Overview
- Lesson Title: Female Entrepreneurship in Nigeria - This is an interview with a Nigerian woman entrepreneur about her business.
- Language: Hausa
- Topic: Culture/Society
- ILR Level: 1+/2
- ACTFL Proficiency: Advanced-Mid, Advanced-Low, Intermediate-High; This ACTFL rating is an approximation based on the ILR level
- Modality: Listening
- Learning Objective: Maintenance & Improvement
- Subject Area: Language
- Material Type: LLO
- Publication Year: 2009
- ObjectID: T8LHA10
Transcript
| Original | Translation |
|---|---|
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A: Masu saurare barkan mu da war haka, da fatar an wayi gari lafiya, {Grace [ English]} Alheri Abdu ke farin cikin sake saduwa da ku a cikin wannan shirin. Idan kuna biye da mu shirin Kainuwa Dashen Allah yana Kaduna birnin gwamna, inda wakiliyarmu Madina Dauda ta yi mana hira da Hurera Muhammed kafinta, wadda banda ainihin aikin kafinta take wadansu kere-kere daban-daban, kada in kai ku da nisa, ga Madina da kallabi tsakanin rawwuna. B: Wa’yannan injina da ake amfani da su kamar wannan da ke kara ga kuma wani kato nan na gani, a ina kike samo su? C: E, wa’yannan gaskiya duk daga waje ake kawo mana su, amma akwai wa’yansu injina da muke kokari ba wai ma cikin wa’yannan din mun samu mun yi kokari an dan kekkera mana wadansu a nan, da yake muna da Kasuwan Fanteka, a nan wurin, in akwai wani abu da muke bukata,da muka ga za a iya dan sarrafa mana, to kuma yana da basirar aikin hannu, {so[English]} kuma ni, {Alhamdu lillahi [Arabic]} dai na sa kai na dan koyi yadda za a yi amfani, na sa sha’awa na san yadda ake umfani da wadansu injinan nan, kuma ban da fargaba in taba kowane irin injin ne, to kuma sai na samu na samo yara na koya musu, to yanzu shi ne kike gan su suna yin wannan aiki, to yanzu ba sai na sa musu hannu ba. B: To ah, wane irin makaranta kika je ke nan, wane irin {secondary school [English]} kika to kia yi? C: Ni sakandarin da na je daman {unity school [English]} ne, kuma sunan makarantana {Federal Government Girl College [English]} a Gusau, yanzu Zamfara {State [ English]}. B: To a nan ne ake koya muku wa’yannan sana’o’i hannu? C: A, a, ba a nan ake koya mana ba dai, a, a gaskiya ma ni don sha’awa nake da. B: To nan wannan daki kuma na ga kekunan dinki ne iri daban-daban, ga wani can mai zare barkate, ga wani ma da ban taba ganin shi ba, ga kuma irin wanda na saba gani da teloli ke amfani da shi wajen dinkuna. Nan kuma me ake yi? C: E, nan wurin, wannan dakin da kike gani nan wurin, wannan shi ne dakin da telolinmu suke dinkuna, ba mu yin dinkin kaya na jiki, abin da duk muke yi dan kaya da suke kawata suturan mutum shi ne, muna yi jakukkuna haka, wato {shopping bags [English]} ko {hand bags [ English]} da makamantansu ko {school bags [ English]} na yaran makaranta muna yin jakukkuna. B: Ga wasu tukwane kuma na gani a kabot. C: E, wa’yannan tukwane ne, tukwane ne namu kamar dai namu na gida na sanholama, wanda ake kirkirowa dai hakan nan dai {normal [English]} dai na gida, shi ne kike gani a nan. B: To na ga kin musu kwalliya-kwalliya ne, su ma ana kwalliyan gida ne da su? C: E, mu muna kwalliyar gida da su, kuma mu dai ba ma dai ana girki da wannan tukanen da kika gani ba ne, an dai kirkiro su ne saboda wani abu ne daga cikin al’adarmu, amma ni kuma na fito da wannan ne saboda wannan al’adarmu ce, Dan-Chana ba zai ce wannan shi ne wai abin da al’adunsu suka koya musu ko kuma uwayensu suka tuka tuwo da shi ba, amma wannan mu namu uwayenmu na Afirka da shi suke tuki, amma ni kuma wannan abin da kike kallo hikima ne, fitilar wuta ne da kuma abin turaren wuta a nan wurin da kike gani. B: To wa’yannan jakunkuna da na gani an musu kamar kamfala-kamfala fa? C: Eh, daman da kamfala din ne ma kike gani, don duk kokarin da muke yi, muna kokarin mu ga cewa duk wani hanya da ake yi a wani shigo da wani kyale-kyale na Bature ko wani abu can da ba namu ba, ina mace ina yin wannan abin da wahala, amma ni na san cewa nan da gaba ba ni kadai ba, tun