HONEY IN THE IVORY TOWER. By Olajire Olanlokun

Yeside Adebisi - a charismatic, intelligent warm African young lady. Here at the University she and close female friends blossom and distinguish themselves and become even more dynamic, well rounded individuals. It almost brings tears to one's eyes! One might as well comment that a patina of decency - age old values if you wish - surrounds this work, an edifying ambience as it were. One might have expected a work weaved around young women in a free environment to contain elements of prurience or sexual trajectories ; but this is in no way the case here. The usual travails, vicissitudes of tertiary education campuses - not forgetting the pressures on comely young females are evident but in an edifying manner ... Yeside is a fine young lady who holds her head high, and remains alluring and virtuous, even whilst overseas: "Yeside's good virtues warmed her to the hearts of the Allens and they often joked that Yeside looked very much like an Afro-American but her accent gave her away... " Yeside and her close female friends, Sheila and Kojo, are hard working and innovative in the campus. They even orchestrate a magazine (kudos for ladies!) finally named Fortune. The publication is a success, applauded by everybody, even the male students. The young ladies keep their eyes on the ball, and Yeside in particular gets her just deserts in the end: "On the first notice board were the results of the finalists. Conspicuously perching atop were the results of the final year students in the Department of Chemistry ... under this was the name of Yeside Adebisi with a First Class. Nobody made second class upper division, only second class lower division followed. Yeside was mobbed by her friends!" Fittingly, yes. A wholesome story and narration. - O Bolaji

CONDUCT UNBECOMING. By T. M. Aluko

Corruption ... Corruption ... CORRUPTION Another fine work of fiction by the late TM Aluko, long famed and respected for his brilliant novels; that the author was also an astute civil servant for years on end complements his forte as it were. Aluko also condemned corruption in his works, including this one. Incidentally the country here, Equatoria, is very much Nigeria as we can see from the plethora of Yoruba/Nigerian names, together with requisite proverbs and other aphorisms. Anyway, in this country corruption holds sway! This can be seen everywhere, though the main focus (apart from our narrator-protagonist William) is on a coterie of powerful figures; mainly the just departed politician, Sylvester Domingo, and Abel Abegunde bastion of immorality. We quickly learn that Sylvester, and of course Abegunde are bywords for corruption and other disgusting practices; "(Sylvester) regularly beat up his wives... moreover he was known to keep a number of mistresses..." And the dramatic Abegunde: "The one official cord that once bound me to Abel Abegunde had snapped seven years before when Alice Abegunde, my elder sister had died at child birth. Since then he had replaced the dead Alice not with one wife but with three other wives. And indications were that the replacement exercise was going to be a continuing process..." But our narrator is tainted himself character-wise, despite his constant attempts to distance himself from corruption and other sharp practices. We are surprised to learn e.g, early on that he is lusting after Dora, one of the widows of the late Silvester and sleeping with her. And the lady herself consorts with other powerful men... At least in the end there is condemnation of sorts of the widespread corrupt practices. Suggested Reading: Anatomy of Corruption in Nigeria. By S. Labanji Bolaji The Trouble with Nigeria. By Chinua Achebe The Beautyful Ones are not yet born. By Ayi Kwei Armah

DESTINATION BIAFRA. By Buchi Emecheta

 

"... One could make a case however for an androgynous interpretation of Buchi Emecheta's book, Destination Biafra. This is an ambitious, if very uneven, war novel whose militantly feminist heroine possesses both feminine and masculine characteristics. Attractive, Oxford-educated Debbie Ogedemgbe is a nurturing woman who seeks to defend and protect the women and children victimized during the Biafran war, but the masculine, aggressive side of her character is shown when she joins the army, smokes cigarettes, tosses grenades, and refuses to marry her English lover at the end of the novel.

"... It seems unlikely that Emecheta's bold if flawed attempt to imagine an androgynous African woman will be imitated, though one hopes that more women writers will subscribe to Emecheta's feminist vision..."

-  Katherine Frank 

In African Literature Today

 

TO SIR, WITH LOVE. By E. R Braithwaite

An interesting "old book" and perhaps a classic of its own - remember a major film was produced on it. Me I always wondered how honest the author was ... with the females in his class, despite his general supercilious approach in his narrative.

Take note that the author was a young man, or rather young when he experienced being a teacher in London, and of course as a council or govt employee he dared not admit being attracted to any very young girl in his class! I feel that he knew all along that Pamela a girl in his class had a crush on him; he did not need other (female) teachers to point this out to him.

It is only at the end (very near the end) that he deigns to admit that the 'little girls" were certainly not what he'd claimed they were. He dances with Pamela, and we read:

"... I was aware of her, of her soft breathing, her firm roundness, and the rhythmic moving of her thighs. She was a woman, there was no doubt about it, and she invaded my mind and body. The music ended, all too quickly..."

L. Avery

BURNING GRASS. By Cyprian Ekwensi

What a great writer Ekwensi was! He had it all, excitement, pace, suspense, and yes melodrama, which is an integral part of life, no matter what some critics might claim. A short extract from this novel shows the zippy nature of his books. Here, Sunsaye, whilst rushing along in the woods on his horse suddenly sees two naked children:

"From his robes he tore some cloth and used it to cover the naked bodies. As soon as his hands touched them, the forest shook with a resounding roar. He heard a crash through the woods. His horse shrieked wildly and broke away pursued by a lion. In one bound both beasts disappeared up the stream.

