Amina of Zaria; Myth or Reality?

U13MM1023

Obor Vincent Otumala M.

Immanent critique is a method of discussing culture which aims to locate contradictions in society's rules and systems. This method is used in the study of cultural forms in philosophy and the social sciences and humanities. Immanent critique further aims to contextualize not only the object of its investigation, but also the ideological basis of that object: both the object and the category to which it belongs are shown to be products of a historical process. Immanent critique has its roots in the dialectic of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and the criticisms by Karl Marx. Today it is strongly associated with the critical theorists such as Theodor Adorno. Roy Bhaskar has advocated it as one of the key methodological elements of critical realism.

The purpose of immanent critique is the detection of societal contradictions which suggest possibilities for emancipatory social change. It considers ideas’ role in shaping society, with focus on future emancipatory change. An immanent critique of a value is a discussion of the principles; overt or implicit the value proposes. It highlights the gaps between what something stands for and what is being done in actual terms. Immanent critique tries to find contradictions and indirectly provide alternatives, without constructing an entirely new theory.

With the supra, I want to take a look at the story of Amina of Zaria. Though little less than a handful of information is known about her. She was said to have lived a hundred years, born in 1533 in Zaria, a province of today’s Nigeria. She was the daughter of Bakwa of Turunku. Their family's wealth was derived from the trade of leather goods, cloth, kola, salt, horses and imported metals. When Bakwa died in 1566, the crown of Zazzua passed to Amina’s younger brother, Karama. Reputed to have been a queen and a warrior. Queen, warrior, an Hausa Islamic woman? That sure got me thinking. Well story has it that she kicked the bucket in 1633.

Although Bakwa's reign was known for peace and prosperity, Amina chose to hone her military skills from the warriors of the Zazzau military. As a result, she emerged as leader of the Zazzua cavalry. Many accolades, great wealth, and increased power resulted from her numerous military achievements. When her brother Karama died after a ten-year rule, Amina had matured into a fierce warrior and had earned the respect of the Zazzau military and she assumed the reign of the kingdom.

Amina led her first military charge a few months after assuming power. For the rest of her 34 year reign, she continued to fight and expand her kingdom to the greatest in history. The objective for initiating so many battles was to make neighbouring rulers her vassal and permit her traders safe passage. In this way, she boosted her kingdom’s wealth and power with gold, slaves, and new crops. Because her people were talented metal workers, Amina introduced metal armour, including iron helmets and chain mail, to her army.

To her credit, she fortified each of her military camps with an earthen wall. Later, towns and villages sprung up within these protective barriers. The walls became known as Amina’s Walls and many of them remain in existence to this day. According to legend, Amina refused to marry and never bore children. Instead, she took a temporary husband from the legions of vanquished foes after every battle. After spending one night together, she would condemn him death in the morning in order to prevent him from ever speaking about his sexual encounter with the queen.

Legend also decrees she died during a military campaign at Atagara near Bida in Nigeria. Her exploits earned her the moniker Amina, daughter of Nikatau, a woman as capable as a man. Her legendary escapades made her the model for the television series Xena Warrior Princess. Today, her memory represents the spirit and strength of womanhood.

When you take another studious look at the story supra and that of the Immanent critique preceding it, you’d smell a rat. The typical Hausa/Islamic culture sure does not fit in to the story above. Islam was said to have gain entrance into northern Nigeria as early as the eleventh century and was well established in the state capitals of the region by the sixteenth century, spreading into the countryside and toward the middle belt uplands.

Putting on scale the time Islam gain entrance into Nigeria and that of the birth, reign and death of Amina, it is obvious that the Islamic teaching has gained an irrefutable embrace in Northern Nigeria. To this extent, the exploit of the female warrior is questionable. It is clear in Islam, what the role of a woman is and what her limitation is. Also from the story, she was regarded as a Queen, yet nothing was said about her King. That’s an unanswered question history have shy away from too.

Killing of men she had affair with is also questionable. These were men she supposedly command yet, having them slaughtered by her own hands and sword does not complement the Islamic teaching or Hausas’ either as it connects to the female folks.

At the end one could say, the story of Amina is nothing more than a myth. But if proven otherwise, then it is clear that she was an outlaw warrior, with little respect for human life, tradition or religion. Ironically, those are the kind of individual most African countries hold as celebrities, hero, role model and what have you.

The Immanent critique finds this contradictory.