• Home
  • Anti-Corruption
  • Fact-Check
  • Economy
  • National
    • Government
  • Security
  • Features
  • State
  • Event
    • PR Nigeria Award
  • E-Paper
Search
  • Home
  • About
  • Adverts
  • Contact
Sign in
Welcome! Log into your account
Forgot your password? Get help
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.
PRNIGERIA PRNigeria News
PRNIGERIA PRNIGERIA
  • Home
  • Anti-Corruption
    • Engr Abba Babagana Dalori

      Engr Dalori Forfeits Galaxy Hospital, Petrol Station, Properties & Cash

      Chinese nationals jailed in Lagos

      Court Jails Nine Chinese Nationals for Cybercrime in Lagos

      ASUU

      Tackle Corruption, Institutional Decay – ASUU Charges FG

      EFCC Arraigns Bauchi Accountant General Over N8bn Fraud as Court Sentences…

      PRNigeria logo fearured image

      EFCC Arraigns Ex-Convict, Other for Naira Abuse in Lagos

  • Fact-Check
  • Economy
    • Nigeria Customs Partners China on Smarter Ports, Officer Training, Reforms

      Comptroller General Nigerian Customs Bashir Adewale

      Customs Moves Against 223 Importers in N379bn Permit Breach

      Bashir Adewale Adeniyi Customs Boss

      How Customs is Tightening Borders to Stop Illicit Cash Flows –…

      Customs boss, CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi with NAFDAC DG Professor Moji Adeyeye

      Codeine, Tramadol Worth ₦20.5bn Seized as Customs-NAFDAC Cooperation Deepens

      Acting Controller General of Customs, Nigerian Customs Services, NSC, Ag. CG Bashir Adewale Adeniyi

      Adeniyi Inaugurates Lagos School Renovated by Nigeria Customs 

  • National
    • Officers of NSCDC Mining Marshals

      NSCDC Mining Marshal Seals Illegal Lithium Mine in Kebbi, Uncovers Alleged…

      NAF Air Personnel

      NAF ‘Rattles’ ISWAP Terrorists with Decisive Blow in Lake Chad Region

      Department of State Security Service DSS

      Army, DSS-Backed Hybrid Forces Neutralize 45 Bandits in Niger Operation

      Bashir Adewale Adeniyi Customs Boss

      Nigeria Customs Partners China on Smarter Ports, Officer Training

      Super Falcons wins WAFCON Trophy

      VON Apologizes for Erroneous WAFCON Report, Cites Possible Security Breach, Identifies…

    • Government
      • Super Falcons wins WAFCON Trophy

        Falcon’s WAFCON Glory: Tinubu Committed to Sports Development – Minister

        Bashir Adewale Adeniyi Customs Boss

        Nigeria Customs Partners China on Smarter Ports, Officer Training

        NYSC Corps Members in Camp

        Tinubu to Honours 210 Ex-NYSC Members for Meritorious Services

        court Judiciary

        Court Remands TikToker Arrested by DSS for claiming President Tinubu died

        Leon Usigbe

        Tinubu Mourns Veteran State House Correspondent, Leon Usigbe

  • Security
    • Officers of NSCDC Mining Marshals

      NSCDC Mining Marshal Seals Illegal Lithium Mine in Kebbi, Uncovers Alleged…

      NAF Air Personnel

      NAF ‘Rattles’ ISWAP Terrorists with Decisive Blow in Lake Chad Region

      Department of State Security Service DSS

      Army, DSS-Backed Hybrid Forces Neutralize 45 Bandits in Niger Operation

      CP Ikiouye Orutugu

      Anambra Police Bolster Security with New Armoured Personnel Carrier

      NAF Airstrike fighter jets

      NAF Airstrikes Eliminate ISWAP Fighters, Top Commanders in Marte

  • Features
    • Leon Usigbe

      Death, you can’t be Proud of this By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem 

      Tinubu’s Plateau Gambit – Yilwatda, 2027, and the Return of the…

      Ozumi and a recipient of a wheelchair

      Wheels of Hope: How a Simple Gift is Reshaping Lives at…

      Late Ex-President Muhammadu Buhari and Mansur Liman

      “Buhari: A Blunt, Honest Leader Who Laughed at His Own Predicament”

      Intelligence Synergy: Reshaping Nigeria’s Security Architecture, By Mukhtar Ya’u Madobi

