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Symbol of Wealth and Prestige: A Social History of Chinese-made Enamelware in Northern Nigeria

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 April 2020

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Abstract

Between the 1950s and the 1990s, Chinese enamelware products dominated kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms in the northern part of Nigeria. These were initially imported from China by European trading firms but later manufactured in Nigeria by Chinese-owned factories. Liu concludes that it was not only the immediately obvious “modern” advantages of the enamelware that enabled it to dominate northern Nigeria’s market, but it was also its integration into local, socio-cultural networks of meaning that granted it a significance far beyond its practical use. Such processes of integration further enabled enamelware to become an important component of local marriage customs and an essential possession for Hausa women.

Résumé

Résumé

Entre les années 1950 et 1990, les produits en métal émaillé chinois dominaient les cuisines, les salons et les chambres dans la partie nord du Nigeria. Ceux-ci ont d’abord été importés de Chine par des sociétés commerciales européennes, mais plus tard furent fabriqués au Nigeria par des usines chinoises. Liu conclut que ce n’est pas seulement les avantages « modernes » immédiatement évidents du métal émaillé qui lui ont permis de dominer le marché du nord du Nigeria, mais aussi son intégration dans des réseaux de sens au niveau local et socioculturel qui lui ont accordé une signification au-delà de son utilisation pratique. De tels processus d’intégration ont permis aux produits en métal émaillé de devenir une composante importante des coutumes locales de mariage et un bien précieux et essentiel pour les femmes haussa.

Resumo

Resumo

Entre as décadas de 1950 e 1990, na Nigéria setentrional, os produtos esmaltados chineses ganharam uma presença dominante nas cozinhas, nas salas de estar e nos quartos de dormir. Inicialmente, estes produtos eram importados da China por empresas de import/export europeias, mas depois começaram a ser produzidos na Nigéria, em fábricas detidas por proprietários chineses. No presente artigo, Liu conclui que a preponderância destes utensílios no mercado nigeriano não resultou apenas das suas óbvias vantagens "modernas", tendo a sua integração nos códigos locais e socioculturais contribuído para lhes atribuir um significado muito mais abrangente do que a sua mera aplicação prática. Estes processos de integração facilitaram ainda mais o papel desempenhado pelos utensílios de esmalte chineses nas cerimónias locais de casamento e enquanto bens essenciais para todas as mulheres da etnia hausa.

Keywords

enamelwareChinese factoriesNigeriawomengenderindigenous containers
Type
Article
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 63 , Issue 2 , June 2020 , pp. 212 - 237
Copyright
© African Studies Association, 2020

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