Censorship, citizenship and cosmopolitan unity in Muslim and Christian creative responses to repression in northern Nigeria

Abstract Nigeria is often portrayed as having a ‘Muslim north’ and ‘Christian south’. Such representations oversimplify the complicated interrelationships between two religious communities their geographic locations. Similarly, while much has been written on conflict Muslims Christians in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region, there less scholarly attention to philosophical communal relationships adherents of religions northern Nigeria. I argue that are parallels way which Hausa-speaking Muslim artists responded censorship crisis Kano State 2007–11 Christian musicians from north-east few years later Boko Haram crisis. examine filmmaker Hamisu Lamido Iyantama’s response Censorship Board, alongside musician Saviour Y. Inuwa’s Haram. Iyantama Inuwa both counter repressive forces by expressing parallel understandings identities citizens pluralistic state righteous members universal emphasize God’s justice end times. these Hausa-language present vision cosmopolitan unity across ethnicity religion, an alternative anarchic violence