My Hausa Abokis... Looking Beyond The Stereotype.

My friends and I were bored yesterday and so we decided to take a trip to Enugu.
After we got dressed and we were laughing and chatting our way out of the flat, my sandals decided to cut. Rolls eyes.
We had to go to the shoe repairer in front of the building to get it fixed before we continued on our way.

Usually in the Eastern part of Nigeria, the Hausas who migrated from the North are the ones who repair spoilt shoes, sell tiger nuts and sugar cane with their wheelbarrows, repair torn clothes, cut people's finger and toe nails, commercial motorcyclists, gatemen and other menial jobs like that.
People usually refer to them as "aboki" in a condescending manner. People even use the term as an insult.
If someone calls you aboki in an arguement it could lead to a real fight.
The truth is very few people know that "Aboki" means friend in the Hausa language. I for one did not give much thought to them. My contact with them strictly meant business.
This is one stereotype society imposed on me upon my birth which I hope to unlearn.

So we found one shoe repairer and his brother. After I had given them the sandals and we discussed price, I kept talking with my friend to make time go faster.
Then the brothers started singing along to their hausa music playing on their phone.
I found it amusing and I asked them why abokis hardly ever listen to trending contemporary music but prefer their own local songs.
We all laughed.

They tried as much as they could to explain to us that most of their local music were love songs or songs generally about life as they could relate to it.
They told us that particular song they were listening to was an admonition to newly married men to love and tolerate their new bride and not go about chasing other women.
This came as a shock to us because we assumed Hausa was synonymous with Islam and the Islamic religion encouraged polygamy.
When we told them this, they just gave a knowing nod and told us they were christians.
More surprise.
On inquiry they told me their names are Paulinus and Enoch.
Very fascinating I must say.
Paulinus is shy and wont look at the camera.
Meet my new friends.