Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. (Wikipedia) A while ago, I have started using Twitter to send short messages in Hausa and I have also subscribed to other people’s  Hausa “tweets”. Have a look at

• Hausa Online on Twitter
• BBCHausa on Twitter

I have also created a list of Hausa tweets. If you are a Hausa speaker, use Twitter and which to be included on that list, let me know.

Carmen McCain is a PhD Candidate in the Department of African Languages and Literature at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She is currently doing her dissertation research on Hausa films in Kano, Nigeria, where she also coordinates the Hausa Home Video Resource Centre in the Department of Mass Communications at Bayero University.

Today, in the Hausa section of Voice of America (Muryar Amurka), one can read about her and listen to an interview (in Hausa) with her, in which she tells how she learned Hausa and about modern Hausa life. Here is a link to the interview:

Carmen McCain, who is also called “Talatu”, runs a blog on WordPress. Here is a link to her blog: “A Tunanina“

Today, 8 September, is  International Literacy Day. According to the UNESCO website,

On International Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally.

Despite many and varied efforts, literacy remains an elusive target: some 776 million adults lack minimum literacy skills which means that one in five adults is still not literate; 75 million children are out-of-school and many more attend irregularly or drop out.

Here is an old cartoon in Hausa which I found  at the website of the UCLA Language Materials Project.  It encourages people to send their children to school.

Cartoon: UCLA Language Materials Project

Here is another post on the same topic:

Literacy is the best remedy

Today, 12 August, is International Youth Day. On the BBC Hausa website (Shirin Safe of today), I found the following: “A yau kasashen Duniya ke bukin ranar Matasa ta wannan shekara. Majilissar Dinkin Duniya ce ta ware ranar goma sha biyu na watan Agustan kowacce shekera domin wayar da kan jama’a akan matsaloli da kuma kalubalen da matasa ke fuskanta.”

My wish to all the youth in Africa: May you be able to celebrate this day and contribute to the society in which you live.

Here are a three Hausa proverbs related to youth:

• Da rarrafe yaro ya kan tashi.
• Yaro bai san wuta ba sai ta ƙone shi.
• Yaran zamani tun ba su tafasa ba su kan ƙone.

Which other Hausa proverbs related to youth do you know?

About a year ago,  I warned in a blog post that Hausa Wikipedia could soon be closed, due to lack of activity. I don’t know whether it was because of this post or due to some other factors, but since then, Hausa wikipedia is growing fast.  Have a look, and maybe you feel like contributing something yourself or editing (please, don’t vandalize!) the articles that have been written.

If you would like to contribute something, but don’t know how this works, here are some guidelines:

• Contributing to Wikipedia
• Policies and guidelines
• Tutorial

You could start with some topic you are familiar with or translate an article from another language.

A good point to start from could be some online news articles. Some old Hausa school books like “Ikon Allah” would be good source material, too. But make sure you do not just copy what is written there, in order to avoid copyright issues.

The African Language Materials Archive (ALMA) is a multi-partner project focusing on the promotion and documentation of literature and literacy in the languages of Africa. It also serves to assist African language authors and publishers in publicizing and distributing their work.

The ALMA project has two websites. At the Digital Library for International Research, one can find literary documents in a number of African languages — including Hausa — in Portable Document Format (PDF). An expanded website with complementary African language materials including interviews in video and PDF versions, documentary video, translation work, and bibliographies can be viewed at http://alma.matrix.msu.edu.

Hausa materials that can be watched and downloaded at the two mentioned websites so far:

Videos:

• a short autobiography of Ada Luntu, a Fulani artisan from the Republic of Niger (watch the video)
• a selection of Hausa language video material about the life of Yazi Dogo, a well-known Hausa theater icon from the Republic of Niger (go to Yazi Dogo section)

E-books:

• Fasalta Harsuna (Taƙaitacciyar Gabatarwa) by Abdou Mijinguini, a linguist from the Republic of Niger
• a transcription of the Yazi Dogo video

The ALMA Project was initiated by the West African Research Center and West African Research Association, and thus has its roots in West Africa. Nevertheless, the ALMA website includes videos and text also from East and Southern African languages.

Source: UCLA Language Materials Project

Today, here in Germany, we celebrate “Tag des Baumes” (Arbor day). Arbor Day originated in Nebraska, United States and is celebrated in a number of countries, at different times. It is a holiday in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees.

I found the above Hausa drawing at the website of the UCLA Language Materials Project. More like that can be found there.

Check out my Hausa link list at Delicious.

Friendfeed is another web 2.0 style online service which enables you to keep up-to-date on web pages, photos, videos and music that others  are sharing. You can also enter or create public rooms where you can discover and discuss information among friends.

Today, using Friendfeed, I have created a public room called “Hausa Online” where I collect information related to Hausa language and culture which I consider worth sharing. Have a look and if you like it or have questions about it, let me know.

I keep collecting more and more Hausa videoclips from the internet.  Today, I have started “Gani ya fi ji“, a new blog which is something like a showcase for videoclips in Hausa. Check it out and send your comments.

BBC Hausa Service offers a new online course on journalism in Hausa. Here are some of the topics:

• Makarantar Aikin Jarida ta BBC
• Shawarar Kwararre a kan Salon BBC
• Rubutu don Rediyo
• Suna da Mukami
• Sabbin kalmomi
• Lafazi
• Fassara
• Ka’idar Rubutun Hausa
• Nahawu
• Rashin Nuna Bambanci
• Sanin Ya Kamata

All these topics are explained in Hausa in short articles, using examples and video clips.

All of you Hausa speakers, this is a good way to learn more about radio journalism.