Special Report (Investigative Journalism): Why The World Watches By As The Oldest Empire In African History Struggles With The Preservation Of Its Historical Sites And museums in solitude?

By Usman Abba

28^th September, 2022

1. Kanem-Bornu: The Longest Empire that Reigned in African History

The Kanem-Bornu Empire (700 AD – 1893 CE) lasted for nearly a thousand years, between the eleventh and nineteenth centuries during the Christian Era (CE). It was first known as the Kanem Empire (700 AD – 1617 CE) and later as the Kanem-Bornu Empire (1617 – 1893 CE). Famous historians such as Vincent Heriberen, lecturer at King’s College London, have described it as “the longest empire in the history of Africa”.

At its peak, the empire had controlled land in the regions known today as modern western Chad, north-eastern Nigeria, southern Libya, eastern Niger and northern Cameroon. It was located at the southern end of the trans-Saharan trade route between modern Algeria and Tripoli (present-day Libya) and the Lake Chad region. Furthermore, the Empire was extraordinarily good at recording its history, which means we know an unusually great amount about this period of African history. Specifically, we know about the history of this empire from ‘girgam’, a royal artifact of the Kanem Empire. The ‘girgam’ m provided a written historical record of the empire, including the names of kings and queens, the length of their reigns and major events within the empire.

While the empire’s official histories extend from 700 CE – 1893 CE, its roots can actually be traced back to 300 CE, in the shadow of the Tebu-speaking nomadic Kanembu in Kanem State established in the eighth century between Lake Chad and Bahr Ghazal in the Kanem region, in modern Chad. The ‘girgam’ claims that the Kanembu people moved from their lands to the lands around Lake Chad for two main reasons. First, the lands around Lake Chad were fertile in contrast to their former lands that had suffered from drought, and secondly because of

political pressure. The lands around Lake Chad were also attractive due to the existing infrastructure. There were walled cities belonging to the Sao civilization. The Sao civilization was one of the first to live in the territory now known as Cameroon.

The bounties of the land around Lake Chad caused Kanembu to abandon their nomadic way of life. They established here a capital around 700 CE called ‘Njimi’ under the first king of Kanembu, Seif. The Kanembu were under the leadership of the Duguwa dynasty, and they eventually controlled the Sao civilization; The war continued until the late 16th century. Then this country occupied the land in the north, which made it possible to create an empire across the desert. It was a major regional power, with embassies in Morocco and the Ottoman Empire in Tripoli. In the 14th century, the centre of the empire moved away from Kanem to Bornu when Kanem was captured by enemies of the empire. Although Kanem was restored in the 16th century, the imperial capital remained at Bornu, present-day Borno. That is why we call it the Kanem-Bornu Empire.

Kanem-Bornu Empire’s Army, Cavalry, Modern Weaponry and Administration: The Kanem-Bornu Empire became powerful by conquering its neighbours in war. Its military power relied mainly on light and heavy cavalry, but also on the efforts of the talented statesman, Idris Alauma, in the second half of the sixteenth century. According to legend, Idris Alauma won 330 wars and over 1,000 battles – and although this is perhaps an exaggeration, he made an important contribution to the Kanem-Bornu Empire.

He provided large military camps with defensive walls. Prolonged sieges and a “scorched earth” tactic, where soldiers burn everything in their path. He also persuaded the Ottoman Empire to train his soldiers in the use of rifles, enabling the conquest of areas south and west of Bornu. Because of his reforms, the empire reached the height of its power in the late 16th century.

  The royal family was very important in the empire, but there was also a well-developed administrative system and a council of talented officials, such as Idris Alauma. Kanem-Bornu was divided into different districts, each ruled by a different official. Some areas were not directly controlled; instead, they were formally independent but paid tribute to the emperor. Tribute means paying money or goods to another country in exchange for protection or independence. Elsewhere, the empire had direct control. In these areas, the emperor gave ownership of the land to his officials, who in return had to levy troops and taxes for the empire. The different types of political organization, i.e., tribute states and provinces under direct control, show how flexible the Kanem-Bornu Empire was in its approach to governance.

Kanem-Bornu was a rich empire. Its income came in part from states tribute and taxes, but the main source of wealth for the empire was trans-Saharan trade. It has been famous for its horses and also salt since the 15th century. However, the most profitable trade was the slave trade. Several military campaigns of the empire were conducted in order to capture more slaves for sale on the other side of the Sahara. Therefore, the wealth of the empire was based on many sources.

