59-kilo monster fish catches eyes at Nigerian fishing festival

AFP | Argungu

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Local fisherman Abubakar Usman’s 59-kilogramme monster catch was the major highlight of the UNESCO-listed Argungu fishing festival, which returned Saturday after a six-year hiatus because of the insecurity in northwestern Nigeria’s Kebbi state.

Thousands of people, including a handful of women and children, defied the blistering 39-degree heat to take part. Fishermen from Nigeria’s West African neighbours Niger, Chad, and Togo also came to compete.

The fishing festival was first staged in 1934 by the then traditional ruler of Argungu, Muhammad Sama. It was held to mark an end to a century-old history of hostility and distrust between his people and the region’s most powerful ruler, the Sultan of Sokoto, then Hassan Dan-Mu’azu.

Over the decades, the festival grew into one of Nigeria’s biggest cultural events, drawing international visitors, before insecurity and funding shortages reduced it to an occasional celebration. The last full edition was held six years ago, say organisers.

On Saturday, fishermen floated on brown, round gourds as they hunted for the biggest catch in Matan Fada river, using only their hands and nets in the river’s murky waters. Thousands of spectators lined the riverbank cheering loudly.