The most interesting, talented, and popular northern Nigerian Musician Hajiya Barmani Sa’adatu Ahmad Choge Majorly known as Barmani Choge is an interesting personality that was hailed from the northern Nigeria. She is the most popular female Hausa Musician of the modern times before her death.
Barmani-choge is among the women that promoted foreign concepts to the Arewa way of life and also an individual that always had interest of women and society at heart. Whatsoever, Barmani-choge along with Mamman Shata are the first people that influenced the hausa music more than anyone in the 20th century.
Childhood of Barmani Choge
Hajiya Barmani Choge was born in 1995 and she was from a village called Gwaigwayi, which is presently under Funtua local government of Katsina State.
Her father Malam Aliyu was an Islamic scholar and also a preacher, and because of that she was given a very good foundation in Islamic studies up to a certain level.
During her childhood, she usually plays with her friends in front of their house porches which is refers to a “Dandali”, and she finds her passion for the singing from that performance.
Marriage and Relationships
Choge got married to Alhaji Aliyu when she was 15 years of age, and her husband was also a musician, despite that he uses instrumentalists together with his father, the instrument is called Garaya (a local guitar). Barmani-choge was encouraged by her husband and the father of her 12 children throughout their stay together up to his death in 1991.
Barmani Choge remarried Alhaji Bello Kansila in 1995 but the marriage didn’t last long because she was divorced after their first year of marriage.
After her separation with Alhaji Bello Kansila, she made the decision of not marrying again rather, she engaged herself fully in the music career and taking care of her children.
Career
Barmani Choge started working with popular musicians as a back up singer when she was 27 years old, she worked for good four years until she was 31 years. After that four years, she realized that she can do it alone so she built up her career and she sang over hundred songs that were originally single and she always created her song on the spot without a script written. The topics of her songs were always revolving around our day-to-day activities, marital relationships, female problems, co-wives, wealth, lifestyle and so on.
Her performance were always during female dominated ceremonies because most of her lyrical music is related to the female. Her songs are played with the tunes of kidan kwarya (calabash tunes).
Songs
Barmani-choge made several songs during her Era, But among the most popular songs she did include :
Wakar Kishiya, Wakar duwaiwai, Sama Ruwa Kasa Ruwa, Azaga Zogale, Allah ka bamu Nairori, Ku kama sana’a Mata, Sakarai bata da wayo, and many more.
The song that made her very popular within the women society was called “Wakar duwaiwai” (song of the bottom).
Influential Activities
Barmani choge did a very good job of influencing women to act in some ways that were not common then especially them being northerners during her musical experience. She encouraged many women to join her career of music despite the fact that is against the teaching of their religion and culture.
Death of Barmani Choge
Barmani Choge had a sudden illness after finishing her performance in Kaduna State on the 15th of December 2012 which led to her death in Funtua local government Katsina state on 2nd March 2013.
Contentious Argument Surrounding her Songs
Barmani was always a disputed character because she used to encourage women to claim their rights and to stop following men in all of their decisions. This is controversial to the Islamic teachings and because of that the Islamic scholars were always against her. And also, her song of “Wakar duwaiwai” is teaching immorality to the public.
Her second song that was also disputed was Wakar Kishiya (song of the co – wife) despite not being hers but she sang it and gave it a new life, the song was said to be against the Islamic
teachings and so it was given a red flag and cautioned people especially women about it.
Upon all the thoughts about Barmani-choge and her songs, she really contributed to the Hausa literature and the language in general.
