Not even eulogizing the late world’s greatest sensational music icon by Katsinawa’s, but the legendary’s name and the song’s legacies he left behind must be written in Guinness Book of Records. Writing about the late icon remembered me two other great artists of the millennium; the melody Lata Mangeshkar, India’s most celebrated playback singer, and late Ibrahim Narambada, from Tubali town in Zamfara state, Nigeria. Although they were his contemporaries, but comparing Shata with the two of them is like comparing the brightness of candles with Sun. Mamman Shata reign the supreme. He was said to have given Hausa language and literature a new focus, new momentum and a definite carrier.
Shata was born at Rugar Kusa (but popularly called Rugar Danmalam), a hamlet attached to Musawa village then in 1922. He sold kola nuts at Musawa and was said to have visited many village markets around Musawa environ. He started singing at the age of 13, and had engaged in composing wakokin Zage since before 1940. Shata was the first and the only Hausa artist who travelled far, as far as America, to perform at center for African studies(James Coleman Center), University of Califonia, Los Angeles. That was in May 1989. We gathered even Professor Russell Schuu of UCLA did some parts of his Ph. D. work on Shata’s songs. Five other white men from UCLA wrote their Ph. D. Theses on Mamman Shata’s songs. Shata was the only artist on this universe with more than 10,000 songs to his credit. Lata had thousands of songs recorded quite okay since when she started composing in 1932,but her’s cannot be compared to that of Shata, as she train, write, rehearse and then compose them. Shata never rehearse or train songs. I once asked him about his number of albums and he replied: ‘since from the time I started in around 1936 to date I produced more than 40 albums and in each album I have more than 200 songs’. Narambada’s songs are equally meaningful but are teaspoonful and can only fit his own generation period. Shata’s songs are forever, they are well riched and focused, and can fit into any generation. Narambada only produced 55 songs. Shata and Danladi Tsangaya started as ‘Yan amshi to Sani Manno Musawa, and Wadan Kudo Matazu in around 1934.When the two declined, Shata and Tsangaya picked the race. Tsangaya is a popular Hausa name, meaning ‘farm-roof ’where one can hide in situations of rains. But when Tsangaya discovered Shata was more talented he encouraged him to continue with the singing while he assist in praising him(roko).That was how Mamman Shata started.
There were many other talented artists in Shata’s time also. In 1940, Shata met with Bawa Makaho Mai Ganga at Ketare, who was on usual zage tour. Shata’s close association with Bawa a native of Gorar Fata made hin to understand that there were some similarities in their songs, like ‘Ado Dan Ma’inna Goshin Jirgi Kanen Barau’, Bawa’s popular song. Shata had a similar song with same rhyme ‘Ka Jefa Kidan Na Guga Ko Ba Girma Da Arziki’(1945), the song which he sang to Akawu na Guga driver, Jamus driver, and later ‘Jirgin Sama Bawa Tashi Koli Ka Tsere Na Laraba’ (1946)when they met in Ketare in 1940. If one can remember, that song gave Shata’s carrier a new momentum in 1946 when Bawa driver invited him to his wedding at Katsina which also was one of his best songs.
Shata knew Sani mai Kuntigi Gusau was talented too, he was an important name in Shata’s carrier because they were friends. There were overlappings in their songs, like: ‘Yallabai Yallabai ‘Yar Kankanuwa Kankane’(1956); Alo Alo Mai Ganga Ya Gode………’and ‘Dan Zabarma Ya Kyauta,Dan Zabarma Yallabai’ both in 1959/1960. Those songs gave Shata a new lease of life. That was when Shata was Struggling to maintain his heroism. There were more than 78 number of Bakandamiya’s found, done by Shata. The other two songs rang bell in Kano and Niger Republic in that era, but Bakandamiya’s are millennium hits of all times. Ahmadu Doka Mai Kukuma lamented that Mammalo Shata, an indigene of Danhasan town in Kano state was also very talented, he once composed Gagarabadan Namij Tsayayyen Dan Kasuwa’ Similar to the one done by Shata in 1971.
Ya’u Waziri rejuvenated his carrier, especially at the peak of enmity and deadly confrontations between he (Shata)and Association Of Nigerian Artists(1960-1989) when they wanted to denounce him to ground level. Ya’u helped him a lot and stayed close and loyal to him since when they met at Bakori in 1943. Ya’u was a sole singer/performer, maintaining his own group before he merged with the late Shata in 1960. Because of his talent he had more than 11 songs that were similar and almost having same contents with that of his mentors’, such as the ones done by Shata like: ‘Dodo Na Sardauna….’(1959),Don Sallah Da Salatil Fatihi…..,(1962) Soja Iyalin Gwamna(1967),’Ya Alhaji Babba Dankamasho’(December 1980),’Haji Iro Babangida’(1987),’Tijjani Hashim Dan’iya’(1982) and so on. The famous song ‘Inyonyore, Na Kurama Kaine Kenya Kaine Duniya’ (1949) was popular, which he composed using fulani language. The earlier bits were done by some fulanis from Dayi area,Katsina state, during sallah festivals.
Let me reflect back again, in 1953 he went to Daura and met Alhaji Dankura Sarkin Bege, makadin Sarkin Daura Abdulrahman(1911-1966).The song ‘Sadauki Shehu Magajin Mamman’which Dankura sang Emir of Daura was having the same similarity and originality with the one composed by Mamman Shata, which he sang to many people across, including Wamban Daura Bashar,Sardauna Ahmadu Bello,Usman Liman Durbin Katsina(1939-1963),opulent cotton and groundnut merchants, and many people of inferior positions.Wamban Daura’s songs: ‘Mamman Jikan Audu’ and Dan Leko Baba Leko( 1953) along with songs of National Unity during the Biafran war(1967-1970),and wakokin Kanawan Dabo especially ‘Sarki mijin ‘ya Sarki Labaran’(1968)‘Ummaru Dan Danduna Na Gwandu’ (1970),’Nagode wo Ahmadun Gaya’(1973)took him to number one position not even in Africa but across the globe.
The post Biafran period in Nigeria was a period of brief radicalism and military, when the icon turned his praises to militaries, politicians, opulent peoples, and civilians in governments. That was a turning point to his carrier, which skyrocketed him to the apogee of Mount Everest, moving him to number one super position. Analysis of his songs show that his talents riches the apogee in 1976. Although in the 1990’s Adamu Dankabo’s songs and those of General Sanni Abacha along with ‘Wakokin Kundin Karshe’ gave his carrier another approach and reflection.
Reflecting back again, in 1972,the then Head of state, General Yakubu Gowon greeted him in Kano and presented to him a Gold medal, which some people called OFR Honor. Also On Tuesday 15th October 1976 Shata was presented with a National Honor, MON by Federal Government in recognition of his immense contribution to the development of National Unity and literature building, in which the event took place at Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos on 24th July 1977.The famous honorary Doctorate Degree was bestowed on him on Saturday 23rd January 1988 by Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. He was also honored in July 1989 in Kaduna by PWAN, when he was in US. Similar occasions like honoring him by Funtua youths (1990),Katsina state government(1991), Federal government(1992)etc, are not worthy of noticing. The State government and the Federal government should do something to immortalize the legendary Mamman Shata ,whose reputations will be carried forward in the next generations and millenniums.
This piece was coined from my unpublished book titled ‘Mahadi Mai Dogon Zamani: Shata Da Kundin Wakokinsa’.
