Introduction

Food and festivals are an important part of culture. Traditional cuisine and celebrations play a big role in adding structure to our social lives and it connects us with our families and backgrounds. Their main purpose is to pass on legends, knowledge and traditions of a community from one generation to the next. All festivals are cultural in one way or the other. South Africa has many cultural festivals that bring happiness into their lives and strengthen their sense of community. 

 Argungu is small town by the Sokoto River. Traditionally, fishing and agriculture are the main economic activities of the area. The Argungu fishing festival is the most widely known if not the most popular festival in Northern Nigeria. It originated in the area that includes today’s Kebbi state in about the 16^th century prior to the time of Surame Gungu of Kebbi kingdom and the conquest of Kanta of Kebbi(Yusuf, 1982). Originally celebrated as a religious festival, it was transformed in the early 19th century by Shehu Usman Dan Fodio, the ruler of Sokoto, when he stormed the Kebbi Empire during a jihad and took control, he subsequently founded a village that he renamed Argungu(Yusuf, 1982). It was used in 1934 to mark the end of hostilities between the Sokoto Caliphate and the Kebbi Kingdom.

At the beginning of the major event, over 5000 fisherwomen and men gather close to the river and at the sound of a gunshot, they all dive into the river. The fishing equipment used are the traditional nets and gourds made of calabash (Asogwa, 2012). They are joined by canoes filled with drummers, plus men rattling huge seed-filled gourds to drive the fish to shallow waters. Vast nets are cast and shoals of fish are harvested from the giant Nile Perch to the peculiar Balloon Fish.  The person who catches the largest fish is awarded a prize money of $7000 dollars. In 2005, the winning fish weighed 75 kg, and needed four men to hoist it on top the scales (Asogwa, 2012). 

Additionally, there is canoe racing, wild duck hunting, barehanded fishing, diving competitions and naturally, swimming. Afterwards, there is drinking, singing and dancing into the night. The festival marks the end of the growing season and the harvest (Northwest News, 1942). A one mile (1.6 kilometer) stretch of the Argungu River is protected throughout the year, “so that the fish will be plentiful for this 45-minute fishing frenzy” (Chitre, 2019). 

The festival has grown into one of the most popular festivals in Nigeria and beyond. The fishing festival has continued as an annual event, with additional cultural and sporting activities, attracting about 500,000 spectators from all over Nigeria, and all over the world (Dantata, 2007). Presently, it is a four-day event that is marked by pomp and pageantry and draws national and international attention. It also attracts local and international media coverage, including the CNN and BBC (Dantata, 2007). Conspicuously, it attracts a whole lot of tourists. After the memorable visit of the Sultan of Sokoto, Sultan Dan Mu’azu. The festival began to attract a steady flow of attention from all over the country. Tourists and guests for the occasion trooped in large numbers from Europe, Britain, United States, Russia, South East Asia and neighboring African countries like Niger, Benin Republic, Cameroon, etc (Dantata, 2007).

Based on my research I have developed several conclusions about the Argungu fishing festival. First, that history has an important role during the emergence of the festival. Second, the fishing festival has cultural traditions and practices that specifically serve to enliven the atmosphere and bring forth social connection and leisure in everybody. Third, the festival implements environmentally sustainable practice to conserve the Sokoto river, additionally as the festival expand, modernization and growing tourism can have adverse effects on the town in terms of environmental conservation. However, the festival speaks to the centrality of the Sokoto river by preserving culture as a part of sustainability. The Argungu Festival aims at sustaining a livelihood that stems from the Sokoto river.

  There are many myths about Africa that people throughout the world believe to be true. The truth is that these myths are rooted in misinformation, lack of knowledge and stereotypes. A danger to the advancement of society, stereotypes lead to the widespread belief of myths (Adichie, 2015). It is crucial to be aware of the various traditions of African countries to get rid of this single perspective of Africa. By sticking to this biased view of Africa we are taking away their identity and rich heritage. The Argungu fishing festival provides a different perspective of Nigeria and educates westerners on deep rooted traditions of their cuisine and festivities.

Bibliography

Asogwa, B.C. (2002). Some Socio-economic and Socio-cultural Aspects of the Argungu Fishing Festival in Kebbi State. Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Agriculture, Makurdi.

Dantata, M. (2007). The Contribution of Argungu Fishing and Cultural Festival to Poverty reduction. The 4th IIPT African Conference on Peace through Tourism, Kampala, 20-25 May 2007, pp: 21. [Online] Available: https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/53620086/the-contribution-of-argungu-fishing-and-cultural-festival-to-poverty-reduction

Yusuf, A.B. (1982). The Past in the Present: Evolution of the Argungu Fishing Festival. John Okwesa Limited, Yaba Lagos.

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. “The Danger of a Single Story.” TED. Accessed October 10, 2019. https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.

Chitre, Sarina. “Argungu Fishing Festival.” Vahi, Raysa. Research Proposal, October 25^th, 2019.