Hadjia Délou

Hadjia Délou (* 1938 in Rigal Sarkin Foulani , Guidimouni ; † February 9, 2020 in Zinder ; actually Nana Aïchatou Garba ) was a Nigerien actress and director . She was one of Niger's most popular artists.

Life

Nana Aïchatou Garba had eight siblings, seven of whom were older than her. Their nickname Délou , which comes from the Hausa language , means "little sister of brothers". Her mother died when she was little.

In 1961 she became an employee of the Zinder radio station of the state broadcaster Office de Radiodiffusion et Télévision du Niger (ORTN). There she initially worked in the team for an information broadcast. ORTN employee Garba Sidikou initiated the recording of plays for the radio, in which Hadjia Délou appeared as an actress. This series, L'heure du théâtre populaire ("The Hour of Popular Theater "), consisted of plays in the national languages Hausa and Zarma and began in 1962. It was broadcast every Sunday afternoon and was one of the most popular in the country. In addition to the ORTN theater troupe in Zinder, whose female star was Hadjia Délou, there was also an ORTN troupe in the capital Niamey , whose most famous actors were Hima Adamou .

With the start of a regular ORTN television program in 1979, L'heure du théâtre populaire became a TV series that could be seen every Sunday evening. Hadjia Délou played a key role in the format's great success. She also worked as a director of shown plays. These dealt with topics of everyday relevance such as marriage, corruption, crime, tolerance, peace and development issues. The first drama to be shown on television was Ragayar Dutsi . Other key plays with Hadjia Délou were Soko tournée (1979), Pike Karambana (1980), Kara da Kiyashi (1981) and Muguwar Sarakuwa (1989). The dramas of L'heure du théâtre populaire were also seen outside of Niger, in the diaspora in Nigeria , Ivory Coast and Ghana .

Of particular importance to Hadjia Délou was the play Kara da Kiyashi ("The Termite Stalk"), the family story of a sullen and greedy woman. The actress herself was nicknamed Kara da Kiyashi and organized an annual theater and humor festival with this name in Zinder. Her salary at ORTN allowed her to lead a financially independent life. She could take a Hajj to Mecca and buy her own house. She retired in 2000. In order not to become lonely, she began to trade in peanuts, tiger nuts and sweets on her doorstep when she was old . On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Republic of Niger in 2018, she honored President Mahamadou Issoufou with the Officer's Cross of the Palmes académiques Nigers.

Hadjia Délou was married and most recently widowed for several years. She had no children of her own and adopted several of her nephews and nieces. She died in her home in Zinder in 2020 and was buried in the N'Wala cemetery in the Zinder IV arrondissement .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Siradji Sanda: Culture / Théâtre radiophonique: Décès à 82 ans de la comédienne Hadjia Nana Aïchatou Garba dite "Kara da Kiyashé". In: Niger Diaspora. February 9, 2020, accessed on February 10, 2020 (French). 
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} Kassoum Moutari: Hadjia Délou dite “Kara Da Kiashi”. (No longer available online.) In: Fofo Mag. December 17, 2012, formerly in the original ; accessed on May 1, 2018 (French).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  
3. ↑ ^{a b c} Chaibou Dan Inna : Le théâtre . In: Marie-Clotilde Jacquey (ed.): Littérature nigérienne (=  Notre librairie . No. 107 ). CLEF, Paris 1991, p. 67 .
4. ↑ ^{a b} Deux vétérans du théâtre nigérien. In: Niger Diaspora. December 26, 2012, accessed February 10, 2020 (French). 
5. ^ ^{A b} Necrology: décès de l'actrice Hadjia Delou (Kara da Kiyashi) de Zinder. In: ActuNiger. February 9, 2020, accessed on February 10, 2020 (French). 
6. ↑ ^{a b} Homage to Hadjia Délou dite Kara da Kiyaché. ORTN, February 9, 2020, accessed on February 10, 2020 (French). 
7. ↑ 60ième anniversaire de la République des festivités: hors du commun. In: Niger Inter. December 18, 2018, accessed February 10, 2020 (French).