(18): Marketing Beyond Marketplace; Kano Society In The Aftermath of Covid-19.

MA Iliasu.

In a very enigmatic dissection, economists believe market is different from marketplace. The two concepts have never been the same, only related in the fact that they've been seen together so many times they began being mistaken for each other. Market, economists argue, is an economic concept, associated with any activity that brings buyers and sellers into economic contact; one that usually ends with an agreed deal in place. While marketplace is a geographical concept borrowed to define any place reserved for the exchange of commodities. To expand more clearly , marketing can take place in the absence of marketplace due to the advent of science and modern technology that enable people to trade without meeting face-to-face, and the absence of organized marketplaces a very long time ago.

Aerial view of Kantin kwari market.

The two concepts however are very relevant to each other, especially during the time when one of them can't do without the other - the medieval and middle-aged times when there's absence of modern technology and organized marketplaces. And they still maintain a certain degree of relevance to each other, because most of the trading is still taking place in the marketplaces in second and third world countries. Although it is bound to change in the future. Especially in the place of our interest, the modern day Kano society, the city with one of the longest histories of trade in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Marketplace in Kano is almost a half-millennium-old phenomenon looking back to the history of the revered commercial city. And surely marketing had taken place long before the organization of marketplaces in Kano, only that it was facilitated further by them. And the way I see it, marketing in Kano would take place long after marketplaces, because the future signifies their inevitable demise by factors that are slowly invading in the form of modern technology, which would later prove to be a reliable, decisive force and avenue that will do to marketing anything marketplace did for it and more.

This piece is aimed at tracing the distinct origins of marketing and marketplace in Kano, testing the possible impact of the relative difference between the two terms, its possible impacts on the commercial success of the place; all in an effort to explain the major shock it receives by the horrific lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic, how it absorbed the shock, and how the absorption translate to a threat that could eliminate marketplaces in postmodern era, courtesy of the ever unpredictable nature of the economic society and the fast growth of modern technology.

More than six centuries ago, Sarki Muhammadu Rumfa created the first marketplace in Kano city - Kasuwar Kurmi - which is widely considered as the first marketplace in the history of Kano. Rumfa, who was recorded in the history books as a king blessed with immense vision, developmental leadership, remarkable patriotism and unreal vigilance towards securing the economy and infrastructural development of his kingdom, created other marketplaces at the gates that lead through the historic, millennium old city walls, to complement trade and allow marketing to take place in Kano with greater accommodation, easiness and convenience.

And it's therefore the courtesy of such economic exertion that Kano stamped it's name as the finest economic city in Africa after Cairo and Fazzan, according to Yugoslav, by Anania (1578).

Muhammadu Rumfa transformed Kano into an organized economic arena; alluring to all, attractive to whole and seductive to many. Marketplaces in Kano back then, had attracted diverse traders not only from Hausa-Land, but from central Sahara, Gonja, Mauritania, East Africa and the land of Tamashek. After Sarki Rumfa, the economics of Kano was put at the mercy of political events, however, none formidable enough to cancel the impact of markets. Today, markets in Kano have incredible pulling power upon traders that trade not only in Nigeria, but West Africa in general. Niger, Chad, Mali, Ghana and Benin have all been defending on Kano as one of the sources of importation. And the city has equally defend upon the consistent flow of those traders to arrive and buy both it's imported and locally-produced commodities, in employment and revenue generation, resource and potentials utilization.

The modern day Kano state breath market as human being breath air, making the state function at the mercy of markets as bicycle is at the mercy of moving; if markets stop, the state will fell. And it's due this reason that marketing become the function of the psychological, social and economic behaviour of Kano people. Which has also manifested upon their political, cultural and religious behavior.

As co-founding name, Kasuwar Kurmi has maintained it's traditional charisma as the oldest marketplace in Kano, which has also been serving as considerable employer of people, and a massively recommended arena for the exchange of unique commodities. Other marketplaces which Sarki Rumfa had created at the city gates have ripe to economically salvaged the city and it's populace from the wrath of mediocrity, and have bolstered their stake in the contest of competitive advantage. Ƙofar Mata is now what developed and became known as Kantin Kwari market - " the biggest textiles marketplace in Africa" - Bature Abdul'aziz (2009), and the biggest employer of youths of all the existing marketplaces in northern Nigeria. Ƙofar Ruwa is now a marketplace for metallic commodities and it's varying families ranging from car, motorcycle and bicycle spare parts, motorcycle and bicycles, etc. Ƙofar Mazugal encapsulates the biggest Abattoir in sub-Saharan Africa. Ƙofar Na'isa accommodates gigantic trading of fine livestock. Ƙofar Kansakali, though fading through the wariness of time, is a home for the trade of locally imported sugarcane,

etcetera. 

Therefore to cut the long history and the narration of romanticism between Kano and Marketplaces short, marketing took place before marketplaces, which was long before the reign of Muhammadu Rumfa, the co-founder of organized marketplaces. Trade had been recorded to have taken place in Kano, with most of the exchange deals taking place at the houses of the traders or on the medieval streets of the city. And some of the practices of marketing away from marketplace had been retained during the reign of Rumfa, though in small instances, and have been practiced even today, with many traders operating away from marketplaces.

In a similar vain however, though in a bigger instance, the centuries old practice has recieved a remarkable admonishing, which would possibly turn marketing around to imitate the period long before Rumfa, even if in an upgraded modern manner. Lockdown, as a regent and deputy commander to the pandemic's invading general, was the leading determinant that affected the view of Kano traders upon their marketplaces. But in what way? 