 Since the 11th century, the rulers of Kanem have been Muslims. The empire was famous for its mosques and the pilgrimage it led to Mecca. Since the fifteenth century, the emperor called himself ‘Khalifa’ or “Caliph”, that is, the ruler of all Muslims. But despite this, the traditional religion persisted for a long time: for example, a pre-Islamic sacred object called the “mune” was honoured until the 13th century. Arguably, religion in the empire was a mixture of Islamic and traditional elements.

Writing and Document History Made Kanem-Bornu Special:

The rulers of Kamen-Bornu were adept at recording their history. Since the 9th century, the names and origins of the Kanem kings have been recorded orally. The introduction of Islam and Arabic script meant that things went even further, with the beginning of written recording. The history of the kings, the ‘diwan’ or ‘girgam’, was written from the sixteenth or possibly the thirteenth century until the nineteenth century. This is a very important source for historians, because it covers such a large period of time and because other written records are scarce. Therefore, the Diwan/Girgam shows how far the Kanem-Bornu Empire was by the standards of its era.

Kanem-Bornu was powerful, advanced and wealthy. It had a powerful army, some illustrious officials, and a large territorial and commercial empire. Furthermore, the people in the empire had a strong sense of history, as evidenced by their decision to record the vows of their kings. The introduction of writing furthered this cultural development. Kanem-Bornu must have been among the great African empires of the second millennium.

The Introduction of Islam through the Duguwa Dynasty:

The Kanem kings were known as ‘Mais’. The Duguwa dynasty was the first dynasty to rule the empire. The ‘Mais’ of Duguwa were considered divine kings and belonged to the ruling establishment, the Magumi. Although Seif was the empire’s first king, it was during the reign of his son, King Dugu, the empire’s third king, that Njimi’s power and influence grew. Under the leadership of the 9th king, King Arku in 1023 CE, the kingdom expanded north into the desert and took over the trade routes of African Muslims in the region.

 This would be a turning point for the empire because Islam would now have a great influence in the royal court. King Arku’s successor, Queen Hawwa, was important for two reasons. Firstly, she was the first woman to rule in the empire, and secondly, she was the first member of the royal family to convert and convert to Islam. The empire ruled from 1067 CE for four years and served as a precedent for Islamic rule. Its successor was also an Islamic ruler, King Abdal Jalil (1071 – 1075 CE) and his successor, King Hume Julmi (1075 CE) established the Sefuwa dynasty, which would not only become the ruling class in the kingdom, but more importantly one of the ruling classes of the kingdom. The most powerful African Islamic kingdoms at that time.

The Dynasty of Sefuwa:

The Sefuwa dynasty (1075 – 1846 CE) is one of the longest reigning African dynasties of all time. Under this dynasty, the empire grew extremely wealthy. They controlled 12 vassal (subordinate) states in addition to their lands. They also controlled the salt deposits within the Bilma region, located in what we know today as Niger, and increased their trade with North Africa. They got horses, fabrics, and glassware in exchange for salt. They also exported ostrich feathers, elephant tusks, and tin from the Hausa region in northern Nigeria.

Mai Dunama II (1210 – 1248 CE) who was also known as Mai Dunama Dibalami was an important king within the empire. Not only was he a devout Muslim, like many of his predecessors, but he also had the ability to lead an army of 40,000 men on horseback. He expanded the size of the empire. Moreover, he was a great diplomat and developed key relationships with the sultans of North Africa. He established an embassy for the Kanem Empire in Tunis along with a school and lodged in Cairo for those Muslims making the pilgrimage to Mecca. Under various ‘Mais’, the royal court had a great interest in the study of the Qur’an and the development of Qur’anic studies. They also encouraged the study of astronomy, mathematics and science.

Interestingly, historian Dr. Fagan has argued that although the Mais were Muslim and devoted to Islam, the kingdom’s political structure retained some pre-Islamic elements. These pre-Islamic elements are inherited from the Zaghawa or Duguwa. An example of one such element is that two women held the highest positions in the kingdom – the queen mother and the queen’s sister – and each had their own court and officers.

The Borno Kingdom:

Bornu was an area southwest of Lake Chad. The Kanem Empire temporarily relocated here after their wars with Bulala resumed as Bulala took control of Kanem’s capital, Njimi, and the surrounding areas. Bornu proved so important to the relocated Kanem Empire that the lands here were more fertile than in Kanem.

