By Alhassan Bala
Waking up and walking through the length and breadth in this part of the world leaves me with a feeling and understanding that Central and Eastern Europe are the most misunderstood part of Europe arising from a lot of misconceptions and misunderstanding. And these are majorly due to some factors associated with misinformation/disinformation and more importantly the African countries’ bad history and experience of colonialism by some European countries.
To set the record straight, countries like Czechia, Poland, Ukraine, Slovakia, Latvia etc did not colonize any African country. What many did not know was these countries were colonized by Russia and also occupied by Germany, Austria and Hungarian empires.
READ ALSO: TikToker remanded over cross-dressing, indecent content in Kano
Czechia with pride
Proudly donning my Hausa native dressing, I visited the Central European country, Czechia, which is popularly known as Czech Republic.
I was among the 11 Journalists from 8 African countries that attended the 20th Global Security Forum 2025 in Prague, Czechia capital. I was surprised how I was respected, loved because of the way I dressed. After meeting Czechian president, Petr Pavel, one of the foreign ministry officials told me that some of the presidential officials had actually admired my dressing and they loved it.
I could remember what Czehian foreign ministry staff, Nick Ojo Omorodion, and Katerina Zykova told me to maintain my Hausa dressing because it looks good on me.
I spent four good days in Prague, the day I was leaving Prague for Warsaw I wore English. However, the Czechia foreign ministry staff were not happy that I wore a shirt and trousers. But I told them because I had two bags so I needed to be free for walking.
Before I traveled to Poland all I could see about Poland in social media had to do with racism, although I have had the opportunity to relate with a Polish woman, named Agnieszka, who I can say, is among the nicest Europeans I ever met. She also supported me with advice and also was always readily available to provide positive suggestions and ideas.
Fond Poland experiences
This northern Nigerian journalist, Alhassan continues to wear his Hausa attires on his first day in Warsaw. To my utter surprise however, the Polish were so happy with the Hausa dressing. They spoke well about Hausa people that ever lived in Warsaw and also said they dress the way I dressed and they loved it. I was informed about the department that teaches Hausa language in the University of Warsaw, which I planned to pay a visit to, but unfortunately, they were on holiday.
Among the people that loved my dressing well in Poland was Marcin Grodzki, who also told me never to wear English as the way I dressed (English) wasn’t nice and beautiful. Other staff of the Polish foreign ministry admired the Hausa dressing as well. It surprised them when I said aside being a fact-checker and a journalist, I am also a trained Hausa teacher who has been teaching Europeans, Americans and even some Nigerians Hausa language, because I studied Hausa/Islamic studies in FCT College of Education, Zuba before I proceeded to the University of Abuja.
We visited another city in Poland, the name of which remains sketchy in my mind, for a concert. Some natives stopped me and we had a discussion in English. They even collected my number just because of their love for the Hausa dressing.
The deep discussion we had between Marcin, Nick, Kayode and myself, which later Marcin met me and said “Alhassan, I really love the kind of person you are and I love how you love your culture.”
I met a professor at Warsaw School of Economics with a Hausa native cap. It is a kind of cap that my late father always wore. We snapped pictures. In fact he did a selfie with me.
I really appreciate the love for Hausa attire in Poland because an incident happened in a plane from Warsaw to the airport close to the Ukraine border with Poland. A Czechian that sat with me saw my picture with native attire and told me to continue wearing native not shirt and trousers. I even showed him my picture dressed in a suit and he said “I preferred the native dressing.” I really love the discussion with him because I heard a lot not from government officials but ordinary people as well.
Ukraine of all places!
Due to the attack that happened the day before we arrived in Ukraine and based on our itinerary, coupled with fact that I left one of my bags in Warsaw, these factors convinced me to wear English for some days.
The whole number of days I stayed in Lviv I was in shirt and trousers due to my understanding as a journalist that in case of an emergency to run, it will be easier!
But in Kyiv I wore native and it was admired by local Ukrainians and officials despite the situation they find themselves in, of possible attacks, trauma of the sirens which is still on my head.
Some Ukrainian locals snapped pictures with me, while in the foreign ministry, an official specifically asked for an official picture with me because of my native attire. He told me that he loves them, as he always sees them in pictures.
I met Crimean Tatars which are Muslims and they love the dressing and also upon learning that I am a Muslim the connection became closer, that was when I chatted with them and they told me how Russia is prosecuting their brothers and sisters in the occupied Crimea.
The two Crimean Tatars which I met without the knowledge of Ukrainian officials didn’t even know I was a journalist until after we finished discussion and what they told me made me understand that as a Muslim most of us don’t know the situation our other Muslim brothers are facing in the hands of Russia. They are in a dire situation under the Russians.
At an event in Kyiv Australian ambassador to Ukraine and Argentinian ambassador to Ukraine that both served in Nigeria. They recognized me because of my dressing and also take pictures with me.
The Argentinian ambassador even mentioned Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II of Kano. She described him as very intelligent person, she said she really love the Hawan Sallah, she asked me about the recognition of Hawan Daushe by UNESCO. She was happy seeing me well-dressed in Hausa attire.
Cummulatively, my experience in these Central and Eastern European countries taught me that unlike what is being conveyed to us, some of which I cannot say all because there is no way everyone will love you. Yet, they love our African dressing and cultures. They are also people that deep inside them love culture as I see in one event called Mazowsze in Poland. It therefore behoves on every Hausa-speaking individual heading to some of these oversea countries to feel free and be proud of his native dressing. That is just what they crave and value the most.
Bala is a Founder/Editor Alkalanci, a fact-checking and media literacy platform
