The Big Fish of Argungu

Argungu is already full of visitors. The attraction, however, is not this small Nigerian town, but the event starting the very next day: The Argungu Fishing Festival.

What is that?’ you ask. Well, it began in 1934 as a fishing competition in celebration of the visit of the Sultan of Sokoto. The contest was so well received it became an annual event! Other features were later included, and in 1970 an agricultural and livestock fair was added. Usually planned for February, this year’s festival, however, was held in March.

A severe harmattan season forced this postponement. The harmattan is a cool, dry and often dust-laden wind that blows southwestward from the Sahara from December through February. As we travel to Argungu, strong winds still stir up dust from the bare land and sweep it along like a thick, brown, windblown fog. Our lips and nostrils become sore from the dry wind. Men in flowing robes, mounted high on camels, draw up the neckpieces of their turbans to cover mouth and nostrils so that only their eyes peep out through the swirling dust. Motor vehicles creep along slowly until the wind dies down. Soon, however, the people arrive, eager to see the festival begin.

It opens with an exhibition of achievements in agriculture and livestock rearing. Let’s take a look at the goat-skinning competition. At a signal, each contestant truncates a hind leg of his slaughtered animal and inserts a small hollow cylinder between the skin and the flesh. He then blows through this hole to inflate the whole animal, which facilitates the separation of the skin from the body. The winner is able to lift an undamaged pelt free in just three minutes!

At the Waterside

Friday and Saturday feature contests at the waterside, beginning with the Kabanci display—a number of water events in the small Matan Fada River near the town. The banks of the river provide convenient slopes on which the spectators can stand and watch. Girls compete in hand-fishing contests and races in canoes made from hollowed-out palm trees. Men compete in similar and other events, including the underwater breath-holding contest. Contestants pop up from the water, one after the other, disappointed to see that others are outlasting them. The winner is clocked at 4 1?2 minutes, and might have continued longer if he had not been stopped by anxious assistants.

The Big Fish

Saturday’s program is the high point: the Argungu fishing contest. The rhythmic music of drummers and chanters sets the mood for the event. Crowds of fishermen station themselves on either side of the river, equipped with giant gourds and triangular fishing nets. Each gourd has an open end and is used either as a buoy on which the fisherman can float or as a container for fish.

Anticipation grows among the craning spectators. Many are wondering if this year’s winning catch will be bigger than the 98-kilogram (216-lb) fish caught in 1979. Since last year’s festival, no fishing has been allowed in this portion of the river. The water has become quite shallow during this dry season and is doubtless now teeming with fish.

At the sound of a gunshot, the charge of the fishermen begins. Wave after wave of men with their gourds and fishing nets surge down the river banks. Within minutes the shallow smoke-gray water swarms with men. A shout goes up: The first catch has been made!

Whenever anyone nets a heavy fish, other contestants come to his aid. Men in a patrolling boat take the catch to be weighed and tagged. The pace of weighing increases, but few catches are heavier than 30 kilograms (66 lb). Many pick up fish no bigger than sardines. Suddenly one weighing more than 40 kilograms (88 lb) is caught! Since most of the contestants have already left the water, the fisherman thinks this is the winner and makes the champion’s gesture. A few, however, continue fishing, hoping to catch something bigger. Perseverance pays off. Before the hour expires there is a shout of triumph! It is a 1.3-meter (4.27-ft) Bukuiki, as it is named in Hausa. At 50 kilograms (110 lb), it weighs much less than the record catch of 1979, but it is this year’s winner nonetheless.