Sanu!! That’s hello in hausa.
As I have mentioned before, the predominant religion in this area is Islam. They are devoted Muslims. The first time I witnessed worshipers praying on the road, I was stunned. Once it’s time for prayer, they stop wherever they are and pray. About ten minutes before the time, some roads leading to the mosques are barricaded. In Katsina town, all the churches are located within the same vicinity. This is because in the past the area was where brothels were located. The brothels were then demolished. The land was then termed unholy by the indigenes and they could not erect any structure there because of their belief. So the land was sold to Christians and they built churches there.
I visited a number of places.
Gidan Bala
‘Gida’ means ‘house’ in Hausa. So literally it means ‘House of Bala’. Its a small village close to Funtua. We spent a weekend at the place and interacted with the indigenes. We were there on evangelical outreach. The people are farmers. The grow pepper, mostly, along with other vegetables and grains like corn. The vicinity in which we were in was a large expanse of land with three cluster of houses spaced apart. Their animals like goats, cows and donkeys were so healthy and fresh compared to the ones I see in the south. The people are homely and are quite united. They go to the farm in the morning and come back in the evening. What I loved about the place was the fresh air and the natural state of the place. The smell of soil and the sight of the beautiful donkey.
sc, faith,
Dandume
Dandume is another place near funtua. They are known for sugarcane. I visited a corp member in this place. There was sugarcane in abundance. There was also the large expanse of land. There is a secondary school in the area as well.
Matazu
Matazu is near Dutsinma. They have alot of vegetables like carrots. Watermelons are also very cheap, especially on market days. These communities are so sparsely populated, everyone knows who’s who. A stranger is easily noticed.
The predominant occupation is agriculture and animal husbandry. There is alot of land for agriculture though the soil isn’t as arable as the soil down south.
Well, that’s all for now. Later!