In Northern Nigeria, when horses are not used for the traditional purpose of transportation but marched out in studs for the sake of fun and entertainment, that procession is called a durbar.
Though horses are customarily used for durbar, folks in other climes also use camels or llamas for similar entertainment.
The durbar is not a festival, as many people see it. Rather, it is a classical form of traditional entertainment, mostly carried out by kings’ horsemen to show off the eminence and grandeur of their monarch and kingdom.
In the past, in Northern Nigeria, when kings and emirs ruled with executive or full monarchical powers and responsibilities, a durbar of armed horsemen cladd in majestic regalia were usually put up as escorts or guards for their emir. They display their strength, horsemanship, loyalty and readiness to go to the war for their ruler.
Today, as the traditional monarchs no longer go to war for territorial conquests, the durbar has now become a form of entertainment by the same kings’ men. But these days, it is an avenue to display two things; horsemanship and loyalty to the rulers.
The ancient Kanem-Bornu Empire, which formed part of the present North-eastern states of Borno and Yobe, are known and respected for one unique tradition – horsemanship and prowess.
Great historians have related that the people of Kanem-Bornu Empire, right from the 9th Century, were not only great nomads, warlords and extraordinary business merchants; they were also the first of the Central Sudan people “to acquire and make use of iron technology and horses”.
Though the ancient kingdom has, over the centuries become dismembered and butchered by geographical border redefinitions, especially towards the end of the 19th Century, its rich and enviable tradition from its past is weaved into the present.
In 1963 when Nigeria attained the status of a ‘republic’, Borno’s durbar contingent, led by Shehu Garbai ibn Elkanemi, was declared the best at a procession held in Kaduna, the then defunct capital of the defunct Northern Region of Nigeria.
“There is no gain-saying that the Kanem Bornu Empire is the nucleus of durbar in northern Nigeria. Horsemanship and durbar are the core definitions of the grandeur of the Kanem Bornu and it was after the Durbar procession in 1963 that other parts of northern Nigeria like Kano and the rest began to pick interest in promoting their culture of horsemanship,” said seasoned journalist and historian of note, Malam Ibrahim Gwamna Msheliza.
Msheliza recalled that there were times in the past when the people from the North-west would visit Borno to learn the art of dressing and adorning of horses from the Borno royal horse handlers.
In the old Borno State, horsemen from Gaidam and Machina (in present-day Yobe State) were ranked the best amongst all.
It was also learned that the fortune of the present Borno began to decline slightly in this respect after the creation of Yobe State in 1991.
After the creation of Yobe State, local government areas like Machina and Gaidam moved out of Borno. As such, the glory of the durbar shifted to the sister state, Yobe.
The then district head of Gaidam was Kaigama Zubairu (the title kaigama stands for ‘warlord who leads the royal troops’). That, perhaps, was the reason behind the near-superlative horse-riding skill of the Gaidam and Machina people.
Machina local government area of Yobe State now ranks the best in Nigeria, in terms of horsemanship.
Machina was the durbar champion at the 2008 and 2009 editions of the annual Abuja Carnival.
History has revealed that Machina was once under Gaidam local government area before it became an autonomous local government in 1991.
Machina Did Not Attain Its Stallion Pride Out Of The Void
In the pre-colonial days when the shehus were fully in charge of the administration of their domains, Machina Town was like the defense headquarters of the Kanem-Bornu Empire. The kaigama, who is usually the district head of Gaidam, was equal to the minister of defence.
“Due to its friendly topography, suitable for the breeding and managing of horses, Machina’s famous Gumsi forest was like a depot for all the war horses of Kanem-Bornu. Thousands of horses – both war-tested and the ‘newly broken’ ones being trained in the art of warfare – were kept in the Gumsi Forest where there was enough water and feeds for them all season,” said a member of the royal family in Borno, Malam Yerima Maina Modu.
In those days, if Kanem Bornu was to wage war against any of its many enemies or defend a certain part of its territory, the kaigama (minister of defence) would have to deploy thousands of horses for the troops all the way from the Gumsi Forest at the behest of the shehu.
Till this day, Gumsi forest remains the largest breeding ground of choice horses in the whole of Nigeria and, even up to surrounding countries like Chad and Niger.
“Horsemen from Machina will, forever, remain the best and Kanem-Bornu can never be second fiddle when it comes to the contest for supremacy in horsemanship or durbar,” opined horse enthusiast Alhaji Zanna Goni.
The Shehu of Borno, His Royal Highness, Abubakar Garbai Al-amin Elkanemi, revealed during a news interview in 2009, shortly after his ascension to the exalted throne, that one of his foremost dreams was to reinvigorate the culture of the durbar, which is all about procession of horse-riding for the purpose of entertainment during Eid celebrations or in honour of positive developments or very important visitors to his kingdom.
“I love horses and it is my desire to acquire at least 100 of my own, because it is not only our tradition but our pride as a people,” he had said.
The foremost monarch of Borno said his desire was to, personally, own at least 100 horses in his royal stable, while he will encourage every district and village heads to possess, at least, 25 to 15 horses of their own, accordingly.
The Shehu recalled times in history when, as a boy, his father, then the Shehu of Borno, mounted him on one of the horses of the horse riders who was part of the procession to welcome the late Ethiopian ruler, Emperor Haile Selassie, in the year 1966.
“I rode on the horse during that event, because the horse riders from Borno state were invited to welcome the Emperor with a grand durbar, which he obviously cherished,” said El-Kanemi.
With horse-riders dressed in flambouyant, overflowing regalia and horses resplendent in embroidered seats and muzzles, the durbar procession is usually colourful.
During festivities like Eid ul Fitr, Eid ul Kabir, Independence day celebrations or events like the coronation of a new emir, the swearing in of governors or during the visit of a president, durbar is usually a peculiar show to mark such occasions.
On occasions like the eid celebrations, durbar is usually the icing on the cake.
When the durbar is to hold, horses and men are deployed to file out in their thousands, to witness the pride of tradition.
The joy of the people reaches a crescendo when their monarch mounts his horse and leads the procession of elegantly dressed horses.
In Borno Emirate, for example, no eid celebration is worth remembering if the durbar celebration does not accompany it. The memorable moment of every eid celebration is for the people to see their monarch mounted on his royal stallion, leading a galloping procession of his council chiefs and vicegerents, amid clouds of dusts and pounding hoofs.
Though the durbar has now become a symbolic show and occasional entertainment, its umbilical cord is still tethered to royalty.
No one convenes a durbar without the express consent of the shehu, emir or the district heads, as the case may be.
“Durbar still remains the prerogative of the royals, because it all began with them,” said a prince of the emirate, Abba Ali.
http://leadership.ng/entertainment/life-and-culture/386582/durbar-prestigious-heritage-ancient-kanem-borno-people
Acknowledgement: Leadership
Photo Choice: Tun Images
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