Dr. Zainab Musa Shallangwa – Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies

Dr. Zainab Musa Shallangwa

University of Maiduguri (Nigeria)
Cultural Studies

External Junior Fellow (Marie S. Curie FCFP)
October 2022 – September 2023

Last Update: 31.08.2023

Curriculum Vitae

Zainab Musa Shallangwa is a Lecturer in the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria. She holds a Binational doctoral degree (cotutelle) from the University of Hildesheim, Germany and the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria under the SDG Graduate School – Performing Sustainability, Cultures, and Development in West Africa with funding from the DAAD.

Her doctoral thesis entitled Effects of Displacement on Kanuri Cultural Practices of Internally Displaced Persons of Borno State, Northeast Nigeria, published byUniversitaetsverlag Hildesheim/Georg Olms Verlag Hildesheim, is an examination of the experiences of displaced persons of the Kanuri ethnic stock, forced out of their ancestral homes as a result of the violent attacks carried out by Boko Haram Insurgents. The work offers insights on the dynamics of cultural change and its impact on cultural sustainability among the selected population, and at the same time, highlights the contribution of culture in societal transformation.

As a budding female academic from the north-eastern part of Nigeria (a region known for high rate of illiteracy), Zainab passionately considers herself an advocate for education (especially girl child education). She is passionate about mentorship and aspires to become a reference point in her chosen field in the nearest future.

Zainab is a fellow of the DAAD Museum Laboratory. Her research interests so far are on forced displacement, cultural change, cultural memory and museum and heritage issues. She has a number of publications in these areas to her name.

Selected Publications

Shallangwa Z. M. (2021) Effects of Displacement on Kanuri Cultural Practices of Internally Displaced Persons of Borno State, Northeast Nigeria.2021. Universitätsverlag Hildesheim/ Georg Olms Verlag Hildesheim.
Shallangwa, Z. M. (2020) Museums and their Relevance in Borno State, Nigeria. 2020. Arts and International Affairs Journal (AIA) Vol 5.1. pp 83-93.
Ukuma S. T and Shallangwa, Z. M. (2020) Performing Folk Music in the Boko Haram Era: A Perspective on Shettima Al-Mansur and the Sustainability Question (in Cultural Sustainability, Performance and the Sustainable Development Goals in Time of Crisis). Ododo, S. E, Tijani, A. I & Vogels, R. (Eds.) University of Maiduguri & CWM, University of Hildesheim. pp. 372-392.
Shallangwa Z. M. and Tijani A. I. (2016) IDP Museum: A Panacea for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage in an insurgency bedevilled Region, Ekpoma Journal of Theatre and Media Arts. Vol. 5, number 1&2 pp180-189
Mtaku, C. Y. and Shallangwa, Z. M (2017) Hausa Artistic Symbols: Significance and Meaning. Journal of Ceramics and Environmental Design (JOCED). pp. 357-373.

FRIAS Project

Same People, Shifting Places: Cultural Memory and Identity Reconstruction in Monguno Resettled Community, Borno State, Nigeria

The discourse on displacement and resettlement has been explored both theoretically and empirically. Even though existing body of literature has looked at myriad issues often associated with displacement and resettlement such as gender, protection, security, livelihood security and psychosocial wellbeing among many others, arguably, not so much attention has been given to exploring the stories of resettled populations. My study aims at capturing the narrativesof the resettled people in Monguno as an effort to underscore their resilience as they navigate their survival in this familiar, yet, “no longer familiar” place with a focus on cultural memory retention and identity reconstruction. This will establish the link between the past and the present and make projections for the future. Monguno resettled community is one out of the several communities in Borno State, Northeast Nigeria, that has experienced cultural memory alteration and its aftermath (change in identity) occasioned by Boko Haram induced (forced) displacement and subsequently resettlement following the return of relative normalcy. I will adopt an ethnographic approach using photo-voices to provide an avenue for the resettled persons’ voices to be articulated. This will be corroborated by in-depth interviews and observations. Participants will be purposively sampled adult males and females. Phenomenological, photographic and inductive processes will be adopted for data analysis. Findings will expand the frontiers of socio-cultural narratives in resettled communities in Nigeria and beyond.