Mungo Park (1771–1806) occupies a central place in the history of European exploration of West Africa. A Scottish explorer and trained surgeon, Park travelled through the region at the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth century, recording geography, political authority, trade routes, and everyday life as he encountered them. His writings became widely read in Britain and Europe and shaped how the River Niger and its surrounding societies were understood by external audiences.
The story of Park, however, did not remain confined to Europe. In Northern Nigeria, where Hausa developed a strong print tradition during the colonial period and beyond, Park’s journeys were also retold for local readers. One notable example is a Hausa language work titled Mungo Park: Mabudin Kwara, Labarin Tafiyarsa Ta Farko Da Ta Karshe, a book that reflects how global historical narratives entered Hausa reading culture.
Mungo Park and the Niger Expeditions
Park’s first major expedition began in the 1790s under the sponsorship of the African Association, a British organisation dedicated to expanding knowledge about Africa. Travelling inland from the Senegambia region, Park faced illness, imprisonment, and repeated hardship before eventually reaching the Niger River. His account of this journey was published in 1799 as Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa and quickly gained attention for its detailed observations of places, rulers, and customs that were little known to European readers at the time.
Park later returned to West Africa on a second expedition connected to British government interests in mapping and navigating the Niger. This journey ended in 1806 near Bussa on the river. His death marked a dramatic conclusion to the expedition and entered the historical record as one of the most well known episodes in early European exploration of the region. The events of this final journey were later recorded in The Journal of a Mission to the Interior of Africa, published in 1815.
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The Hausa Book, Mabudin Kwara
A Hausa language work focusing on Park’s journeys is titled Mungo Park: Mabudin Kwara, Labarin Tafiyarsa Ta Farko Da Ta Karshe, which can be translated as, “Mungo Park, the Key to the Niger, the story of his first and last journeys.” The book is attributed to Nuhu Bamalli and was published by the Northern Nigerian Publishing Company Ltd., Nigeria.
Bibliographic listings record the book’s publication in 1956, with later reprints appearing in subsequent decades. This pattern reflects common publishing practice for educational and general readership titles in Northern Nigeria, where books of lasting relevance were often reissued to meet continued demand.
The structure and title of the work suggest a narrative approach that presents Park’s expeditions as a connected historical account, centred on the Niger River. Within Hausa print culture, especially during the mid twentieth century, such works typically adapted historical material into clear Hausa prose, emphasising readability and understanding rather than strict word for word translation.
Hausa Language Publishing and Historical Writing
By the mid twentieth century, Hausa had become a major language of print, education, and public discourse in Northern Nigeria. Publishers produced a wide range of works in Hausa, including novels, poetry, religious texts, biographies, and historical narratives. These publications served schools, adult readers, and wider audiences across the region.
A Hausa account of Mungo Park fits within this broader literary environment. It reflects an established practice of presenting global figures and events in a local language, allowing readers to engage with international history through familiar linguistic forms. In doing so, Hausa historical writing helped place world events within a regional intellectual context.
The Role of the Northern Nigerian Publishing Company
The Northern Nigerian Publishing Company Ltd. played an important role in the development of Hausa print culture. Active during the colonial and early post colonial periods, the company produced many influential Hausa language books that circulated widely in Northern Nigeria and beyond.
Publications issued by the company were professionally edited, printed, and distributed, often finding their way into schools, libraries, and bookshops. The appearance of Mabudin Kwara under its imprint places the book firmly within this organised publishing tradition and highlights its intended role as a serious historical and educational work.
Nuhu Bamalli and Hausa Historical Writing
The name Nuhu Bamalli appears in bibliographic records as the author of Mabudin Kwara. His contribution reflects a wider group of Hausa writers and educators who produced historical and educational texts during the mid twentieth century. Many such authors are remembered primarily through their published works, which formed part of the intellectual life of Northern Nigeria at the time.
Through Mabudin Kwara, Bamalli participated in the adaptation of an internationally known historical narrative into Hausa, extending the reach of Park’s story beyond its original European audience.
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Why This Hausa Retelling Matters
The Hausa language account of Mungo Park’s journeys demonstrates how history travels across cultures. Park’s expeditions passed through regions inhabited and governed by African societies whose languages, political systems, and trade networks shaped his experience. Retelling his story in Hausa brought that history into closer conversation with the people and regions connected to the Niger itself.
Mabudin Kwara stands as an example of how Hausa publishing engaged with global history, using local language and narrative style to make distant events accessible and meaningful to regional readers.
Conclusion
Mungo Park’s journeys remain a significant chapter in the history of exploration along the River Niger. The Hausa language work Mabudin Kwara shows how that history was later retold within Northern Nigerian print culture, bridging European exploration narratives and Hausa literary tradition.
Through this publication, Park’s story became part of a wider historical conversation, one that extended beyond Europe and into the linguistic and intellectual landscape of Hausa readers.
Author’s Note
Mabudin Kwara reminds us that history does not belong to one language or one audience, and that when global stories are retold in local tongues, they gain new life, new readers, and a deeper connection to place.
References
Mungo Park, Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa, 1799.
Mungo Park, The Journal of a Mission to the Interior of Africa, 1815.
Mary Martin Booksellers catalogue listing, Mungo Park: Mabudin Kwara, Labarin Tafiyarsa Ta Farko Da Ta Karshe, Nuhu Bamalli, Northern Nigerian Publishing Company Ltd., 1956.
Graham Furniss, Poetry, Prose and Popular Culture in Hausa, 1996.
