By Mohamed Midala
The 2023 edition of Bura Cultural Day has come and gone, but its memories have continued to linger with the richness of cultural displays and the cameo appearance of the Borno State Governor, Prof Babagana Zulum, at the event.
On the first of January, 2023, Marama community in Hawul Local Government witnessed a throng of people who had come to participate in the annual festival celebrating Bura culture. The event was hosted by Marama, touted as the centre of Bura Empire.
During the event, artifacts, modes of dressing and dancing were displayed as a means of passing knowledge to the entire Bura society.
It was also to show Bura culture to the world, that Bura knowledge and business practices were comparable to those of the Western and Asian countries.
In Nigeria, almost 87 percent of the Bura communities in the 36 states of the federation and FCT Abuja hold monthly meetings for the benefit of self-help projects and language promotion.
Interestingly, Bura people came
home during the recent festivity with their children to go round and nearby villages where the young children from the cities and overseas would learn how to eat local soup and corn foods.
In the villages, unlike in the cities, the feeding routine is different. In the city, in the morning, tea and bread have become breakfast routines. But in the villages, the leftovers from the previous night’s meal “machikil” is eaten for breakfast.
Bura people treat their culture as unique and show people that their forefathers have passed on knowledge and discipline in terms of dressing and other social values. They emphasised that, given the landmass God had blessed the people of Bura Empire, the people were encouraged to farm both during rainy and dry seasons in the locality.
Bura Cultural Day brings several traditional rulers to witness the official ceremony so as to have something to say and pass knowledge to their kingdoms.
Awards were presented to some of the dignitaries present, in appreciation of their efforts in developing Bura and its culture.
In his response, Governor Zulum praised the organisers, emphasising there was no community without culture, and “whoever maintains his culture has moral discipline and must be respected.”