This land allowed the cultivation of crops. Moreover, when King Mai Ali Ghaji came to power in 1472 CE, he established strong trade links with some of the Hausa kingdoms (present-day northern Nigeria). He also built the city of Ngazargamu near the Yobe River, which later became the capital of the Kanem Empire in Bornu. Other cities, such as Difa, Yo, Duji, and Wudi, also developed nearby and specialised in pottery, clothing, weaving, and leatherwork. By 1497, Mai Ali Ghaji had developed the empire in Bornu so much that he had enough resources to retake the city of Njimi from Bulala. Once that was done, the Kanem Empire became the Kanem-Bornu Empire and went from strength to strength. Trade took place as far away as the Ottoman Empire in modern Turkey.

Mai Idriss Alauma:

In the Kanuri language, the word “Mai” means king. King Idris Alauma is one of the most famous kings of the Kanem-Bornu Empire. He came to power in 1564 CE and was present at the same time as the famous caliphs/sultans of the other Islamic empires of Baghdad (Iraq), Cairo (Egypt) and Songhai (Mali).

As a devout Muslim, he not only went to perform the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 1571 CE, but also brought back with him scholars from the Middle East and North Africa. He also, like Mai Dunama II, built a hostel in Mecca for Muslims to stay in when they went to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca. He imported camels from the desert, which replaced the donkeys and oxen that were used for transport before. He was a great military leader and conquered the surrounding areas. He aggressively consolidated the empire in the name of the Kanem-Bornu Empire, keeping would-be invaders at bay. He controlled and protected the empire from the invasions of the Hausas to the west, the Bulala to the east and the Tuareg to the north.

The Kanem-Bornu Empire:

The Kanem-Bornu Empire was officially known as the Kanem-Bornu Empire by 1617 CE. This date refers to the unification of the Kanem and Bornu regions. Mai Idris Alauma had three sons who all followed in their father’s footsteps and increased the prosperity of the empire. Mai Muhammad (1617 – 1632 CE), Mai Ibrahim (1632 – 1639 CE), and Mai Amman (1639 – 1657 CE) expanded education and learning in the empire. It also marked the security and peace in their vows. In fact, the Kanem-Bornu Empire continued to flourish until the 19th century CE. German explorer Gustav Nachtagal visited the empire in 1850 and noted how the empire enjoyed “great beauty” and “prosperous development”.

 2. Why the Oldest Empire in African History Struggles with the Preservation of its Historical Sites and Museums?

Despite the unequivocal greatness of the Kanem-Bornu Empire over hundreds and hundreds of years ago, the 21st century may not have been kind to it. Why? Because its history is fast fading into irretrievable oblivion due to the neglect of its rich historical artefacts that are stacked in dilapidated museums as a result of poor preservation and ineffective management; while its priceless historical sites are left in the wilderness at the mercy of terrorist attacks, harsh weather and weathering. It is feared that if urgent care is not taken, those priceless artefacts and historical monuments could be lost forever.

 Kanem Press conducted a journalistic investigation into the critical factors causing the dilapidation of state museums and historical objects and sites in Borno and Yobe States and how to overcome the problem. The results reveal that people in Borno and Yobe States eagerly want their governments to revive the dilapidated Borno and Yobe State Museums and historical sites spread across the lengths and breadths of the states such as the Rabeh Fortress at Dikwa, the Dufuna Canoe in Damaturu and the ruins of Ngazargamu ancient city both in Yobe State in order to preserve the culture and history of the Great Kanem-Bornu Empire. The findings of the investigations further reveal that it is widely feared that people of Borno and Yobe States as well as people in the former Kanem-Bornu Empire risk losing a great chunk of their past and history if the museums and historical sites are not given urgent attention.

Furthermore, the investigation shows that people of Borno and Yobe deeply fear that they will have “no history left” if such historical sites and museums are left to rot away due to negligence. They further lament that the attacks by members of the Jama’atu Ahlus-Sunnah Lid-Da’awati Wal-Jihad also known as Boko Haram and members of their splinter opponent the Islamic State in West African Provinces (ISWAP) have left the Kanem-Bornu states in shambles, especially Borno and Yobe States. This is because more than 35,000 people have been killed more than two million others displaced since 2009; and if these displaced people and the rest of the people of the affected states do not have access to properly managed museums and historical sites, many of them would not learn about the culture and history of their ancestors, especially the younger generations. However, many of the participants expressed happiness that with the current stepping up of military action, more and more Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists are killed, with many others surrendering up. Therefore, Kanem Press urges the Federal Government to maintain the tempo for lasting peace to return to our society.

