Gender and Music: Female Participation in Traditional Music Performance in Sokoto State

This study examines the nature and extent of female participation in traditional music performance in Sokoto State, North West Nigeria, where Islamic cultural norms and Hausa-Fulani gender conventions significantly shape public performance practices. While women in many Nigerian cultural contexts are active performers, their participation in formal and public musical settings in some northern states is restricted by sociocultural and religious factors. This research investigates the types of traditional music genres in which women participate, the settings in which female performance is considered appropriate, and the attitudes of male community members and religious leaders toward female musicianship. A qualitative research design is adopted, using in-depth interviews with female musicians, community elders, and Islamic scholars in Sokoto and Wamako local government areas. Observational data are also gathered from selected community ceremonies and private women-only musical gatherings. The study is situated within feminist musicology and gender studies frameworks adapted to the West African Islamic context. Findings are expected to reveal a nuanced picture of female musical participation that exists within, rather than against, prevailing cultural structures. The research contributes to broader debates on gender, religion, and artistic expression in northern Nigeria. Keywords: Gender, female musicianship, Sokoto State, traditional music, Islamic context.