Few days after the Eid Mubarak celebration popularly known as Sallah, some dance videos trended on social media showing women dancing for and with their husbands, contrary to the norms and traditions of the Hausa Culture reports Alexander Johnson Adejoh.
Fides gathered that the Hausa Cultural practices stand unique in Nigeria and have withstood the test of time due to strong traditions, cultural pride as well as an efficient precolonial native system of government.
Consequently, and in spite of strong competition from Western European Culture as adopted by their Southern Nigerian counterparts, have maintained a rich and peculiar mode of dressing, food, language, marriage system, education system, traditional architecture, sports, music and other forms of traditional entertainment which the trending video contradicted.
Fides also discovered that the video which was known as ‘Dance for Husband Challenge, was widely shared with some thrilled by it and others showing stiff reservations, saying it was not in the culture of northern Nigerian women.
Fides also gathered that the challenge required participants to record a video of a wife dancing for her husband in a large and beautiful parlour.
The woman must wear a bubu lace with bangles on her hands. Also, the husband would be seated and the song of Jaruma by Hamisu Breaker will be played.
Reacting, a lecturer with Mass Communications Department, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Dr Hashim Mohammed, who shared many of the videos on his Facebook page, said on social media, ‘What has gone wrong with the Northern Women?’ he asked.
Fides spoke with some Northern women to ascertain thier decision of the dance. One of the excited women who pleaded anonymity noted that she keyed in to the challenge owing to the fact that she saw it as a platform to express love to her husband, Everything must not be formal she said noting that she had to make her husband happy before she loses him to another man.
On the parts of men, Mallam Lawal Aminu, a fruit seller at Unizik Junction, Awka, disclosed that he was never going to allow his wife to engage in such act, stressing that it was against his religious and cultural background.
‘I must be very sincere with you, if my wife dares involve herself in the dance for your husband challenge, she will definitely leave me house the following day,’ Aminu said.
Contrary to his views, Mr Ibrahim Tukur, a trader a Eke Awka, noted that he saw nothing wrong having his wife dance for him.
‘All those ranting about the whole dance for your husband challenge are hypocrites, I personally don’t have a problem with my wife joining the challenge, it is a welcomed development,’ he said.
However, a prominent Facebook user, Sanusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa, disclosed that one of his former bosses divorced his wife after she shared their dance video.
‘Innalillahi wa inna ilaihirrajiun (From God we come and unto God we shall return). I just realized that one of my former bosses divorced his wife for releasing to the public, the Dancing for husbands challenge.
‘The most unfortunate thing is that it is a marriage of 19 years with three kids, she has been the only wife in the house,’ Bature said
Reacting to the aledged divorce, Fides gathered the most facebook users expressed dismay with the action noting that the punishment was undeserved.
