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“Fiddling in northern Nigeria is most often identified with the Hausa, despite the fact that outsiders introduced it to the Central Sudan. Unlike the one-stringed fiddle’s roles among Senegambian Fulbe or the Dagbamba of Dagbon, the goge, or Hausa fiddle, does not symbolize ethnic identity nor does it represent high social status. The poem “Surely in Truth,” quoted above and written by Shehu ‘Uthman dan Fodio (1754–1817), a Fulbe scholar who led a jihad in Hausaland in the early nineteenth century, reveals the negative stance of Muslim leaders toward the goge during precolonial times. This, however, did not dislodge fid- dling as a prominent musical tradition. While followers of Islam in Hausaland still consider fiddling to be profane, it is essential to the worship of those who practice Bori, a pre-Islamic African religion involving spirit possession. Fiddling is also popular among women and among individuals regarded by some Mus- lims as social outcasts (Danfulani 1999). A study of Hausa fiddling, therefore, not only demonstrates what happens to a tradition when it comes into conflict with those in authority, but also affirms the resilience of precolonial cultural practices in modern Hausa society. Moreover, although Hausa migration in the Sudan has not been as extensive as that of the Fulbe, Hausa speakers have had contacts with many West Africans. As a result, the Hausa have played a major role in the dispersion of the fiddle among people living in neighboring regions.”
-Jacqueline Cogdell Djedje, Fiddling in West Africa: Touching the Spirit in Fulbe, Hausa, and Dagbamba Cultures
