48 african appropriations
of the famous singer ‘Dan Maraya Jos, and reappear in the praise songs and
“epithets” (kirari) of the Babule spirits (Krings 1997: 85; see also Besmer
1983: 107; my translation).
An exploration of Hausa color symbolism may provide an even deeper
understanding of how the spirits were perceived in Kano during the 1990s.
Hausa color symbolism associates black with wilderness, death, illness,
and fright (Ryan 1976). Hence, calling the soldier-spirits “ black ones” is a
reference to their frightening qualities. However, these qualities become
useful—and thus “white” and positive—if employed in a fight for a just
cause. The two-sided nature of the Babule spirits is aptly expressed by
the metaphor of the magpie’s flight, which reveals the bird’s white and
black feathers in quick succession. More than one association is likewise
made with the color “red” (ja), a color equally prominent among the
Babule—as reflected in their uniforms and sacrificial animals. Red carries
connotations of power, force, strength, and endurance. “Red is the most
ambiguous of the three colors; its associations are not easily classified.
figure 1.1Bori medium, Lawan na Kawari, dressed in the uniform of Umaru, a spirit of the
Babule category, Kano, 1993. Photo by Esther Morgenthal.