An Art-Historical Analysis of Selected Sacred Sufi Paintings in Kano, Nigeria

‘Iconoclasm’, which may simply be defined as the destruction of artworks as a result of hatred towards them is a common phenomenon in all the three major Abrahamic desert religions; Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Because Islam frowns at representational art, especially sculptures in the round, many Muslim artists pursue and develop their creativity in the elegant Arabic calligraphic embellishments used to adorn the walls of mosques, palaces and the covers of Islamic books. However, despite the growing nature of iconoclasm amongst mainstream Muslims, the Sufis see no harm in visually and artistically representing their saints and hermits as a way to honour them and seek their barakah (blessings). It is on this basis that this paper examines selected sacred Sufi paintings of Kano, Nigeria. Relying heavily on oral interviews and written sources this paper traces the historical development of sacred Sufi paintings in Kano, Nigeria, focusing largely on the art historical appreciation and contextualization of such paintings. The paper also found out that despite the importance of sacred Sufi paintings in the reconstruction of history, they receive little or no scholarly attention. &nbsp

A Review of Emergent Masculinities: Gendered Power and Social Change in the Biafran Atlantic Age. By Ndubueze L. Mbah. Athens: Ohio University Press, 2019. 307 p. $ 33.20.

For a long period of time, women played significant roles in many pre-colonial African societies, serving in various capacities as religious, political, and economic leaders. The exact roles and status of these women, however, differ contrastively from one society to another based on factors such as religion, culture, and social organization. Though this unpopular fact about African history receives little or no attention from scholars, few studies offer some insights into the history and transformation of the powers of female leaders in Africa (Weir, 2000; Ogbomo, 2005; Weir, 2006; Achebe, 2011; Akyeampong & Fofack, 2014). Along this intersection, Mba\u27s Emergent Masculinities is no doubt a significant contribution, especially to the pre-colonial and colonial history of the Igbo at the Bight of Biafra (1750-1920), focusing mainly on how certain Western influences such as the Trans-Atlantic Slavery, legitimate trade, and colonialism shaped the peoples\u27 socio-political and economic institutions

Digital Archiving and the Establishment of Open Access Digital Repositories in Selected Nigerian Universities

This paper focuses on digital archiving and the establishment of open Access digital repositories in three selected Nigerian Universities. Despite the abundance of vital information kept in the traditional archives of Nigerian universities, many researchers cannot easily access it due to the seeming absence of proper digitization and online visibility. It is also observed that the practice of archiving and the management of information in the repositories in Nigerian universities is limited to the central library, which makes access to information in the satellite archives across the departments and in the administrative units very difficult. This paper therefore, intends to; determine the nature, existence and the roles of digital repositories in the three selected Nigerian universities and to identify the types of information sources and resources available in their digital repositories, among others. Qualitative research methodology was adopted. Data was purposefully obtained from the websites of the three Selected Nigerian universities. The findings of this study indicate that the Digital Repositories existed in the three selected universities studied with different names, and were found to contain volumes of scholarly information sources and resources, which were organized in a systematic and chronological order, but it is not well structured to specifically link resources in the departments, faculties and other units of the universities with the central repositories. It was also found that Digital Repositories were not always accessible, possibly due to inadequate ICT infrastructure and necessary staff skills for their effective maintenance. It was concluded that the repositories existed for over a decade and were providing information services to its users. It was recommended that, the management of the universities studied should imbibe strong maintenance culture to effectively manage the Digital Repositories for sufficient access to scholarly information sources and resources and should consider the installations and deployment of necessary ICT infrastructure, as well as the right software configurations including the provision of regular staff training for proper digitisation and digitalisation of work processes and procedures in the repositories for efficient results and the promotion of Digital Data Literacy in Africa

Slavery and its characteristics

Though slavery as a social institution had been part and parcel of almost all human societies for a time immemorial, the concept lacks a proper foregrounding and all-encompassing definition. Similarly, most literature tend to have overlooked the major characteristics of slavery as the concept was in most cases impliedly treated. Using written documents and qualitative research methodology, this paper brings out the major features of slavery and its varying perspectives from one African society to another. It also examines some conceptual issues revolving around the meaning, forms, roles and challenges associated with the concept of slavery. This paper finds out that though slaves were highly persecuted by slave owners aside the deprivation of all their rights, Islam and other African societies provided some basic ‘rights’ to people that are enslaved. These include rights to marry, or even own properties as the case may be

A black power in the Blue Nile: A military history of the Funj Sultanate of Sinnār 1503-1821

Funj, a dark skinned people of Arab origin located in the northeastern part of the present day Republic of Sudan went into political alliance with the Abdullāb (an ethnic group in the area) the peak of which was the establishment of a conglomeration in the late 15th century. In 1503,the Funj through wars of conquest took over the mantle of leadership, which subsequently led to the establishment of the Funj Sultanate with its capital at Sinnār. Despite the military strength of the Sultanate of Sinnār however, historians give it little, or no concern and thus, this paper studies the military history of the Funj laying emphasis on the historical formation of the Sultanate’s military, method of drilling, weaponry, wars and expeditions, coups and counter-coups, the introduction and impact of its military reforms, as well as, the coup of 1762, which played an important role in the decline of the Sultanate in 1821. Built on both oral and written sources, the paper argues that even the available written sources treated the history of the Funj from the periphery mainly placed within the context of other political entities that had flourished in the region located east of the Blue Nile. The paper equally observes that a study of this nature does not only expand the boundaries of the military history of the Funj, but also, lessons can be deducted from the Sultanate’s history, especially that revolving around the strength and weaknesses of its military formation

MUSINGS IN THE GARDEN: SCULPTURE PARK AND THE AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY

The culture of sculpture parks is as old as art itself and exists in almost all communities across the globe. Such parks, their grandeur, serene outlook, artistic presence, and representations of a plethora of socio-political and economic issues mean a lot, especially to the people associating with them. Using an art historical analysis, primary and secondary data in the form of oral interviews, and extant literature, this paper studies the historical development of the Sculpture Garden of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria focusing mainly on its features, and functions, particularly within the University community.  Although the Garden emerged from the necessity of providing space for the reservation and preservation of the outdoor sculptures produced by students ofthe Fine Art Department of the University, this paper argues that it now blossoms to provide a conducive atmosphere for the exhalation of emotion, empathy, love, and peaceful contemplation. This is absent in the few previous studies conducted on the Garden. This paper concludes that the Garden also serves many purposes different from art and aesthetics, including the proliferation of businesses while providing a serene environment for meetings, lectures, and shelter for lovers