One week before the imposition of the lockdown by the Kano state government, as a budding economic analyst, I predicted that majority of Kano traders, most especially the textile traders in Kantin kwari, would be made worse off, simply because they were mostly small and medium scale traders who so much defend upon the marketing boom that takes place during that time of the year, to make up for the dry marketing season inflicted by recession. Coincidentally, the lockdown arrived at a time when the Holy month of Ramadan was few days away, signifying Eid celebration was little more than a month away - which declared the beginning of a marketing season which every trading man and woman eagerly awaits, to accumulate what will usually secure people economically for most of the year. The pre-Eid market in Kano is the greatest marketing event that take place in the city, and the single most effective economic event that shape the entire attitude of majority of Kano populace, with no other time being revered by the traders closer to how much the pre-Eid is. But my prediction has not accurately hit the target the way I expected it to, even though hundreds of thousands of people who did not own businesses, who have been earning living by facilitating the exchange process through moving of the commodities for buyers and sellers and serving as commissioners, were significantly made worse off. Which would inevitably interrogate their convenience during the entire marketing year.

The business owners meanwhile, have defied the prediction solely by refusing to allow the movement restriction enforced through the lockdown, and the complete closure of marketplaces, to massacre their activities or dictate the coordinates of their fiscal year. The way they did it, as it would be mentioned below, is very common, only that it took the most conscious of them to think of it earlier.

• It has been learnt that an average textiles marketer in Kano had utilized his or her presence on the internet, by advertising commodities to the buyers who wouldn't be able to travel due to the restrictions enforced by the lockdown, through online media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. And even to the buyers who can travel alike. The practice has been in sight many years before the advent of Covid-19, what is called online marketing. But it was prefered back then by mostly the modern marketers who fantasized wide advertisement, with majority of the old-school ones having no belief such process. However the lockdown has changed the face of that activity. For both modern and old-school marketers embraced the online media platforms to salvage the trading activities from the atrocities of Covid-19. And judging from the convenience it brought, mostly upon the buyers, surely the practice would not be abandoned after the pandemic passed on, in what'll likely be a turning point that may mark the beginning of complete shift from physical marketplaces to online marketplaces. Today, it becomes easier that I would simply send the samples of my commodities to my customer in Niger through his WhatsApp handle, who would then select the ones he preferred and send for the payment through wire transfer, after what I would prepare the commodities in bundles and put them on transit through a trusted Niger-travelling driver. From such point, the exchange is wrapped! So easy and convenient, isn't? 

• Through acquisition of consent, significant number of marketers enquired that they were allowed to shift their stock of commodities to their living houses, which would enable them to deliver the orders placed online, and supply the traders that became able to travel amidst the lockdown, without breaking the social distancing rules. The living houses of traders in Kano turned into semi markets, or rather disorganized marketplaces, as it was often the case before the reign of Muhammadu Rumfa. The wealthy of them who had big frontyards that would accommodate buyers stop bothering to advertise on the streets. While the poor of them take their marketing to the streets. And both of them became wowed by the response of buyers. After all, Kano is an inescapable commercial arena where what ever is put on sale would someday be enquired by a buyer. Especially in a time like pre-Eid market. And such necessary measure of shifting storage facilities from marketplaces to living houses would possibly not be abandoned due to the unpredictable nature of government's policy. Rational traders would learn to store their commodities at a disposal of close proximity, for even if marketplaces were to be trusted again, an adequate alternative should be put in place to store significant quantity of commodities to counter it's weaknesses as learnt during the pandemic. Any agreement with that experience would ensure that marketing in Kano has take the effect of trading long before the organization of marketplaces, though in a technologically facilitated manner. Welcome to the future, which obviously screams the little relevance of marketplaces, as mercilessly being dictated by Covid-19!

As amusing as it may prove to be, many traders who have initially feared for the impact of the lockdown upon their businesses returned to their respective marketplaces after the lock was lifted, only to meet empty stores and shops. All the goods were conveniently sold. The miracle of modernity has turned their puzzling fears into a sound innovative strategy, along the line transmogrifying their attitude away from conservative-ness of old school marketing that relies on marketplaces, to a modernized method of trading, which doesn't necessarily defends on marketplaces at all. Necessity is the mother of innovation, a wise man once said. 

It's due to the combination of necessity, which was breeded by Covid-19, and other mentioned sociopolitical an economic events that Kano is slowly changing from a centuries old traditional marketplace, to a modern economic city that facilitate marketing beyond the restrictions of geography that comes in weaknesses of marketplaces, in a purely economic, technological and convenient manner. In this regard the economists are being proved correct; market surely is economically broader concept beyond the description of geographical term borrowed to exogenously serve as a makeweight definition. Kano; a market society that was, the marketplace avenue that had been, and a slowly transmogrifying into technologically-upgraded economic entity, is a very relevant instance. All thanks to Covid-19. And many other commercial states would follow suits after the dust has suppressed. Such economic transition would however cost many people their way of earning living, most of them the commissioners and non-business owners that offer their physical services for sale. How they should be efficiently blended into the new market dynamics should be a relevant problem that calls for decisive solutions. 

Surely amidst our resistance to abide by, or contribute to the fluid rendition of the dynamics and higher tendency to allow the changes in our environments go unnoticed and unmentioned, the rule stays the same:

 “change is inevitable as society exist” - Karl Henrik Marx.

MA Iliasu is a student of economics who writes from Kano.