This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/27/clubbing-birthplace-boko-haram-maiduguri-nigeria
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Defiance on the dancefloor: clubbing in the birthplace of Boko Haram | Defiance on the dancefloor: clubbing in the birthplace of Boko Haram |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A few minutes before 10pm every Friday night, young people rush into the bars and clubs of Maiduguri, timing their arrival perfectly to avoid the nightly curfew. Once inside, revellers stay dancing until the checkpoints reopen after dawn. | A few minutes before 10pm every Friday night, young people rush into the bars and clubs of Maiduguri, timing their arrival perfectly to avoid the nightly curfew. Once inside, revellers stay dancing until the checkpoints reopen after dawn. |
| Here in the birthplace of Boko Haram, a group that has waged a brutal insurgency in north-east Nigeria since 2009, killing an estimated 20,000 people and displacing more than 2 million, a sense of normality is slowly returning after a concerted army campaign. | Here in the birthplace of Boko Haram, a group that has waged a brutal insurgency in north-east Nigeria since 2009, killing an estimated 20,000 people and displacing more than 2 million, a sense of normality is slowly returning after a concerted army campaign. |
| As people from across Borno state have fled to urban areas and camps to escape the frequent terror attacks, Maiduguri has more than doubled in size and has become home to tens of thousands of young people hoping to rebuild their lives. | As people from across Borno state have fled to urban areas and camps to escape the frequent terror attacks, Maiduguri has more than doubled in size and has become home to tens of thousands of young people hoping to rebuild their lives. |
| The nation’s new president, Muhammadu Buhari, a former general was elected last year on a promise to clean up the military and overthrow Boko Haram. In the past 15 months, army forces have beaten the terror group back from strongholds in remote villages and towns across the state. | The nation’s new president, Muhammadu Buhari, a former general was elected last year on a promise to clean up the military and overthrow Boko Haram. In the past 15 months, army forces have beaten the terror group back from strongholds in remote villages and towns across the state. |
| As a result the El-Kanemi Warriors, the local football team, have felt safe enough to play home matches in the Nigerian football league for the first time in two years. The University of Maiduguri has started holding graduation ceremonies. | As a result the El-Kanemi Warriors, the local football team, have felt safe enough to play home matches in the Nigerian football league for the first time in two years. The University of Maiduguri has started holding graduation ceremonies. |
| Fati Abubakar, 30, a photographer who has been capturing everyday life in the restive state and posting images on her Bits of Borno Instagram account, believes a sense of normality is returning. “Borno has always been known for having the most flamboyant and colourful weddings,” she said. “The insurgency slowed it, but now it’s back in full force. Everyone is eager to experience them again.” | Fati Abubakar, 30, a photographer who has been capturing everyday life in the restive state and posting images on her Bits of Borno Instagram account, believes a sense of normality is returning. “Borno has always been known for having the most flamboyant and colourful weddings,” she said. “The insurgency slowed it, but now it’s back in full force. Everyone is eager to experience them again.” |
| Sunday Yuguda, 32, known as DJ X-Mix, has been playing in Maiduguri for a decade. He made his name at the city’s Lake Chad Club, where he played hip-hop, Fela Kuti and a fusion of several dancehall-influenced styles now called Afrobeats. | Sunday Yuguda, 32, known as DJ X-Mix, has been playing in Maiduguri for a decade. He made his name at the city’s Lake Chad Club, where he played hip-hop, Fela Kuti and a fusion of several dancehall-influenced styles now called Afrobeats. |
| “Before Boko Haram, Maiduguri was a happening place,” he said. “It was so social that you could wake up at 2am, leave your house and find an open bar at that time. But now the number of people coming to clubs has reduced because nobody wants embarrassment from the security at checkpoints.” | “Before Boko Haram, Maiduguri was a happening place,” he said. “It was so social that you could wake up at 2am, leave your house and find an open bar at that time. But now the number of people coming to clubs has reduced because nobody wants embarrassment from the security at checkpoints.” |