da da ina samu sosai ina samun ci da sha dai ba abin da dai na rasa, da abin da nake, amma dai na ga ina da sana’a ya za a ce ni kadai ce zan tsaya in rike abin nan har ko in mutu ko wani abu, shi ya sa nake kokari nima in raya al’adar nan ma mutanen arewa ma gabaki daya ma ba ma ni kadai ba nan, saboda abin nan da nake ta yi na je kauyuka a cikin Arewan nan sosai-sosai, tsakanin Gusau, Sokoto duk na yi kokari kamar har da su fata muna yi da sauransu duk na yi kokari abubuwan da nake ga mutanen mu ba su gane sirrin ba ko kuma ba su da ilimin ci gaba, ni to Allah ya yi min wannan ilimin, kuma na samu dai gwargwado dai wayewar kai da na samu na fita da kaina dai haka nan gwargwado, da ikon Allah dai cikin hikimarshi dai hanyar da ya yi na in samu nake iya yin wannan abin, na dan yi nisa da abin, {so [ English]} ina kokari ne ina so in janyo ra’ayinsu su gane cewa wannan da suke cewa ba mu da sana’a ko ba mu da mai, ba shi ba ne, muna da abin yi kuma muna da sana’a sosai-sosai, kasar nan ma kudi ne, amma ba a sani ba, sai ka ga mutanen mu suna zuwa suna maula. |
A Scarf Between the Turbans A: We welcome you, listeners, and we hope you’re doing well this morning. This is Grace Alheri Abdu, and I’m happy to be with you again for this program. You’re listening to our program God's Seedling from the capital city of Kaduna, where our correspondent Madina Dauda has interviewed the carpenter Hurera Muhammed, who also does other kinds of machine work besides carpentry. So stay tuned, here is Madina and this “scarf between turbans.” B: These machines that you use, like this small one and this enormous one that I see here, where did you get them? C: Well, those are all imported, but there are other machines besides those that we get and try to do a little tinkering on here, because we have the Fanteka Market right here. If there’s something that we need and we see that someone who’s good with his hands could make it for us . . . . So, as for me, praise be to God, I volunteered and started learning how these machines were used, and I took an interest in knowing how to use the other machines here. I’m not afraid to touch any type of machine. So, then I brought some children in and taught them, and now you see them doing this work all by themselves without my assistance. B: So . . . what kind of school did you attend? What sort of secondary school did you go to? C: The secondary school I attended was a unity school [a school that admits students from all over Nigeria regardless of state origin] called the Federal Government Girls College in Gusau in what is now Zamfara State. B: And was it there that you learned these manual trades? C: No, I didn’t learn them there. It was just something I was interested in. B: So, here in this room I see different sorts of sewing machines. There’s one over there with all sorts of threads, and another kind that I’ve never seen before, and a kind that I know tailors use for sewing. And what does this one here do? C: Well, this room right here, as you see, is where our tailors do the sewing. We don’t sew clothing; we only make accessories. We make bags like this—that is, shopping bags—or handbags and the like, or schoolbags for children. We make bags. B: And I see some pots in the cupboard. C: Yes, these pots are ours. They’re household aluminum pots that we make, just the normal household kind. That’s what you see here. B: And I see that you have decorated them. Do people decorate their homes with them? C: Yes, we decorate homes with them. These pots that you see aren’t used for cooking. They’re made as a reflection of our culture, and I put this one out because it’s from our culture. Chinese people wouldn’t consider this something that their customs teach them or that their wives would use to cook with. But this is one that our mothers here in Africa would cook with. And to me, that item that you’re looking at symbolizes wisdom: it’s a lantern and incense holder. B: So, are these bags that I’m looking