02 Dec 2006 |
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Britain's Prince Charles gets warm welcome in north Nigeria by Aminu Abubakar
Cheering crowds made the normally frenetic streets of the city near-impassable as they turned out to greet the heir to the British throne on his third visit to this former British colony. The Prince was greeted by Kanos deputy governor, Magaji Abdullahi, and then drove through the city to the rural community of Dawakin Kudu, some 30 kilometres (18 miles) East of Kano, to visit local craftsmen. Most of the little town's 30,000 inhabitants appeared to have turned out to greet Charles, the men cheering and the women, veiled in black, ululating. Charles walked, dressed in a grey suit in the wilting heat, along a street freshly swept for the occasion to reach a 400-year-old dye pit. Gun-toting policeman fought to keep the crowds of well-wishers behind the ropes and black-uniformed security guards fought a losing battle with dusty children jostling to get a glimpse of the visitor. Charles appeared absorbed in the visit, proudly holding up his hands stained with blue dye. "I am delighted to be in this remarkable village today and it is a particular joy to see what happens here, the kind of products made for centuries which is of the highest quality," Charles told the traditional chief of the village, the wheelchair-bound Yusuf Bayero. "It is fascinating to see the whole process of weaving, dyeing of your marvelous indigo clothes and I am happy that I am taking some indigo stains on my hands back home," he went on. Escorted by the head of the local council Sani Adamu Gano, the royal prince, who was not accompanied by his second wife Camilla, inspected pottery, leather, wooden crockery and traditional garments displayed under thatch-roofed verandahs put up especially for the occasion. Outside the hut, Prince Charles spent several minutes shaking hands with a line of men in Touareg style shiny indigo-dyed turbans before mingling with the crowd. This was Prince Charles third visit to Nigeria, following trips in 1990 and 1999, but his first to Kano. A colourful fiesta was organised for his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, at the same venue when she visited Kano in 1956. His younger sister, Princess Anne, cancelled her scheduled trip to Kano during her 2002 visit to Nigeria, however, when leaflets were circulated by individuals calling for a protest against her visit.
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Many riders rode richly decorated horses to the sounds of drums. The parade culminated with a group of riders coming to a halt at the foot of the balcony to the cheers of the spectators.
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