From Mother’s Fireside Tales To National Archives: The Folklore Mission Of Bukar Usman
Bukar Usman’s Lifelong Journey Through Nigeria’s Folkloric Landscape
A Childhood Classroom Beneath the Thatched Roof
LONG before formal education shaped his worldview, Dr. Bukar Usman’s first lessons came from the warmth of a village fireside in Biu. In the evenings, after farm work and household chores, children gathered around their mother, listening to folktales that blended entertainment with moral instruction.
Those storytelling sessions, accompanied by roasted corn, groundnuts and garden eggs, became the foundation of a lifelong fascination with folklore. More than six decades later, the former Permanent Secretary and President of the Nigerian Folklore Society revisits those formative experiences in his latest book, My Folklore Journey.
The work serves not only as a memoir but also as a cultural record of a disappearing tradition that once shaped generations of African children.
Preserving Oral Traditions in a Changing World
Central to the book is Usman’s recognition of the transition from oral storytelling to written documentation.
While acknowledging that written texts can never fully reproduce the songs, rhythms and communal atmosphere of oral performances, he argues that preservation through books remains essential. Folktales originally narrated in Babur/Bura and later translated into other languages often lose certain cultural nuances, yet documenting them ensures they survive beyond the memories of elders.
Through decades of research and publication, Usman has dedicated himself to safeguarding these stories from extinction, transforming oral traditions into accessible literary resources for future generations.
Journeying Back to the Origins
Like his earlier autobiographical works, My Literary Journey and My Public Service Journey, this latest publication explores the experiences that shaped his intellectual development.
The book reconstructs his childhood environment in remarkable detail. Readers encounter not only the stories told by his mother but also the physical layout of his family compound, complete with descriptions of the huts, family members, neighbours and surrounding landscape.
These vivid recollections reveal how folklore emerged naturally from everyday life, becoming a vehicle for cultural transmission and communal identity.
Folklore as a Moral and Cultural Institution
Usman argues that folktales served a far greater purpose than entertainment. They functioned as informal schools where children absorbed ethical values, cultural practices, traditional beliefs and social expectations.
According to him, folklore introduced young people to a broader understanding of their society, encompassing customs, crafts, architecture, dress, food traditions and communal values.
Even after modernization transformed his childhood environment, the lessons embedded within those stories remained deeply influential, shaping his worldview and intellectual pursuits.
Expanding Horizons Beyond Biu
The author traces how his move to Maiduguri for further education broadened his appreciation of folklore.
Exposure to Hausa literature and storytelling traditions revealed similarities and differences between cultures, deepening his interest in comparative folklore studies. Later experiences at King’s College, Lagos, and his involvement in preparations for FESTAC ’77 further expanded his understanding of cultural heritage and its importance in national development.
These encounters reinforced his belief that folklore exists everywhere, embedded within institutions, communities and everyday human interactions.
The Birth of a National Folklore Project
One of the most significant sections of the book details how a simple question from publisher Duve Nakolisa transformed Usman’s career.
Encouraged to document the folktales he remembered from childhood, Usman began collecting stories from Biu before expanding his research nationwide. What started as a modest project eventually grew into one of Africa’s most ambitious folklore documentation efforts.
The result was the creation of the Treasury of Nigerian Tales series and numerous other publications that preserved thousands of stories drawn from diverse ethnic communities across the country.
A Legacy Beyond Literature
Beyond collecting folktales, Usman has also documented the history, language and educational development of the Biu Emirate through several major publications.
These works have become valuable resources for scholars, historians and cultural researchers, ensuring that local histories and traditions remain accessible to future generations.
His contributions demonstrate that folklore is not merely about stories but about preserving collective memory, identity and cultural continuity.
An Enduring Contribution to Nigerian Culture
My Folklore Journey stands as both a personal reflection and a national cultural archive.
The book highlights the extraordinary efforts of a man who has spent decades documenting traditions that might otherwise have disappeared. Through memoir, scholarship and storytelling, Usman offers readers an intimate look at the forces that shaped his life while simultaneously preserving a significant part of Nigeria’s cultural heritage.
His work serves as a reminder that folklore remains one of the most powerful tools for understanding the history, values and imagination of a people.