at made like tie-dyed cloth? C: Yes, as you see, it’s just like tie-dyed cloth. We really try to find a way to avoid using imported European materials or anything else. I’m a woman doing this difficult work, but I know that now and in the future, I am not alone. I have been given so much and have attained everything I need for my own livelihood. I have a trade that some would say I should just hold onto for the rest of my life, for my own sake, but I make an effort to seek out and develop the cultures of people throughout the northern region, not just my own. I go to villages all around the north here, between Gusau and Sokoto, and everywhere. I do my best, even when they want us to do something else, and I make an effort to do things that I know our people who are uneducated may not understand. I know that God has given me this knowledge, and what I have received, I have passed on to others. The power of God in his wisdom has given me the ability to do what I do, and I have gone far with it. So I’m trying to change peoples’ opinions so they realize it’s wrong to say that we don’t have a proper trade or that we aren’t capable. We have a purpose and we have many trades. This country has money, but you wouldn’t know it, seeing our people begging in the streets. |
Glossary
| Hausa | English Meaning |
|---|---|
| kainuwa dashen Allah | (lit: God grown water lettuce) fruit given only by God
Water lettuce is a plant that grows on a stagnant pond without any human intervention. This expression is commonly used to refer to self-development or achievement. |
| kallabi tsakanin rawunna | (lit: a head-tie between the turbans) a woman who does work normally performed by men
In most African societies, women wear scarves whereas men wear hats or turbans. This metaphor draws attention to the fact that the woman's vocation is distinctive because it is traditionally a man's occupation. |
| ba sai na sa musu hannu ba | (lit: I do not have to put hand) I do not have to lend a hand |
| barkatai | scattered, unorganized, many (from Yoruba) |
| tukwane na sanholama | just an ordinary home pot
In some African societies, the wealth of a woman is measured by her collection of pots and other kitchen utensils. |
| daga waje ake kawo mana su (ingina) | (lit: they bring them from outside) imported |
| turaren wuta | (lit: perfume of fire) incense |
| kamfala-kamfala | tie-dye |
| Ilimin ci gaba | continuing education |
| maula | begging
Masu bara refers to beggars. |
Notes
1. African Women and African Development
Women are becoming more significant contributors to social and economic development in African societies, although sometimes cultural, religious, and social norms still relegate them to the margins. However, views are shifting toward greater representation of women in public matters. Many governments are promoting gender equality through girls’ education and women’s literacy, and through the involvement of women in the decision-making process. For instance, in 2005, Liberian voters elected as their president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. Lydia Pohlgreen's article “In First for Africa, Woman Wins Elections as President of Liberia" calls her "the first woman elected head of state in modern African history.”
Polgreen, Lydia. (2005, November 12). In first for Africa, woman wins elections as president of Liberia. New York Times. Retrieved June 3, 2009, http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/12/international/africa/12liberia.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print
2. More Information
To read more about the role of African women in business and politics, see Takyiwaa Manuh’s “Women in Africa’s Development: Overcoming Obstacles, Pushing for Progress” and Elphas Bengo’s “Quest Ahead for Modern African Woman” at the following Web sites:
http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/bpaper/maineng.htm
http://www.selfgrowth.com/artman2/publish/empower_articles/Bengo1_printer.html