In Memory of Monarch, Daughter Pays Reel Tributes

A documentary film about Kano’s longest-reigning emir, the late Ado Bayero, produced independently by his daughter Zainab Jummai Ado-Bayero, is set to hit the big screen soon, Okechukwu Uwaezuoke reports 

It was her mom’s idea. That is, the idea that she should give making a documentary film about her late dad a shot. So Zainab Jummai Ado-Bayero did. Add to that her lifelong passion for films, history, and novels. “I never imagined that I could actually direct or produce a film,” she narrates. “Last year, it was a secret dream of mine, so I decided that it was worth the trial.”

So it came to pass that several factors joined forces to spur her on to produce her soon-to-be-released over-two-hour-long documentary film, My Father, The Emir: A Portrait of Ado Bayero, which would serve as her formal debut motion picture.

Now, her giving it a try implied initiating a series of brainstorming sessions. And eventually, it turned out to be her mom who had the “eureka!” moment and came up with the bright idea of a narrative revolving around her dad, who was not only the longest-serving emir in Kano’s history but was also unarguably among Nigeria’s most well-known and revered Muslim leaders. “I was hesitant [at first],” she recalls. “I didn’t want my career to begin with my dad. I had more ideas, but she insisted he was a great subject.”

Still, she could have contrived no better reassuring mode of procedure than by controlling every aspect of the production. This explains why, for six months, she found herself doing virtually everything from pre-production, which included research and scriptwriting, to post-production. “It was rewarding and challenging as an independent first-time producer,” she confesses.

As for the late Emir Ado Bayero, he should ordinarily make any list of prospective subjects for documentaries as a clear favourite. Crowned the Emir of Kano on October 22, 1963, he ascended the throne as Kano’s 13th Fulani Emir and 56th ruler after the death of his predecessor, Emir Muhammadu Inuwa, whose reign lasted for only three months. 

The revered monarch, who, prior to his ascension to the throne, was a successful businessman, banker, police officer, legislator, and diplomat, was a key player in the Nigerian political landscape. Born on July 25, 1930, as the 11th child of his father, Abdullahi Bayero, and the second of his mother, Hajiya Hadiya, he was a scion of the royal Fulani Sullubawa clan, which has ruled over the Kano Emirate since 1819.

As an emir during Nigeria’s first republic, he was not only known as one of the primary witnesses to the political turmoil that preceded the 30-month-long Civil War, but he was also praised for bringing calm and stability to Kano during this and subsequent crises. Is it therefore surprising that the business mogul and philanthropist, Dr. Okey Anueyiagu, in his Civil War memoir, titled Biafra: The Horrors of War (The Story of a Child Soldier), narrates how his father “recalled with anger and indignation” an encounter with soldiers from the North who, even as fellow Christians from the North, wanted to take his life but “for the intervention of Bayero and Aminu Kano”?

Understandably, Zainab, as the emir’s daughter, may cite Bayero’s compassionate disposition and his efforts to build bridges across geopolitical and religious divisions as strong arguments for why she thinks the public will adore her documentary film. “It digs into the history of Nigeria and the rich culture of the North. My dad’s life was filled with great moments in politics, religion, and various aspects.”

The film, she adds, targets “every age demographic—from the older generations, the middle-aged, and the millennials, my demographic, and also the Gen Z, who don’t really know about our history. I think they should know more about the great figures in our country. That’s why I shot in an entertaining modern style to appeal to the youth as well as their parents.”

As a Muslim woman who proclaims herself as “very private, modern, and liberal” in her ideals as well as a feminist, Zainab considers this documentary film on her late dad a tool for upsetting the status quo. “As his daughter, I can portray him in the changing new world as a relic of the past century who, during his reign, ushered in new ideas in a conservative society.”

Her preference for a documentary over a biopic, according to her, stems from the fact that her viewers will get not only to see the real shots of her late father—as photographs and archival footage—but also hear his voice. “I thought it would feel real to the audience.”

Still on the film, which she also directed, she disclosed that it was an entirely self-funded project since she received no financial assistance from anyone.