Life in a small village like Mairambiri is usually very quiet and simple. It is the kind of place where everyone knows each other, and most people spend their days on the farm. In this story called Mafari, which means "The Beginning," we see how a peaceful life can turn into a nightmare in just a few minutes. Safiyya Ummu Abdul takes us to this village in Borno State, where Kanuri and Shuwa Arab people live together. The air is always filled with the smell of earth and the sound of children playing, but underneath that peace, there is a shadow waiting to swallow everything. This is not just a story about a village; it is a story about how quickly the world we know can become a place we don't recognize anymore.
The story starts early in the morning, around 6:30 AM. Imagine a small house made of mud. Inside, three young girls are sitting together eating breakfast. They are sharing a bowl of tuwon hatsi with miyar kuka. The bowl is old and rusty, showing how much the family is struggling with poverty. The oldest girl is Yakaka, and she is only sixteen years old. She is so kind that she feeds her eight-year-old sister first because the food is very hot. You can see how much they love each other even though they have so little. It reminds me of the deep family bonds you see in books like ZEENATU where family means everything. Their mother is sitting nearby, holding a small baby boy. She has very fair skin, almost like an albino, but you can see the marks of hard work and suffering on her face. She is deaf and can't speak, but she watches her children with eyes full of love.
One of the most touching parts of the book is when the author says, "Everything has a beginning, everything has a root, and everything has an origin. The chaos of life can happen in just a short moment." This sets the mood for everything that follows. You feel that something bad is coming, but you don't know when. The father of the house comes out, washing his feet with a bit of water from a plastic bottle. He is a tall, dark man who cares deeply for his family. He looks at his daughters eating and tells Yakaka in their Kanuri language, "Yakaka, won't you eat the food? Hurry up and eat so we can go before the sun gets too hot." He wants them to get to the farm early so they can finish their work before the heat becomes too much to bear. If you enjoy reading about families and their daily struggles, you should definitely download Hausa novels from the main site.
Yakaka gets ready quickly. she puts on her torn hijab and grabs a sack for the farm. She promises her little sister that she will bring back some cucumbers for her. It is such a small, sweet promise, but it breaks your heart because of what happens later. The mother follows them to the edge of their broken mud wall. She can't talk, so she just waves her hands in a "bye-bye" motion and makes a soft sound in her throat. She is smiling, but she has no idea that this might be the last time she sees her husband alive. It is a scene that feels very real, like something out of MIJIN MAGE Book 1, where the emotions are raw and heavy. They head out to their big farm outside the village, talking and laughing as they walk.
While they are working on the farm, everything seems fine. The corn stalks are tall and ready for harvest. Yakaka and her father are chatting, and you can see that she is his favorite child. But then, Yakaka goes deep into the cornfield to use the toilet. While she is there, the air suddenly changes. She hears the sound of people shouting "Allahu Akbar" and the terrifying noise of gunshots. Her heart starts beating fast. She doesn't really know what a gun sounds like in real life, but she knows that sound means danger. If you like stories that keep you on the edge of your seat like this, you can find many Hausa novels online that tell similar stories of survival.
Her father starts screaming her name, telling her to stay down so the bullets don't hit her. Yakaka is confused and scared. Instead of staying down, she runs toward his voice, crying out for him. She wants to be near him because he is her protector. But the noise of the guns gets louder. The Boko Haram insurgents have arrived. In the middle of the confusion, her father tries to run toward her to save her. Just as he takes a few steps, a bullet hits him. He falls to the ground like a heavy sack. Yakaka trips over him and sees him lying there. When she touches his chest, her hands come away covered in warm, red blood. It is a moment of pure horror. It feels as intense as the drama in NOOR ALBI, where characters face life-changing moments.
She sits there in the dirt, holding her father's head in her lap. He dies right there in front of her eyes. She is only sixteen, but she has to help him say his last prayers. She stays there for a long time, just crying and holding his cold body. The sun starts to go down, and a storm begins to gather in the sky. She is all alone in a giant field with her dead father. Eventually, she realizes she has to go back to the village to tell her mother and sisters. She takes off her hijab and places it under his head as a sign of respect, then she starts running. She is shaking and can barely breathe, but she knows she has to reach home. You can find more emotional stories like this one on Taskar Novels.
As she gets closer to the village, she realizes the nightmare isn't over. She sees smoke rising and hears more gunshots. People are running everywhere, screaming for their lives. The village she left just a few hours ago is now a war zone. She doesn't know if her mother, her sisters, or her baby brother are still alive. The pain of losing her father is still fresh, but now she has to face the fear of losing everyone else. This book really shows how war destroys families in a second. It reminds me of the struggle in WATA KUSAN Book 4 where characters have to find strength they didn't know they had.
The way the author describes Yakaka’s feelings is very moving. You can feel her legs getting heavy and her throat getting dry from crying. She is just a girl, but life has forced her to grow up in one afternoon. The story is a reminder that we should never take our peace for granted. If you want to read more about characters facing difficult choices, check out AUREN DOLE or BABBAR HUJJA. They are among the best Hausa novels you can find these days. Yakaka’s journey is just beginning, and it is going to be a very long and hard road for her.
This novel is a real eye-opener about what people in the Northeast have gone through. It is not just a story; it feels like a piece of history told through the eyes of a young girl. The writing is simple but the message is very strong. You will cry, you will be angry, and you will hope that Yakaka finds safety. If you want to read the full story of MAFARI and see what happens to Yakaka and her family, you can get it on Taskar Novels. They have so many great books there, and it is the best place to find all your favorite stories. Just visit the site and start reading today!
