Borgu is a region in western Nigeria and in the northern Republic of Benin. It was partitioned between Great Britain and France by the Anglo-French Convention of 1898. People of Borgu were known as Bariba and Borgawa.
[edit] History: Kisra legend
According to the Kisra legend known all over Borgu, the petty kingdoms of the country were founded by Kisra, a hero who is believed to have emigrated from Birnin Kisra ("the town of Kisra") in Arabia. His brothers are thought to have been the founders of the kingdoms of Illo, Bussa and Nikki. Other descendents are believed to have constituted the ruling aristocracy of the Wasangari.
[edit] Present Situation
In spite of their separation by the colonial border there are still many exchanges between the petty kingdoms of Borgu situated in Benin and Nigeria. The three major kingdoms are Bussa, Illo and Nikki. Bussa is traditionally considered to be the spiritual centre of Borgu, Nikki the centre of political power and Illo the commercial emporium.
[edit] Bibliography
- Kuba, Richard: Wasangari und Wangara: Borgu und seine Nachbarn in historischer Perspektive, Hamburg 1996.
- Lombard, Jacques: Structures de type féodal en Afrique noire: Étude des relations sociales chez les Bariba, Paris 1965.
- Stewart, Marjorie: Borgu and its Kingdoms, Lewiston 1993.
[edit] See also
Nigeria