  • State
    • Officers of NSCDC Mining Marshals

      NSCDC Mining Marshal Seals Illegal Lithium Mine in Kebbi, Uncovers Alleged…

      NAF Air Personnel

      NAF ‘Rattles’ ISWAP Terrorists with Decisive Blow in Lake Chad Region

      NAF Airstrike fighter jets

      NAF Airstrikes Eliminate ISWAP Fighters, Top Commanders in Marte

      The recovered AK-47 rifles

      Police Operatives Eliminate 3 Bandits, Recover 10 AK-47 Rifles

      NDLEA officials

      NDLEA Arrests Chinese Businessman, 80-Year-Old Grandma in Nationwide Drug Raids 

  • Event
    • Super Falcons wins WAFCON Trophy

      VON Apologizes for Erroneous WAFCON Report, Cites Possible Security Breach, Identifies…

      Cross section of participants and guests at the Kaduna State Chapter world PR day

      Kaduna NIPR Urges Students to Embrace Evolving PR Landscape

      Engr. Saleeman Adedoyin Saleeman

      Global IT Leader Saleeman Adedoyin Launches Free Summer School in Ilorin…

      Celestine Achi, AI in PR specialist

      BOOK REVIEW: AI is Reshaping PR—Celestine Achi Shows Us How

      Saudi Arabia’s ‘Sleeping Prince’ Dies Weeks After PRNigeria Debunked Viral Recovery…

    • PR Nigeria Award
  • E-Paper
Home Event The Names Live On: Honoring Arewa’s Literary and Cultural Legends By Salim...
  • Event
  • Features
  • General

The Names Live On: Honoring Arewa’s Literary and Cultural Legends By Salim Yunusa

By
Salim Yunusa
-
May 19, 2025
Arewa Cultural Legends
Arewa Cultural Legends

The Names Live On: Honoring Arewa’s Literary and Cultural Legends By Salim Yunusa

When we began planning KAPFEST 1.0, we knew one thing for certain: there had to be a poetry slam. With seasoned spoken word artists on our team—people who had performed, judged, or simply loved the art form—this decision felt natural. The slam was not just another item on the program; it was the heartbeat of the festival.

Then came the question of naming it. Without hesitation, I proposed either the Aminu Kano Poetry Slam or the Mudi Sipikin Poetry Slam. Both names carried immense cultural and intellectual weight. Both men embodied traditions of activism, literary expression, and the power of ideas. In the end, we chose Mudi Sipikin. It felt right. It felt timely. It felt necessary.

When I told my friend Mukhtar about the decision to name a core segment of the festival after his father, he was genuinely elated. This was not about sponsorship or personal ties. It was about what Mudi Sipikin stood for—literature, thought, science, commentary, and creative legacy. His voice shaped public discourse in Arewa for decades.

At the inaugural Mudi Sipikin Poetry Slam, young poets from across the country took the stage. They performed. They competed. They won prizes—and they made history. Mukhtar and his brother, Sani Misbahu Sipikin, were there to witness it, with Mukhtar even gifting the winners beautiful textiles in a heartfelt gesture. The SSA to the President also graced the event and made generous contributions. It was a moment of recognition, continuity, and historical reclamation.

Then came ZABAFEST, where the slam was named after Dr. Abubakar Imam, one of the most prominent intellectuals in Northern Nigerian history. His children were present, and they expressed deep appreciation. This was not just about honoring a father—it was about acknowledging a generation of thinkers who laid the foundations of our literary culture.

Read Also:

  • Falcon’s WAFCON Glory: Tinubu Committed to Sports Development – Minister
  • NSCDC Mining Marshal Seals Illegal Lithium Mine in Kebbi, Uncovers Alleged ₦500bn Mineral Theft
  • NAF ‘Rattles’ ISWAP Terrorists with Decisive Blow in Lake Chad Region

And just recently, the Jos Art and Culture Festival announced that its poetry slam would honor Danmaraya Jos. That announcement filled me with joy. Danmaraya was not just a musician; he was a griot, a storyteller, a guardian of memory. To see today’s youth uplift his name in a literary space was powerful. This is not about nostalgia—it is about right remembrance. It is about giving names their due.

During the opening ceremony of the Kano International Poetry Festival in 2024, I said: “Can we have enough festivals? I am thrilled that literary festivals are springing up across the North—where we have many unsung heroes and heroines. Festivals are moments to educate, enlighten, empower, and entertain. They reignite our literary passion, forge new friendships, and spark rich conversations about arts, culture, music, and poetry.”

This is why naming these events after icons matters. It is not just about immortalizing them—it is about ensuring younger generations discover them. When I curated the poetry exhibition on Alu Ɗan Sidi, I realized how much has been forgotten. For many attendees, it was their first encounter with the emir’s literary and scholarly work. But the exhibition became a portal: it inspired questions, appreciation, and follow-up conversations. That is how preservation begins.

Today, our ancestors’ literary contributions are being forgotten. Their names are missing from curricula, from public discourse, from national memory. So it is refreshing—no, essential—that young people are reviving these legacies through poetry, festivals, and critical dialogue. This is more than remembrance. It is cultural survival. It is literary resistance. It is stitching our present to the past so that the future remembers.

