Museum Tour

   When I learnt there would be a tour organized by writers mind forum Maiduguri,I was excited and jumped at the opportunity. You are probably wondering how it would feel like to go on  a tour in a place like Borno? 

 I expected it would be a fun adventure

The tour was one of a kind , There were unexpected twist and turns but  that was what made it really fun.Imagine being in a bus with a bunch of poets,writters, spoken words artists, script writers , journalists and avidreaders, there were Some  spontaneous poem, Stories, history of the  marghi people,  Kanuri people and even  stories on how the kanuri people are linked to the Yoruba people of Nigeria.  It was a fun and informative tour.

We had limited time so we had to pick two places to visit for the day.We visited  the two museums in Borno.The National Museum, which is directly under the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, and the Borno State Museum, which is under the Borno State Ministry of Information and Culture.

Traditional Kitchen utensils at Borno state national museum

We started with the Borno state national museum located at customs area.On arrival I observed the  way the people around starred it was obvious that people rarely visited the museum. The tour guide who works wit the museum, took us round and showed us so many monuments and artifacts from ancient times, there were very few from recent times, this was impressive and it meant  there is an effort to preserve our history and also update it despite the recent happenings.

Borno state National museum:a photo  with the 8000 year old canoe in the background

The canoe from 8000 years back caught my attention, it was discovered by a Fulani herdsman but  actually excavated by the archeology team from University of Maiduguri, Frankfurt university and national commission for museum and monument,the canoe is called Dafuna canoe. While these place was rich in historical monuments it was clear that it needed renovation, the curator confirmed my thoughts on this as He lamented the current state of the museum and said it really  needs to be renovated.

There was so much to see and so much to learn yet  very little time.Before we  visited the other museum,we took a break to discuss on mental slavery  ,there were poems shared, stories told, articles and personal experiences the combination of which made  it  a very interactve and informative session.Since the discussion on mental slavery was live on Instagram and Facebook, online viewers were able to join the conversation and share their opinions  as well.

Learning some historical facts from a son of the soil

Photo at Borno state Museum,open air theatr

I believe  that for a person to be liberated from the schackles of mental slavery he must first know himself for himself by himself  and  not by the view or validation of others and also have the understanding that he has more than it takes to excel.our words and thoughts are like a stamp that validates a document.Your words and thoughts are powerful,therefore be carefulwhat you say and think.

A visit to the Borno state museum located at open air theatre Maiduguri

 You can not visit the Borno state museum without noticing a statue of Rabeh,a man said to have invaded the kanem Borno empire, although there were different views  while some see him him as an enemy , others say otherwise please share  your facts on this in the comment box.

Rabeh's statue

It was indeed a beautiful sight.The collection of traditional rafia products , photo gallery of past traditional leaders ,artifacts from long ago and the traditional war weapons that brought the whole wakanda vibe to the atmosphere.The weapons by the way we're really heavy.the warriors of the old times were obviously very strong people.

Photo gallery of traditional leaders in Borno

Photo with Khadija Artist and writer

Wakanda pose right in front of traditional war items

We wrapped it up with a few games unplanned poetry duets, which were interesting to listen to, finish the story game which we had to end because our time was up. 

Poetry performance

It was really fun touring the two museums,

sometimes we get carried away by our busy schedules, in the midst of all the ups and downs ,the hustle and bustle it is good take out alittle time for an adventure, you can start by going on a tour in your city,you will be amazed.   

Thanks for reading, please share your thoughts in the comment box.