Abstract

Open Markets form a major part of commercial activity in indigenous urban settings in Nigeria. The Nigerian ethnic groups have their most intimate and closest interactions in the urban markets. This follows the fact that interaction in the markets is compulsory to their daily lives and is almost ethnic-free because of its economic importance. This fact is well highlighted in Kano. Since the 10th century A.D Kano’s popularity has been based on its markets which attracted traders from as far away as Egypt and the Sudan as well as from the rest of Africa. It is impossible to comprehend life in Kano without understanding its markets. Almost all Nigerian ethnic group members actively participate in the activities carried out in these markets. Apart from its commercial function, the market serve as communication medium between the strangers and their native homes. Traders who reside in other parts of Nigeria come to the Kano markets to trade. They mostly stay for a few days bringing with them messages from the families and friends of strangers sojourning in Kano, and take back with them gifts and messages to the strangers’ families. Most of Kano’s riots originate in its markets because information travel very quickly within the market, consequently, any report of a minor wrongdoing by a member of one ethnic group to a member of an opposing ethnic group can start a riot. To prevent the outbreak of inter-ethnic violence, the traders in the market have developed rules of conduct which always guide their actions when buying and selling. These rules of conduct can be seen in informal associations, called “market groups” and are facilitated by a system of inter-ethnic communication called the “market language.”