The Borno Emirate Council, with the support of the Borno State government, will host the first Global Kanem Borno Summit in Maiduguri, Borno State from February 14, 2024.
The summit will discuss the lingering challenges confronting the Kanuri people and how to unite them, going forward.
The summit will use the existing bond among the Kanuris and encourage people to people contact to defend their unity. In the 15th to 18th centuries, the Kanem Borno Empire was known for its political, military and economic powers when its borders extended up to Chad, Niger, Libya and Sudan.
The empire’s gains diminished gradually when it was invaded by Sudanese rebel leader Rabi Zubair in 1895 and, by the time he was killed in 1902, he left a weakened and demoralised empire.
The Shehu of Borno Alhaji Abubakar Garbai Ibn Elkanemi, grandfather of Shehu Garbai, was to pick up the pieces and rebuild the empire and move the capital to Yerwa in 1907.
From the lesson learnt, the summit should unify the Kanuri people regardless of where they came from and promote their values. In the same vein, the summit should consider the following:
- Establishment of Kanem Borno Museum
- Teaching Kanuri language in the first six years of primary school to protect the language
- The exchange of scholars and students between Borno emirate and the Diaspora
- Organising cultural exchange between Borno emirate and the Diaspora
- Encouraging high level visits between the emirate and the Diaspora
* Mohammed Zannah, 33 Kinshasha Street, Wuse Zone 3, Abuja