 Primarily, the results of the Kanempress’s journalistic investigations reveal some 15 critical factors that have contributed toward the dilapidation and poor management of the Borno and Yobe State Museums located in Maiduguri and Damaturu towns respectively as well as historical sites located in various parts of the states as follows:

1. the lack of political will to upgrade the museums to be revenue generating agencies;
2. the lack of policy drive to integrate museums and historical sites in the states’ budgets on education (meaning that state governments do not treat museums and historical sites as parts of educational institutions – something that they should have done so already);
3. the lack of specified fund for funding of archaeological research by our universities and related research institute both national and international;
4. the lack of commitment to continue with archaeological research/excavation in existing archaeological sites and/or explore new areas with prospective archaeological finds;
5. the lack of adequate funding from the states’ museum commissions;
6. sole reliance on the government for funding and the lack of diversification of sources of income to run the museums and historical sites;
7. rampant corruption and lack of transparency and accountability in the management of the finances of the museums;
8. staff and management’s lackadaisical attitude to work;
9. the lack of training and retraining of museum and other archaeological staff on how to manage historical sites and objects in the best global standards;
10. the management lacunae created by the current situation whereby the National Commission for Museums and Monuments manages museums and historical sites located in state governments’ domains;
11. the lack of digitization of the operations of museum staff and management and lack of digitization of the archiving of historical artefacts and records;
12. the lack of proper publicity and promotion of the museums and historical sites in the media;
13. the lack of the availability and affordability of artefact preservation chemicals;
14. the lack of the accessibility and usability of the artefact preservation chemical technology here in Nigeria; and
15. the lack of goal-drive proactive partnerships with international NGOs and other key donor agencies toward the rehabilitation and preservation of museums and historical sites in those states.

Furthermore, Kanem Press’s investigation reveal that people in Damaturu, and Maiduguri have acknowledged that the dilapidated museums in Damaturu and Maiduguri used to be centres of tourist attraction especially the Borno State Museum, filled with assortment of historic and cultural objects accessible to the public but now only few people manage to visit the museums because of the disenchanting dilapidated condition in which they are. A museum is a public cultural and educational centre that should occupy an important place in national development. It preserves the tangible and intangible culture of people, societies, and communities. It beneficial not only to the public but also to the government as well because it generates revenue. It is heart-wrenching to see those museums in such a bad shape. “They need serious renovation; and this should happen the shortest possible time” a respondent who pleaded anonymity stresses that. Because it is so run down, very few people visit the museum. Many of the people interviewed wandered f the government has forgotten about it and whether they think it is no longer useful.

 The investigation has further shown that the low patronage of the museums in Borno and Yobe States is a source of concern. The museums now rarely have visitors unlike they used have about 20 to 25 years ago. The Borno State Museum used to witness more constant streams of tourists in those years. The museums used to be centres of tourist attraction, especially on public holidays and on special national occasions. Schools used to bring their pupils and students on excursion to see the rare historical artefacts such as Dufuna Canoe (the oldest boat discovered in Africa), traditional musical instruments, traditional weapons etc. and learn about their history and culture. In fact, the museums in Damaturu and Maiduguri lack vital equipment such as the necessary equipment to control the temperature for the preservation of artefacts. Crevices and holes in the walls and ceilings give way to dust to settle on the precious historical objects. Something that museum experts warn could threaten the longevity of the historical objects.

Kanem Press’s investigation has also confirmed that the frequent attacks by Boko Haram and ISWAP have contributed to the loss of historical items in the museums and on sites. However, efforts to commit relevant stakeholders to come to the rescue of the continuously deteriorating museums and historical sites more especially the Rabeh Fortress at Dikwa in Borno State, Dufuna Canoe in Damaturu Yobe State and the ruins of Ngazargamu and Gambaru ancient settlements both in northern Yobe State received deaf ears. The investigation has further shown that the current situation whereby museums lodged in states are manged by the National Commission for Museums and Monuments has contributed toward the dilapidation of our museums and historical sites. Like local government councils are, historical sites and museums are also closer to the state governments. In times of the need for urgent attention like now, the state governments are at a better position to offer the needed help toward the rehabilitation of the museums than the Federal Government is.

