Argungu Fishing Festival | |
---|---|
Begins | 1934 |
Location(s) | Kebbi, Northern Nigeria |
Country | Nigeria |
The Argungu Fishing Festival [1] or Argungu Dance Festival is an annual four-day festival in Kebbi State and other northern states like Niger in the north-western part of Northern Nigeria. [2] [3] The region is made up of fertile river areas of (matanfada, mala with much irrigation and orchards (lambu in Hausa). The majority of inhabitants are fishermen who are practitioners of Isla religion. They also have Kanta Museum. The Museum is the main historical centre in Argungu for visitors across the globe. People from around the world travel to Argungu just to witness the occasion. The main purpose of the Argungu fishing festival is for fishing and unity. The festival is usually a 4-days cultural event. [4]
The festival began in the year 1934, as a mark of the end of the centuries-old hostility between the Sokoto Caliphate and the Kebbi Kingdom. This festival has brought huge progress to the development of the state as a whole. [5]
It is usually called a Fishing-Frenzy Festival. The festival is celebrated to mark the beginning of the fishing season in Argungu, a river-side town in Kebbi State. It is celebrated between February and March every year. [6]
In 2005, the winning fish weighed 75 kg, and needed four men to hoist it onto the scales. [7] In 2006, the festival banned fishing due to safety concerns relating to the low water levels. [8] The importance of the festival to the economy has led the government to conserve fish stock by prohibiting the use of gill nets and cast nets. [9] The Zauro polder project, an irrigation scheme in the Rima River floodplain to the south of Argungu, has been criticized because the reservoir threatens to flood the traditional site of the festival. [10]
Activities include:
On the final day of the festival, a competition is held in which thousands of men line up along the river and at the sound of a gunshot, all of them jump into the river and have an hour to catch the largest fish. The winner can take home as much as $7,500 US dollars. Competitors are only allowed to use traditional fishing tools and many prefer to catch fish entirely by hand (a practice also popular elsewhere and known as "noodling") to demonstrate their prowess. [14]
Purpose: The festival has many purposes which include: fishing, promoting unity, fun, and entertainment. [15]
In the 2020 Argungu Fishing Festival, the individual who caught the biggest fish weighing about 78 kilograms was awarded N10 million, two new cars and two Hajj seats, second position, and third positions were also awarded. [16] Over 50,000 fishermen participated in the annual festival held in Kebbi State and the winners were graded based on the weight of the fish caught. [17] The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari visited the 2020 Argungu Fishing Festival [18] [19] [20] The festival in 2020 was the 60th edition after 10 years of being on hold according to the governor of the state Abubakar Bagudu. [21] [22] In addition, one of the festivals goal is to enrich community unity and encourage local fish farmers. [23]
Kebbi State is a state in northwestern Nigeria. Kebbi State is bordered east and north of Sokoto and Zamfara states, and to the south by Niger state while its western border forms part of the national borders with Benin Republic for 103 km and Niger for 207 km. Named for the city of Birnin Kebbi—the state's capital and largest city, Kebbi state was formed from Sokoto state on 27 August 1991. Of the 36 states of Nigeria, Kebbi is the tenth largest in area and 18th most populous, with an estimated population of about 4.4 million as of 2016. The state is known as land of equity.
Argungu is a city in Nigeria's Kebbi State, situated on the Sokoto River. As of 2007 Argungu had an estimated population of 47,064. The city is the seat of the Argungu Emirate, a traditional state. The city is a major agricultural center for the area, with key crops including tobacco, peanuts, rice, millet, wheat, and sorghum. The city also hosts an annual international fishing festival which was suspended for 11 years. The Argungu fishing festival was held again in the year 2020 from March 11–14
The Kebbi Emirate, also known as the Argungu Emirate is a traditional state based on the town of Argungu in Kebbi State, Nigeria. It is the successor to the ancient Hausa kingdom of Kebbi. The Emirate is one of four in Kebbi State, the others being the Gwandu Emirate, Yauri Emirate and Zuru Emirate.
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