Intangible Cultural Heritage of Nigeria's Middle Belt
Chair(s): Aaron Carter-Enyi (Morehouse College), Solomon Abu Dauda (CONAECDA Nigeria), David Aina (Lagos State University)
Discussant(s): Christian Onyeji (Morehouse College,)
In the Middle Belt of Nigeria, three major language families converge in a region with cultural diversity rivaling the Amazon Basin and Papua New Guinea. Each of 340 distinct languages is accompanied by distinctive music and dance traditions. Diamond (1958–59) and Quersin (1972) documented a small fraction of these performance practices. These recordings are not accessible to the Anaguta, Berom, Jarawa, or Ngas communities featured in the releases by Smithsonian and Ocora. Widespread adoption of mobile devices has made it possible for community members to share audio and video through Bluetooth and WhatsApp with minimal cost. Often, the content shared through these means is intended to incite conflict between farmers and herders. Since 2021, our team has pursued a documentation drive in partnership with CONAECDA, a coalition of community development associations formed in recognition of the UN’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We have produced hundreds of hours of audiovisual primary sources. We have tested and implemented dissemination strategies that ensure accessibility to the born-digital materials by community members soon after fieldwork is completed and in the future. The recordings amplify artistic voices for peace, countering divisive narratives. This program will feature three 20-minute films, each representing a cluster of ethnic groups from one of three Nigerian states: Adamawa, Kaduna, and Plateau. An international team, including junior scholars from Nigeria, will present the films. This work is the first Intangible Cultural Heritage project in Nigeria to be funded by the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP).
Presentations in the Session
Adamawa
Ebruphiyor Omodoro
University of Nigeria
Recorded and edited in 2025
20-minute excerpt
Hausa and English interviews with singing in minority languages including Bachama, Chamba, Gude, Kugama, Kwah/Nyabah, Libbo, Sukur, Tsobo, Yungur, and Zambo.
English Subtitles for Hausa interviews and songs in minority languages.
Adamawa is an eastern state of Nigeria on a plateau adjacent to the Cameroonian Grasslands. The state is religiously diverse, approximately 50% Muslim and 40% Christian. The state is afflicted with ongoing agrarian conflict. The Sukur Cultural Landscape was named a World Heritage Site in 1999.
Kaduna
Aaron Carter-Enyi
Morehouse College
Recorded from 2022 to 2025, edited in 2025
20-minute excerpt
Hausa and English interviews with singing in minority languages including Adara/Ehua, Baju, Chawai, Fantswam, Gbagyi, Ham, Ikulu, Kadara, Nandu, Rumaya and Takad.
English Subtitles for Hausa interviews and songs in minority languages.
Kaduna State is located directly north of Abuja and is the third most populous state in Nigeria. Ethnic minorities are found in the southern portion of the state and the Hausa ethnic majority in the northern part of the state. This film focuses on the music and dance traditions of the ethnic minorities in southern Kaduna.
Plateau
Michael Bulkaam
University of Jos
Recorded from 2021 to 2025, edited in 2025
20-minute excerpt
Hausa and English interviews with singing in minority languages including Berom, Chasoekoeh, Ga̱mai, Kwagallak, Mwaghavul, Ngas, Rigwe, Ron, Sigidi, Tal, and Ywom.
English Subtitles for Hausa interviews and some songs in minority languages.
Plateau state is one of the most ethnically diverse areas of Nigeria, without a clear majority ethnicity. It is predominantly Christian surrounded by majority Muslim states and has often scene conflict in the last 20 years. Prior to that, it was known for being a peaceful area.
