Rini – Mahmud Dzukogi

In this collection of memorabilia photographs, I captured a long-standing Hausa tradition of dying clothes. This art, with the popular title of ‘Rini’, has for over a decade invaded the whole of northern Nigeria as a business and creative art.

Rini is a historic Hausa indigo-dying art of Northern Nigeria, characterised by deep blue hues created through the use of fermented indigo plant dyes. Its origins predate Islam but flourished with the rise of Hausa city-states and the trans-Saharan trade, making Kano a major centre for export by the 15th century. This artistic business extends through all the major Hausa-dominant areas across northern Nigeria and the country as a whole.

As learnt from the Rini artists, the process of executing it involves resist-dyeing techniques like stitching, tying or waxing, followed by repeated dipping into the indigo dye pits and sun-drying, as well as beating to achieve a lustrous finish. The Kofar Mata dye pits in Kano are among the oldest continuously active dyeing centres in Africa. 

Mahmud Dzukogi is a Nigerian creative artist. He measured in poetry, painting and photography. Some of his works have been published/ or are forthcoming from a number of reputable magazines including but not limited to The MAAR Review, Syncronize Chaos and elsewhere. He is the Managing Director of Minna Kiddies Book Hub.