B. B. Usman (Chairman, 08027459617)
Dept of Nigerian Languages
Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria

Dr. Abdullahi S. Gulbi (Member, 08089949294)
Dept of Nigerian Languages
Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria

Dr. Nazir Ibrahim Abbas (Member, 08060431934)
Dept of Nigerian Languages
Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria

Dr. Yahaya Idris (Secretary, 07038890270)
Dept of Nigerian Languages
Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria