Queen Amina Statue | |
---|---|
Artist | Ben Ekanem |
Year | 1975 |
Type | Sculpture |
Medium | Concrete Bronze |
Condition | Erect |
Location | Lagos, Nigeria |
Queen Amina Statue is an equestrian statue in honour of Queen Amina, an Hausa Warrior Queen of Zazzau. [1] The sculpture was originally designed by Ben Ekanem in 1975 during the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture and was placed at the entrance of the National Arts Theatre in Lagos State. [2] It was destroyed in 2005 due to weathering but was however re-designed in 2014 by an unsigned artist. [3]
Queen Amina was the eldest daughter of Queen Bakwa Turunku, founder of the Zazzau Kingdom. She was a fierce Hausa Warrior Queen of Zazzau who reigned around the early 16th century. [4] She was a fearless warrior. She was born in 1533 and was a trained warrior who was said to have great strength as a man. [5] She was often described as a woman as capable as a man. [6]
The Queen Amina Statue was designed in memory of her bravery and exploits. [7] She ruled for thirty-four years and died in 1610. [8]
Queen Amina Statue is a colossal bronze and concrete sculpture. It shows Queen Amina proudly brandishing her sword while riding on a standing horse. [9]
Queen Amina achieved the following:
Kaduna State is a state in the northwest geopolitical zone of Nigeria. The state capital is its namesake, the city of Kaduna which happened to be the 8th largest city in the country as at 2006. Created in 1967 as North-Central State, which also encompassed the modern Katsina State, Kaduna State achieved its current borders in 1987. Kaduna State is the fourth largest and third most populous state in the country, Kaduna State is nicknamed the Centre of Learning, owing to the presence of numerous educational institutions of importance within the state such as Ahmadu Bello University.
Northern Nigeria was an autonomous division within Nigeria, distinctly different from the southern part of the country, with independent customs, foreign relations and security structures. In 1962, it acquired the territory of the British Northern Cameroons, which voted to become a province within Northern Nigeria.
Amina was a Hausa historical figure in the city-state Zazzau, in what is now in the north-west region of Nigeria. She might have ruled in the mid-sixteenth century. A controversial figure whose existence has been questioned by some historians, her real biography has been somewhat obscured by subsequent legends and folk tales.
Zaria is a metropolitan city in Nigeria which lies within four local government areas in Kaduna State; it is the capital city to the Zazzau Emirate Council, and one of the original seven Hausa city-states and a major city in the state. The local government areas that made up of the city of Zaria includes: Zaria Local Government, Sabon Gari Local Government, Giwa Local Government and Soba Local Government areas in Kaduna state, Nigeria.
Suleja is a city in Niger State, Nigeria, pop. (2016) local government area, 260,240, just north of Abuja, capital of the Suleja Emirate. It is sometimes confused with the nearby city of Abuja, due to its proximity, and the fact that it was originally called Abuja before the Nigerian government adopted the name from the then Emir Sulayman Bal for its new federal capital in 1976.
Bayajidda was, according to the legends surrounding most West African states before the 19th century, the founder of the Hausa states.
The Zazzau, also known as the Zaria Emirate, is a traditional state with headquarters in the city of Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. The current emir of Zazzau is H.E Alhaji Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli CFR, who succeeded the former emir, late Alhaji Shehu Idris.
The Durbar festival is an ancient traditional annual Hausa; cultural, religious and equestrian festival, celebrated as a core part of the Arewa Hausa culture. Durbar has existed for centuries and is as an essential part of Hausa kingdom and Hausa tradition. Durbar is a paramount part of Hausa cultural rites, tradition and history and the Hausa's are renowned in history as ancient horsemen and warriors of the Sahara and the Sahel.
The Hausa are a native ethnic group in West Africa. They speak the Hausa language, which is the second most spoken language after Arabic in the Afro-Asiatic language family. The Hausa are a culturally homogeneous people based primarily in the Sahelian and the sparse savanna areas of southern Niger and northern Nigeria respectively, numbering around 86 million people, with significant populations in Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Chad, Central African Republic, Togo, Ghana, as well as smaller populations in Sudan, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Senegal, Gambia. Predominantly Hausa-speaking communities are scattered throughout West Africa and on the traditional Hajj route north and east traversing the Sahara, with an especially large population in and around the town of Agadez. Other Hausa have also moved to large coastal cities in the region such as Lagos, Port Harcourt, Accra, Abidjan, Banjul and Cotonou as well as to parts of North Africa such as Libya over the course of the last 500 years. The Hausa traditionally live in small villages as well as in precolonial towns and cities where they grow crops, raise livestock including cattle as well as engage in trade, both local and long distance across Africa. They speak the Hausa language, an Afro-Asiatic language of the Chadic group. The Hausa aristocracy had historically developed an equestrian based culture. Still a status symbol of the traditional nobility in Hausa society, the horse still features in the Eid day celebrations, known as Ranar Sallah. Daura is the cultural center of the Hausa people. The town predates all the other major Hausa towns in tradition and culture.
The Suleja Emirate is a Hausa principality in what is now Niger State, Nigeria. The emirate was established as the Abuja Emirate during the 19th century, located just north of the site of the present-day federal capital city named Abuja. When the new city was established, the emirate and its capital were renamed the Suleja Emirate and Suleja. The emirate covers about 1,150 square miles of wooded savanna area. Suleja Emirate, Kontagora Emirate, Borgu Emirate, Agaie Emirate and Kagara Emirate were the major Emirates in Niger state.
Amina Jane Mohammed is a British Nigerian diplomat and politician who is serving as the fifth Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. Previously, she was Nigerian Minister of Environment from 2015 to 2016 and was a player in the Post-2015 Development Agenda process. She is also Chair of United Nations Sustainable Development Group.
Shehu Idris was a Nigerian teacher who served as the 18th Emir of Zazzau, a Nigerian traditional state headquartered in Zaria. He also served as chairman of Zazzau Emirate Council and Kaduna State Council of Chiefs. A member of the Fula people, he ascended the throne on 8 February 1975 following the demise of Alhaji Muhammadu Aminu, his predecessor. Idris was the longest reigning monarch in the history of the Zazzau emirate, having reigned for 45 years from 1975 to 2020. He was succeeded by Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli as the 19th Emir of Zazzau.
Arewa House is centre for research and historical documentations under Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, located in Kaduna, Kaduna State, in Northwest Nigeria. It is also serves as a center for historical documentation and research of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. Dr. Shuaibu Shehu Aliyu is the current Director of the House.
Laila Dogonyaro was a Nigerian activist who was president of the National Council of Women's Societies from 1993 to 1995. In the early 1970s, she was Secretary of Jam'iyyar Matan Arewa, a women's welfare organization.
Gates of Hausa kingdoms are gates or walls (ganuwa) that formerly enclosed Hausa kingdoms. In ancient times, each kingdom was enclosed with a wall that contained various gates. During battles, the gates were closed as a war strategy. Each gate has a name and a gatekeeper. In the past, especially at night, the gatekeeper was in charge of a single gate at all time. All of the gates are assigned to a single person today.
Hausa literature is any work written in the Hausa language. It includes poetry, prose, songwriting, music, and drama. Hausa literature includes folk literature, much of which has been transcribed, and provides a means of recording, preserving, and transmitting knowledge, especially in regard to social, psychological, spiritual, or political roles.
Amina is the loose transcription of two different Arabic female given names:
Amina is a 2021 film directed by Izu Ojukwu. It is based on the story of the life of 16th century Zazzau empire warrior Queen Amina. Amina premiered on Netflix on November 4, 2021. The film got the most nominations at Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, 2022.
Lucy Ameh is a Nollywood actress and business woman who became popular after starring in Braids on a Bald Head in 2010.
Hauwa Maina was a Kannywood actress and producer who featured in the film Queen Amina of Zazzau. She died of an undisclosed illness at Kano hospital on the 2 May 2018.