Editorial Note
All Photos of the Ilorin Durbar Festival were taken by Abdulraman Yusuf Dolapo and used with permission.
Where is Ilorin?
Nigeria is a country with over 250 ethnic groups, which has boosted its richness in culture. The country was named after the Niger River by Lady Flora Shaw. The Niger River also happens to be one of the two rivers that divided the country into 3 main geopolitical zones; the North, the South-east, and the South-west. The other river is the River Benue.
These 3 zones represent the 3 main ethnic groups that make up the country, and they are; the Hausa, the Igbo, and the Yoruba.
Each of the ethnic groups in the country has its peculiar cultures and traditions that are noteworthy and often beautifully exhibited. The beauty of these cultures drew my attention to the Durbar festival in Ilorin.
Ilorin is situated in the Northern part of the country, it is in the Northcentral, and it is the capital of Kwara state. The city is headed ceremonially by an Emir, the current Emir of the city is Alhaji Dr. Ibrahim Sulu Gambari CFR, the 11th Emir of Ilorin.
Who are the Ilorin People?
The Ilorin people are partly Yoruba and partly Fulanis. Their norms and traditions are closely related to that of the Hausas. The Hausas are regarded by citizens of the country as the ‘Arabs’ of Nigeria. This is because of their close identification with the Arabs.
The Ilorin Durbar Festival
The Durbar festival is a yearly occurrence in the city, as well as in few states in the country. It is a very colorful event that showcases the culture of the Ilorin people in all of their elements. The festival draws the attention of people far and near. Indigenes who are not in the country, often travel in for the festival, coming in with their foreign friends and family.
To get profound details about the festival, I had to interview one of the organizers of the festival who is an indigene of the city. He goes by the name, Alhaji Suleiman Ayodeji, popularly known as ‘Akinkanju Ode Ilu-Ilorin’ (the brave hunter of the city of Ilorin). He is a theatre practitioner, a voice-over artist, and a broadcaster. He is one of the media committees of the Durbar Festival since it started officially in 2018.
History of Ilorin Durbar Festival
From the words of Alhaji Suleiman, I got to understand that the Durbar festival is a historical event, it didn’t start recently, it has been done since about 100 years ago, until the current Emir of the city re-established it.
Durbar festival is one of the cultural heritage of the people of Ilorin. It occurs on the second day after the day of the Islamic festival, Eid Al-Adha. This day is chosen for the festival because most people travel home for the Islamic festival yearly and this will indirectly lead to more attendance for the Durbar festival. The Durbar festival is open to everyone, be it an indigene of the city or not, Muslims or Christians, everyone is welcomed at the Durbar festival. It also serves as a form of tourist attraction, because foreigners often travel in to witness the Durbar festival.
Committees of the Ilorin Durbar Festival
To ensure a successful and fun-filled event, committees are set up for the Durbar festival. Such committees are the security committee, media committee, religious leader committees, horse committee, and many more. You might wonder why the horse committee is a necessity here. This committee is necessary for the Durbar festival because the festival is basically about parading horses around the city, with some other side events.
This committee will ensure the horses are available a week before the date for the event. They ensure rehearsal for the event with the horses is done three days to the D-day. They also ensure the horses are adequately decorated.
Events of the Durbar Festival
By the morning of the D-day, the emir will mount a specially decorated horse and go round the city greeting the people with his chiefs. When he returns to the palace, the program will officially begin and it takes place around the palace. It is usually opened with horse racing. Men will display their skills with the horses. Each chief’s family will have someone to represent them at the horse racing and display of skills. The representative with the best skill gets a prize.
Aside from horse racing and the display of skills with the horses, talented individuals also come to showcase their talents at the Durbar festival. Such as drummers, cultural musical artists, indigenous poetry, Fuji music, to mention a few. All these are done to appraise the culture of the Ilorin people. Photographers are also not left behind, as they come around to take pictures of the event, capturing rare moments. The pictures attached in this article are taken by Xultan Visuals, a young promising photographer from Kwara state.
The emir also uses the Durbar festival to appoint honorary chiefs yearly. The chieftaincy titles are named in the Hausa language, some of the titles are ‘Seriki Mallami’ who heads the Muslim clerics in Ilorin, Grand Mufti of Ilorin Emirate, and so much more.
Economic Benefits to Ilorin
The Durbar festival is not just about the fun it brings, it also has a lot of benefits it brings to the people and the economy. It helps foster unity among the people of Ilorin, it also boosts the economy, because different people and brands will bring their products to the Durbar festival. And sales are certain to boom on this day and clientele base increases. Some of these brands also sponsor the Durbar festival, this will in turn help them get more exposure.
Final Thoughts on Ilorin Durbar Festival
This day is a day the people of Ilorin always look out for yearly and prepare adequately for it. Ensuring that the next one is more interesting and captivating than the previous ones. Companies and brands also make estimates of how much revenue they can generate from this festival.
