Addressing Gender Imbalance in Hausa Society:A Glimpse of Barmani Choge’s Poetic Contributions

The Hausa society has been characterized as patriarchal in nature which is a major feature of a traditional society. It is a structure of a set of social relations with material base which enables men to dominate women. Women are therefore discriminated upon from, in most cases, acquiring formal education, forced marriage, health and access to resources. The patriarchal nature of the society has given rise to a view of Hausa women as largely powerless relative to men and entirely lacking any authority in public realm. Yet Hausa women strategize within a set of concrete constraints, patriarchy. Hausa women have historically challenged the social inequalities that existed in their society through songs. Through music, singers confront many aspects of social life, ranging from low literacy rates amongst women to polygamy, empowerment, and even family cohesion. This paper seeks to examine the socio-cultural norms confronting such Hausa women whose lives are hedged by challenges. The exposition is done through the songs of a famous Hausa female poet from Katsina State Hajiya Saadatu Barmani Choge.