09/02/2026
Do the Hausa Exist in South Sudan as a National Social Component or as Expatriates? (1 — 2)
By DENGDIT AYOK
1. Introduction: From Follow-ups
Dear honourable readership, between the three days of last week: Wednesday 26, Thursday 27, and Friday, August 28, 2026, "The Mail Arabic" platform, whose name is written in a mixture of Arabic and English on Facebook (The Mail العربية), published an announcement about the celebration of World Hausa Language Day in South Sudan in "Nimira Talata" suburbs at the basketball stadium in Juba.
There was a video below the written advertisement, which was an interview conducted by "Hatem Jubara Deng", who was introduced to the platform’s readers as a "Journalist", with a person named Mohammed Yahya Ismail (Abu Amo), who was also introduced to the followers of the platform as the Paramount Chief of the Hausa tribe in the country, and the head of the Organizing Committee for the celebration of the International Day of the Hausa Language.
In the same vein, "Abyei Al'an" Arabic newspaper published the same news on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, stating that the Presidency was sponsoring the celebration of World Hausa Language Day in South Sudan, scheduled to be held on Saturday, August 29, 2026, in the capital, Juba. On Sunday, August 30, 2026, Freedom newspaper published the same news with more details.
2. 2015: The Origin of World Hausa Language Day
The Hausa language is celebrated globally on the 26th day of the month of August annually. According to research, the idea originated with a Hausa native, the Nigerian Journalist Abdulbagi Aliyu Jari, who designated August 26, 2015, as World Hausa Language Day. It is celebrated by Hausa people in all countries where they reside as expatriates around the world as a way to take pride in their language, heritage, traditions, norms, values, and culture, and to introduce their culture to younger generations, passing it on to them.
3. The Nature and Dimensions of the Celebration in South Sudan
The formal celebration of World Hausa Language Day in South Sudan took place for the first time as a cultural showcase alongside the display of material culture, encompassing two dimensions: First, the global celebration of the Hausa language, its values, and its heritage as a social, cultural, and inherited tradition. Second, the celebration "highlights its status and role in the cultural diversity of South Sudanese society," as reported by The Mail Arabic platform. This suggests that the celebration of World Hausa Language Day in South Sudan was not solely for the Hausa community as an expatriate group or community in the country, but rather as a national component within the framework of the country's distinctive cultural diversity.
It is noticed that the celebration of World Hausa Language Day comes amidst the national cultural movement and the increase in cultural activities initiated by intellectuals from the nation through "Derik Cultural Festival" in Juba, which had commenced in 2021, followed by the frequent emergence of cultural festivals named after communities in the cultural landscape recently to revive the heritage and community values of those indigenous communities in the geography of South Sudan, to take pride in cultural roots and to introduce new generations to the heritage and culture of their forebears and ancestors.
It is amidst this cultural movement that another initiative emerged to celebrate World Hausa Language Day in South Sudan for the first time in 15 years since the country's independence. Consequently, Chief Mohammed Yahya Ismail appeared in the media for the first time as the Paramount Chief of the Hausa people in the Republic of South Sudan, wearing the white robes of Paramount Chiefs and draped in the national flag. In his address, he affirmed the long-standing historical presence of the Hausa in the country, listing the regions and states where the tribe resides, including Juba, Aweil, Wau, Malakal, Renk, Bor, and Rumbek, the capital of Lakes State.
To be continued...
