The Images of the East in Contemporary Hausa Novels

Abstract

The article touches upon the topic of contemporary Hausa novels called littattafan soyayya - “books of love” by the Hausa people themselves and “market literature” by literary critics. These novels deal with the subjects of love, marriage, family customs and moral issues and belong to the realist genre. The main aim of the article is to show the stereotypical image of the East through the lens of Hausa writers. First, the history of the Hausa novels written in Latin alphabet is overviewed. Next, the stereotypical vision of several countries of the East is discussed and illustrated by quotations from the novels. From the Hausa perspective, Saudi Arabia is a pilgrimage destination, but also a modern country in which one can study, work, find high-quality health service and buy things unavailable in Nigeria. Egypt is a place for religious and secular studies, but also a destination of health tourism. Exceptionally beautiful women come from Sudan and India. The United Arab Emirates is portrayed as a modern and highly developed country.