| Argungu Fishing Festival | |
|---|---|
 A man catches a big fish in the River. | |
| Location(s) | Kebbi |
| Country | Nigeria |
| Inaugurated | 1934 |
| Argungu international fishing and cultural festival | |
|---|---|
| Country | Nigeria |
| Reference | 00271 |
| Region | Africa |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 2016 (11th session) |
| List | Representative |
TheArgungu Fishing Festival[1] or Argungu Dance Festivalis an annual four-dayfestival inKebbi State and other northern states likeNiger in the north-western part ofNorthern Nigeria.[2][3] Theregion is made up of fertile river areas of (matanfada, mala with muchirrigation andorchards (lambu in Hausa). The majority of inhabitants are fishermen who are practitioners ofIsla religion. They also haveKanta Museum. TheMuseum is the main historical centre in Argungu for visitors across the globe. People from around the world travel toArgungu just to witness the occasion. The main purpose of the Argungu fishing festival is for fishing and unity. The festival is usually a 4-days cultural event.[4]
The festival began in the year 1934, as a mark of the end of the centuries-old hostility between theSokoto Caliphate and theKebbi Kingdom. This festival has brought huge progress to the development of the state as a whole.[5]
It is usually called a Fishing-Frenzy Festival. The festival is celebrated to mark the beginning of the fishing season in Argungu, a river-side town inKebbi State. It is celebrated betweenFebruary andMarch every year.[6]
In 2005, the winning fish weighed 75 kg, and needed four men to hoist it onto the scales.[7] In 2006, the festival banned fishing due to safety concerns relating to the low water levels.[8] The importance of the festival to the economy has led the government to conserve fish stock by prohibiting the use ofgill nets andcast nets.[9] TheZauro polder project, anirrigation scheme in theRima River floodplain to the south of Argungu, has been criticized because the reservoir threatens to flood the traditional site of the festival.[10]
Activities include:
On the final day of the festival, a competition is held in which thousands of men line up along the river and at the sound of a gunshot, all of them jump into the river and have an hour to catch the largest fish. The winner can take home as much as $7,500 US dollars. Competitors are only allowed to use traditional fishing tools and many prefer to catch fish entirely by hand (a practice also popular elsewhere and known as "noodling") to demonstrate their prowess.[14]
Purpose: The festival has many purposes which include: fishing, promoting unity, fun, and entertainment.[15]
In the 2020 Argungu Fishing Festival, the individual who caught the biggest fish weighing about 78 kilograms was awarded N10 million, two new cars and two Hajj seats, second position, and third positions were also awarded.[16] Over 50,000 fishermen participated in the annual festival held inKebbi State and the winners were graded based on the weight of the fish caught.[17] The President of Nigeria,Muhammadu Buhari visited the 2020 Argungu Fishing Festival[18][19][20] The festival in 2020 was the 60th edition after 10 years of being on hold according to the governor of the stateAbubakar Bagudu.[21][22] In addition, one of the festivals goal is to enrich community unity and encourage local fish farmers.[23]
12°44′55.100″N4°32′17.599″E / 12.74863889°N 4.53822194°E /12.74863889; 4.53822194
