My City Zinder: Niger's thriving cultural capital

DW (English)

Zinder in Niger is a city of rich history and culture. Local rapper Baba Nocif takes us on a tour of his majestic hometown, known locally as Damagaram. From the Sultan's palace to the heart of Hausa hip-hop, we immerse ourselves in Zinder's culture.

Transcript

00:00As-salamu alaykum, this is Baba aka Baba Nosif.

00:04I want to introduce you to my capital of Damagaram,

00:07my majestic city, Zanda,

00:09the capital of a thousand hills, the capital of Damagaram.

00:13Welcome to my city.

00:16Zanda in Niger has long been a major hub.

00:19Generations of house and businesses grew rich here,

00:22trading in belmer salt, kola seeds, and jewelry.

00:26And local rapper Baba Nosif is the right man

00:29to show us about.

00:30Zanda has a rebellious streak.

00:32It was once the capital of France's Niger colony,

00:36but Zanda residents strongly resented

00:38being ruled by foreigners

00:40and have a proud traditional leadership.

00:42One example is the Palace of the Sultan of Damagaram,

00:46our first destination.

00:48We're in the Palace of the Sultan of Damagaram,

00:51and this is the close guard

00:52of the Sultan of Damagaram, Abubakar Sanda.

00:55So follow me.

00:56They're going to accompany me and meet the sultan.

00:59The Sultanate of Damagaram was founded in 1731,

01:03and by the 19th century,

01:05it conquered all fellow vassal states of Western Brunei.

01:08To this day, traditional leaders command much respect.

01:13And Sultan Abubakar Sanda Omaru takes an interest

01:17in what younger Zanda Rua are up to.

01:22This is the great rapper.

01:25Everyone listens to his music, and we are proud,

01:29and we encourage you to keep up the good work.

01:34And that's exactly what Baba intends to do.

01:37But on the way to his recording studio,

01:39he shows us his favorite snack shop,

01:41famous for its alkaki cookies.

01:46This place holds mythical status in Niger

01:48for its famous biscuits.

01:50They are locally made,

01:51and they're especially popular during the month of fasting.

01:54Cookies in the bag, and night is falling over Zanda.

01:58We need to get Baba to his recording studio.

02:03Here we are at Haskekom,

02:05the studio of the legendary Eastern dragon Ali Achibele.

02:08And here we have the group B4KC.

02:11Here we have Lil Face, and we have Gerani.

02:15They've got lots of artists,

02:16because this is where all of Zanda's artists meet.

02:19After fine-tuning the beats,

02:21it's now time to hit the real party in Zanda.

02:24After fine-tuning the beats, it's now time to hit the real party in Zanda.

02:55It's happening in Zanda with all the young rappers from Zanda.

02:59We're here tonight and we're going to put on a show of Hausa hip-hop strength.

03:03Come on and discover Rap With Us.

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