Kano State: Why Nigeria historic dye pits fit close down

For more than six centuries, one area for di historic city of Kano for northern Nigeria na di home to dye pits, wia dem dey use ancient techniques to produce beautiful fabrics.

Di materials - wey dem dey mostly dye for deep blue colour - don sell across Africa and di Middle East.

But many pipo dey worry say di industry now dey at risk.

'Di young generation no wan join di dyeing,' one Baba Muhammad complain as he squat near one wide pit, wey full wit one colo, indigo coloured liquid.

Di 75-year-old dip one piece of cloth into di hole, cover im hands wit rubber gloves.

Di veteran dyer dey worry say im go be one of di last pipo to perform di ancient ritual as young pipo don get more modern taste.

'Dem prefer to go into business; dem like to design di fabrics, but no be to dye am.'

'Blue men of di desert'

Di Kofar Mata dye pits - wey dem establish for di beginning of di16th Century be di source of livelihood for thousands of local pipo.

Na women dey usually create di unique design of di fabrics wey dem go twist and tie di material for dia houses into different shapes to produce di patterns.

Dem go later give di tied clothes dem to di dyers.

Kano city na one important economic hub for northern Nigeria and e get strong leg for di trans-Saharan trade for pre-colonial times.

Historians dey tok of how Tuaregs - wey dem dey call 'blue men of the desert' - sake of di colour of dia clothes - dey visit di city.

Wetin follow sweet pipo about di Kofar Mata fabric, na di locally sourced and natural ingredients wey dem dey use to dye di clothes.

Till today, dyers tok say dem dey avoid artificial ingredients, and dey use things like di local indigo plant, wey dey give di material e colour.

Insecurity dey shake di trade

But based on how things be for now, dis ancient tradition don dey face plenty threats.

One na di Boko Haram insurgency. As dis one don mean say customers no dey - especially those wey dey travel through di north-east of Nigeria wia di Islamist militants dey active.

E don also affect those wey dey come from front.

'Tourists bin dey come here all di time from all ova di world like France, Germany, UK and America, but di insecurity palava for northern Nigeria don affect dis business,' na so Baballiya Hamisu, wey be anoda dyer, tok.

Oga Hamisu be 37 years old and na one of di youngest dyers wey dey work for di pits.

E say 'I start to dye wen I be 10 years old so I don det do dis work for like 25 years'.

Oga Hamisu dey old enuf to sabi wen dyeing be dyeing, e say "wen I be pikin, di dye pits bin dey uncountable, now we only get 144, and like 15 we dey use".

Hunger for land

Kano na among di fastest growing cities for sub-Saharan Africa. In di last few years, e don see as dem demolish some of its historical sites wey goment say dey necessary so dem go fit transform am to modern city.

Tijjani Muhammad Naniya, wey be historian for di Kano Bayero University, say urbanisation no be di only thing wey wan kill dye pits.

E explain say, 'di problem start from one colonial policy to change Kano economy, wey make di city start to dey import clothes from Manchester and oda placs abroad'.

Di rise of cheap abroad clothes na major wahala for local dyers.

Dem say although di prices dey di same, competition dey as many customers prefer new and flashy modern designs.

Many of di men wey dey work for di pits na descendant dyers, like Haruna Baffa, wey be di secretary of di Kofar Mat Dye Pits. E say im be di seventh generation.

"My seventh great grandpapa, Muhammadu Dabosa, na im be di founder of dis pit centre".

Di dyers say dem no dey gt any help from local or regional goments.

Oga Hamisu say dem fit do more to preserve di industry wey get historical significance.

E say, 'if goment buy our products and ginger pipo to buy am, we go thrive'.

'Imagine say di president or one govnor wear one of our Kofar Mata fabrics, even if pipo bin dey look am say e dey worthless before, e go become valuable.'

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