Borgu

Borgu is a region in Western Nigeria and in the north of the Republic of Benin. In the Anglo - French Convention of 1898 it was divided between Britain and France. The inhabitants of Borgu are Bariba and Borgawa. In the west it is bounded roughly congruent with the départements Borgou and Alibori in Benin, in the east it is by the River Niger.

History: Kisra legend

After the narrated throughout Borgu Kisra legend the small kingdoms of the country a hero who in an unknown time from Birnin Kisra ( "City of Kisra " ) in Arabia were established by Kisra, immigrated. It is believed that the kingdoms of Illo, Bussa and Nikki were founded by his brothers. Other descendants of immigrants are said to have formed the ruling aristocracy of Wasangari.

Current situation

Despite the division by the colonial frontier there are still close relationships between the various little kingdoms Borgus in Benin and Nigeria. The three main kingdoms are Bussa, Illo and Nikki. Bussa is traditionally considered the cultural center Borgus, Nikki as the political center and Illo as the commercial center.

Bibliography

• Richard Cuba: Wasangari and Wangara: Borgu and its neighbors in Historical Perspective, Hamburg 1996.
• Jacques Lombard: Structures de en Afrique noire féodal type: Étude des relations sociales chez les Bariba, Paris 1965.
• Marjorie Stewart: Borgu and its Kingdoms, Lewiston 1993.