The EMC Agency | BAUCHI STATE: In Hausa the word Bauchi means the Land of Freedom and Tourism.

16 May BAUCHI STATE: In Hausa the word Bauchi means the Land of Freedom and Tourism.

Posted at 10:03h in Art, Events, Photography by Ijeoma Okoli 0 Comments

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Bauchi and Adamawa were the two main sources of freedom and tourism for the Fulani empire of Sokoto. According to tradition, it was named for a hunter known as Baushe, who settled in the region before the arrival of Yakubu, the first traditional ruler of Bauchi emirate (founded 1800–10).

Bauchi State is located in the Northeastern part of Nigeria and it’s an agricultural State. Its vast fertile soil is an advantage for agricultural products which includes maize, rice, millet, groundnut and guines corn. Cattles and other livestock are also reared in the State. The State has a total of 55 tribal groups in which Hausa, Fulani, Gerawa, Sayawa, Jarawa, Kirfawa, Turawa Bolewa, Karekare, Kanuri, Fa’awa, Butawa, Warjawa, Zulawa, and Badawa are the main tribes. This means that they have backgrounds, occupational patterns, beliefs and many other things that form part of the existence of the people of the state.

There are cultural similarities in the people’s language, occupational practices, festivals, dress and there is a high degree of ethnic interaction especially in marriage and economic existence. Some of the ethnic groups have joking relationships that exist between them, e.g. Fulani and Kanuri, Jarawa and Sayawa, etc.

Bauchi State, in north-east Nigeria, is a well-known tourism hub. There we have:

YANKARI NATIONAL PARK

Yankari national park has become the most developed Wildlife Park in Nigeria with a lot of attractions for visitors with a wide variety of flora fauna. The park is famous for its variety of animals available for viewing around the year, though the animals are better watched between November and May period of the dry season when the animals converge around the Gaji River in the park. Baboons, Waterbucks, Elephants, Crocodiles, Bushbucks, Warthogs, Hippopothamus, Gazelles.

BAUCHI STATE

ARTS AND CRAFTS

Aside cultural festivities, Bauchi state is known for its arts and crafts which include beautiful embroidered caps and gowns (known as babbanriga), fibre craft, and decorated calabashes. It is also very versatile in the production of metal works (such as weaponry), agricultural tools, pottery, and leather works. The leather works include the production of sitting poufs, bags, footwaers, and footballs. Mat weaving is also a common craft in several Local Government Areas like Zaki, Ningi, Misau, etc.

The Durbar festivals is outstanding to Bachi State. Its main feature is horse racing. The durbar features the parade of horses from the Eid-prayer ground to the palace of the traditional rulers where the horse-racing and other display of horse manship takes place.

Other festivals are the Kyaro war dance performed by the Warji ethnic groups, Afizere dance a traditional dance of the Jarawa people of Toro Local Government, Takai dance which is popular among the Hausa-Fulanis, Ngat-al-Bajar dance popular among the people of Dass Local Government, Lawurba dance peculiar to Sayawa people of Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro Local Governments, and Amanya, a naming ceremony festival among the Badawa people in Zaki Local Government.

Also, the people of Bauchi State are known for their traditional wrestling and boxing dexterity, which attracts participants even from neighbouring countries of Niger, Chad and Cameroon Republics. The traditional wrestling is known as Kokowa while the traditional boxing is called Dambe.
Aside these festivals, the state also holds the Bauchi State Festival of Arts and Culture (BAFEST) every year. This annual event is held among Local governments. It includes a display of various traditions of the people of the state in the fields of traditional dances, music, arts, crafts, and fashion designs, as well as inventions and innovations.

WIKKI WARM SPRING

The Wikki warm spring is famous attraction in the Yankari national park. It is particularly prized for its warm water. It is available for both night and day for tourists who cherish swimming. Wikki Warm spring has a constant temperature of 31c all year round. The spring gushes water out from underneath a limestone escapement surrounded by vegetation that boosts the ecology of the warm spring. The standard of the Reserve is being upgraded to world-class status, comparable to other Reserves elsewhere in the World. The sole aim is to make it a pleasurable delight to visitors, both foreign and local, thus boosting the tourism industry, the economy and the level of social interaction in the state.