| Nightlife is now returning. The Sahara nightclub on the edge of the city is seeing its numbers swell. “People troop in a lot,” Yuguda said. “Especially on Wednesdays and Fridays, when women get free entry. We play music till 2am or 3am again.” | Nightlife is now returning. The Sahara nightclub on the edge of the city is seeing its numbers swell. “People troop in a lot,” Yuguda said. “Especially on Wednesdays and Fridays, when women get free entry. We play music till 2am or 3am again.” |
| Sally Hayden, a British journalist who was reporting from Maiduguri in May, said she saw patrons start “clubbing on Saturday afternoon so they have enough time before the curfew. Others opt to stay until sunrise the next day.” | Sally Hayden, a British journalist who was reporting from Maiduguri in May, said she saw patrons start “clubbing on Saturday afternoon so they have enough time before the curfew. Others opt to stay until sunrise the next day.” |
| Younger clubbers go to Hot Bites, a stone’s throw away from the heavily guarded palatial residence of the former state governor Ali Modu Sheriff. There, urged on by pop music from Tekno, Wizkid and Mr Eazi, young Christian men dance with Kanuri and Shuwa Muslim women, a scene that offers a different view of a city usually described in news reports as “the frontier of [African] jihad”. | |
| Though the state of Borno is largely conservative and Muslim, like anywhere in the world, young people have found a way to break rules set down by their parents. | |
| Khadeejah, 21, a recent graduate of Maiduguri University, who gave only her first name, regularly goes clubbing. “Many of the girls here told their parents they are having sleepovers with their female friends,” she said. “Then they come clubbing and change to more revealing outfits that they drop somewhere within the premises.” | Khadeejah, 21, a recent graduate of Maiduguri University, who gave only her first name, regularly goes clubbing. “Many of the girls here told their parents they are having sleepovers with their female friends,” she said. “Then they come clubbing and change to more revealing outfits that they drop somewhere within the premises.” |
| Khadeejah and her friend Falmata, 24, begin the weekend with a trip to buy drugs for the partying ahead. “You have to be high before you go and club,” said Falmata. | Khadeejah and her friend Falmata, 24, begin the weekend with a trip to buy drugs for the partying ahead. “You have to be high before you go and club,” said Falmata. |
| In August, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in Borno state announced that it had confiscated 20 tonnes of drugs in Maiduguri over two years, a figure exacerbated by the 22 nearby camps for internally displaced people, where drug use is also prevalent. | In August, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in Borno state announced that it had confiscated 20 tonnes of drugs in Maiduguri over two years, a figure exacerbated by the 22 nearby camps for internally displaced people, where drug use is also prevalent. |
| For this reason, Thierry Laurent-Badin, the director of programmes for humanitarian food aid group Action Contre la Faim, is cautious about proclaiming that the city is back on its feet. | For this reason, Thierry Laurent-Badin, the director of programmes for humanitarian food aid group Action Contre la Faim, is cautious about proclaiming that the city is back on its feet. |
| “While Maiduguri seems, on the surface, to be slowly getting back to life, it is important to understand that the city’s population has more than doubled over the past four years,” he said. “The related trauma of displacement will have a long-lasting impact on individuals and communities.” He said much of the population was “extremely vulnerable to exploitation.” | “While Maiduguri seems, on the surface, to be slowly getting back to life, it is important to understand that the city’s population has more than doubled over the past four years,” he said. “The related trauma of displacement will have a long-lasting impact on individuals and communities.” He said much of the population was “extremely vulnerable to exploitation.” |
| But Abubakar stressed that for the first time in years, there were no attacks on the Eid al-Adha celebrations in September, which had a profound effect on local people. | |
| “This year was a beautiful experience, because for the first time in years, there was no shutdown of the town for fear of attacks, so people were very excited, especially children,” Abubakar said. | “This year was a beautiful experience, because for the first time in years, there was no shutdown of the town for fear of attacks, so people were very excited, especially children,” Abubakar said. |