May this growing momentum inspire better archiving, deeper scholarship, and richer appreciation of these legacies—locally and globally.

Because the names must live on.

Because we must speak them.

Because the griots must never be forgotten.

Salim Yunusa is the founder of the Poetic Wednesdays Initiative and curator of the Kano International Poetry Festival. He writes from Zaria, Nigeria.

VISIT OUR OTHER WEBSITES
PRNigeria.com EconomicConfidential.com PRNigeria.com/Hausa/
EmergencyDigest.com PoliticsDigest.ng TechDigest.ng
HealthDigest.ng SpokesPersonsdigest.com TeensDigest.ng
ArewaAgenda.com Hausa.ArewaAgenda.com YAShuaib.com
  • TAGS
  • Aminu Kano Poetry Slam
  • Arewa’s Literary
  • Cultural Legends
  • KAPFEST 1.0
Previous articleGovernor Radda Overhauls Immigration Fleet in Katsina to Strengthen Security Operations
Next articleJAMB’s Public Apology: A Masterclass in Crisis Communication by Haroon Aremu Abiodun
Salim Yunusa
Salim Yunusa

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

Super Falcons wins WAFCON Trophy

VON Apologizes for Erroneous WAFCON Report, Cites Possible Security Breach, Identifies Culprit

Nigerian Navy Personnel

Navy Arrests 9 Impostors Operating as Fake Coast Guards in Akwa Ibom

Lt. Col (Mrs) Onyechi Appolonia Anele, FSS, anipr

Army Dismisses Allegations of Delayed Promotions, Stagnant Allowances

court Judiciary

Court Remands TikToker Arrested by DSS for claiming President Tinubu died

Leon Usigbe

Death, you can’t be Proud of this By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem 

Police Officer

Enugu Police Raid IPOB/ESN Hideout, Nab 25 Militants, Recover Firearms

Troops Eliminate Notorious Bandit Kingpin ‘Dan Dari Biyar’ in Sokoto Operation

Dr. Ibrahim Bello, Emir of Gusau

Tinubu, NUJ, Police, and Military Mourn the Death of Gusau Emir

Police Officer

Anambra Police Arrest Suspected Child Trafficker, Rescue 11 Abducted Children

Military Troops in Action

Troops Rescue 3 Kidnapped Victims in Benue–Taraba Border

Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN)

LPPC Elevates Nasarawa SSG, Osun AG, S/Court Judge’s Son, Ayodeji, 53 others to SANs

Cross section of participants and guests at the Kaduna State Chapter world PR day

Kaduna NIPR Urges Students to Embrace Evolving PR Landscape

Recent Posts

  • Falcon’s WAFCON Glory: Tinubu Committed to Sports Development – Minister
  • NSCDC Mining Marshal Seals Illegal Lithium Mine in Kebbi, Uncovers Alleged ₦500bn Mineral Theft
  • NAF ‘Rattles’ ISWAP Terrorists with Decisive Blow in Lake Chad Region
  • Army, DSS-Backed Hybrid Forces Neutralize 45 Bandits in Niger Operation
  • Anambra Police Bolster Security with New Armoured Personnel Carrier
  • Home
  • About
  • Adverts
  • Contact
© 2020 PRNigeria. All Rights Reserved.
Latest News
Falcon's WAFCON Glory: Tinubu Committed to Sports Development - MinisterNSCDC Mining Marshal Seals Illegal Lithium Mine in Kebbi, Uncovers Alleged ₦500bn Mineral TheftNAF 'Rattles' ISWAP Terrorists with Decisive Blow in Lake Chad RegionArmy, DSS-Backed Hybrid Forces Neutralize 45 Bandits in Niger OperationAnambra Police Bolster Security with New Armoured Personnel CarrierNigeria Customs Partners China on Smarter Ports, Officer Training, ReformsNAF Airstrikes Eliminate ISWAP Fighters, Top Commanders in MarteNigeria Customs Partners China on Smarter Ports, Officer TrainingVON Apologizes for Erroneous WAFCON Report, Cites Possible Security Breach, Identifies CulpritPolice Operatives Eliminate 3 Bandits, Recover 10 AK-47 RiflesTinubu to Honours 210 Ex-NYSC Members for Meritorious ServicesPRNigeria Opens Application for 2025 Young Communication FellowshipNDLEA Arrests Chinese Businessman, 80-Year-Old Grandma in Nationwide Drug Raids IEDPU Praises CP Moshood Jimoh of Lagos Police for Exemplary LeadershipTroops Repel Boko Haram Attack in Gwoza, Recover Firearms
X whatsapp