# Said's life in Africa  
Said was born in Kukawa, the capital city of Borno, possibly in 1831, and certainly not later than 1836. At the time of his birth, the Seifawa dynasty, politically dominant in Borno and Kanem since the fifteenth century, had collapsed. The demise of this dynasty was tied to the jihad of Usman dan Fodio, which started in Hausaland in 1804. From about 1806, inspired by the jihad, the Fulani of Borno organized revolts against the Seifawa dynasty. Ultimately, they overran Birnin Gazargamo, the capital, and established emirates at Hadejia and Katagum territory that had once been in western Borno. Following the increasing influence of the Fulani, the besieged Seifawa dynasty turned to Muhammad al-Amin al-Kanemi, a prominent Muslim cleric who had a significant following, for support. Al-Kanemi, on agreeing to help the Seifawa, eventually restrained the Fulani revolt although, in the context of the clash between the Fulani and the Seifawa, many people were enslaved. Ultimately, al-Kanemi emerged as the virtual ruler of Borno (Cohen, 1967, pp. 20-29; Brenner, 1973). Some reflection on the circumstances surrounding the emergence of Muhammad al-Kanemi as the ruler of Borno and on the reign of his son and successor, Shehu Umar, appears in Said's narrative and, on close examination, his account proves remarkably accurate.  
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[^0]:    2 Besides Austin's work, other studies that primarily draw on this source include Diouf, 1998 and Gomez, 2005.