Furthermore, if the narrative of the blood-thirsty Boko Haram and ISWAP in the north-east (especially in Borno and Yobe) must change , our museums and historical sites must be revived, renovated and effectively managed in the best global standards as well. Are you left wondering what could have been the relationship between changing the ugly Boko Haram/ISWAP narrative and the dilapidation or revival of museums and historical sites? Well, before you say ‘yes’, among other reasons this is to give people a sense of where they came from and where they belong historically. If people understand where they came from and where they belong historically, they will surely know where are headed to; they will have the confidence to proud of their identity, their history; and they will have the confidence for bigger resilience of being able to manage to live in the conflict zone; in fact, they will know how to prove wrong anyone who stereotypically teases them that people of Borno and Yobe are Boko Haram, or that Kanuri people are Boko Haram or ISWAP.

Boko Haram and ISWAP are not the making of the good, patriotic people of Borno and Yobe States. Boko Haram and ISWAP are products of circumstance; and such act of terrorism could happen anywhere in the world as we are all witnessed how even worse terrorists such as Al-Qaedah and ISIS threaten mighty nations like the United States, France and the United Kingdom.

Therefore, for us, we the ordinary people of the Kanem-Bornu Empire (specifically the present-day Borno and Yobe States) to be proud of ourselves and walk with our shoulders high even in the streets of London and New York, we and our children need to know about the great events of the past; we need to know where we came from – we need to know the history of our states, our people and ancestors. How do we cherish being proud of ourselves and culture when the state museums in our states are literally crumbling!? Not only that, even the few historical sites that the Kanem-Bornu Empire states of Borno and Yobe boast of having, including the ruins of the renown Rabeh Fortress at Dikwa and the banks of the Alau Lake where Mai Idriss Alauma was killed, both in Borno State as well as the ruins of the Ngazargamu ancient city and the site where Dufuna Canoe was excavated both in Yobe State are suffering from despairing neglect.

Furthermore, we the ordinary people we need to play our own role in the effort toward the revival of the museums and historical sites whilst we wait for the government and international donor agencies to respond. The influential and wealthy people among us also need to lend a helping hand accordingly. Culture and tradition are an important aspect of our lives. We need to encourage ourselves and others to form the culture of visiting our museums and historical sites; we need to form the habit of engaging in crow-funding to fund the rehabilitation of our historical sites and museums. For example, the Dufuna Canoe was found in 1987 by a Fulani herdsman near Dufuna village in Fune Local Government Area of Yobe State. The dug-out wooden boat is proven to be the oldest canoe in Africa and second-oldest known canoe in the world. Radiocarbon dating done on a nearby sample of charcoal at the site shows that the canoe is about 8,500 years old.

This is priceless cultural object just as the ruins of Ngazargamu and the Fortress of Rabeh are. Yet they are all suffering from unnecessary neglected. Unfortunately, all these palpable neglects to our cherished historical sites and artefacts have failed to attract the needed attention from all critical stakeholders (for example, the Government, NGO sand other international donor agencies) with the exception of the media. Kanem Press arguably believes that the media remains the only entity that has been relentlessly and actively involved in the round-the-clock campaign for the revival and preservation of the historical artefacts and sites in Borno and Yobe States specifically and other parts of the former Kanem-Bornu Empire in general. These museums play a crucial role in preserving local culture and creating unity socially and politically.

Therefore, Kanem Press urges the workaholic Governor of Borno State Professor Baba Gana Umara Zulum and the silent achiever Governor of Yobe State Honourable Mai Mala Buni to pay gubernatorial attention toward the renovation of the museums and historical sites in their states. They should explore all possible legit means of restoring the lost glory of the museums and historical sites in their states including providing strong, viable legislative underpinnings, partnering with international NGOS and lobbying the Federal Government to permit state governments to own and manage their own museums and historical sites.

Finally, regarding the lack of the availability of the technology for the making of the artefact preservation chemicals here in Nigeria, the government should liaise with relevant foreign firms and donor agencies to transfer that technology to African countries including Nigeria so that artefact preservation chemicals can be cheaper and more easily accessible. We have seen how the world supported vaccine manufacturing companies to develop COVID-19 vaccines in virtually under a year or so and, as we speak now with the support of the United Nations and the World organization the COVID-19 vaccine making technology has been transferred to some African countries including Nigeria. Therefore, Kanem Press believes that if the government and other critical stakeholders such as UNICEF can collaborate and leverage on the ways the COVID-19 vaccine making technology was transferred to Nigeria, same can be achieved regarding the transfer of the historical artefact preservation chemical making technology.

The Collaborative Media Engagement supported by Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), is aimed to strengthen media independence and presence, especially at the sub-national levels, state, local government and the private sector, in a bid to improve public awareness and the ecosystem for transparency, accountability and good governance.