"He heard them struggle and when his horse shrieked wildly he knew what had happened. Now that his horse was dead, the lion would come rushing back at him. He looked about him for a means of escape. He saw none..."

JAILED FOR LIFE. By Kunle Ajibade

 

Another superb memoirs anchored on prison experience by an African...

Of course it is sickening to see refined minds (their corporeal bodies of course!) clamped in jail. Wole Soyinka's The Man Died (prison notes) is an everlasting visceral educational publication.  Other literary gurus like Awoonor and Ngugi have also recreated their terrible times in incarceration.

Terrible? We can imagine the basics. Loss of freedom... restricted stringently to a certain soul debasing place. No loved ones, families to lift one's spirits, unedifying unwholesome meals. No walks, no friends or even lovers to call on, horrific loneliness without the things one ordinarily takes for granted

 And those tortured in the process? The mind boggles.

And the "auxiliaries" of such restrictions: Mosquitoes, fleas, bugs, lice unlimited as debilitating insects have a field day. Rodents revelling in the nighttime...and probably during the days too. Trepidation always. Maybe chains and manacles too...

Ajibade's account of course shows that sensitive intellectual minds probably suffer most. Jailed for life - whilst being innocent. Macabre justice and scenario.  Not that the shameless "gaolers" including those involved in the pertinent "trial" and verdict did not know better. They are just pawns in the hands of the Tyrant/Dictator- Sani Abacha one of the worst "leaders" in African history....

A harrowing account...two short excerpts here: "When Mayowa (the author's 2 year old son) was eventually brought to meet me for less than 5 minutes, the boy could not recognise me. Apart from my thick beard which I was not wearing at home, pimples had already taken complete possession of my face..."

“Makurdi Prison stank. It stank of rotten flesh, of excrement, of rat urine. It stank of many mouths unwashed for many days. It stank of corruption as well"

A hair-raising, eclectic work.

- O (Eric) Bolaji

FOOTBALLERS' WIVES. By Shelley Webb

I love this book. I love the fluent exhilarating writing style of the author/Editor, 'Mme' Shelley as we'll describe her in Africa here. So I admit that I'm African to the core, normally review mainly African books; but then again I've read much more 'Eurocentric' books over the years compared to African ones.

From inception one discerns that the author here is exceedingly proficient (and yes, we Africans love the flowery adjectival style, never mind the snooty pundits!). As a long time lover of football, I somewhat knew about the football career of Neil Webb decades ago, but very little about his then-wife, Shelley. But one can see immediately that she is a talented professional writer (juxtaposed with the other contributors here). So one can raise a smile when one reads: ..."I was awarded a first-class Honours degree in English and History..."

And there are other plusses: Shelley not only loved football, but also admired Glenn Hoddle in her youth - like yours truly (could any player control the ball like Hoddle and spray those gorgeous passes all over the park...?). Shelley is a knock out beauty too, so why should a reader not admire her?

But enough of the digressions (another African weakness!). Ah well, let us just add that the author, despite being well educated and savvy, is not ashamed of her love for football. As she writes here: " the literati have become the soccerity ...as writers realise that no longer are you treated as a social degenerate if you admit to a love of football "

Shelley, like most of the other women who contribute to this book, is anxious to point out that she was no gold digger... Actually, the bulk of the ladies here apparently met their partners when the guys were still struggling. A few samples here, starting with Shelley's: "I was earning more working on a Saturday at Boots than he (Neil) was as an apprentice..."

Suzi Walker, who married ex-Spurs keeper Ian Walker: "(When I met Ian) he did not even have a car. I was always lending him money and my car. If we went out to dinner I paid...". Suzi in this book comes across as quite sensitive, which is understandable under the circumstances.

And what about the stunning Suzy Barnes who married the great black player, John Barnes? She writes: "When I first knew him (John) he wasn't a catch... he was not earning a tremendous amount of money in the early days...". Suzy refers to Barnes' superb goal against Brazil in 1984; but here in Africa, Barnes is mainly remembered for brilliantly creating Lineker's goal against Argentina at the 1986 World Cup.

Of course this book would inspire a popular TV series in England with other spin-offs commensurate with the western world. But the impression this book gives is essentially that wives or partners of football stars are human like every other ... human; susceptible to the vagaries of the men in their lives and the trajectory of their careers. 

 Malome Eric

CEMETERY OF MIND. By Dambudzo Marechera

 

It is no surprise that during his short life, the Zimbabwean literary genius, Dambudzo Marechera, did not find it easy to get published.

As Flora Veit Wild, who ensured Marechera’s legacy is now universally acknowledged, even publishing many of his manuscripts, points out, "the major reason for rejection... was that the poems 'would definitely be incomprehensible to readers in most of the world...'

One can hardly blame such publishers! Marechera’s talent certainly belonged to the top drawer. But of course all talented writers should be published no matter how "difficult" they are. This book contains a great variety of Marechera’s poetry.

Are they that difficult? Some samples here:

"The stunned face of hooves clatters its jaws
Galloping chattering teething mouthfuls of memory’’
Page 146

"A nation in its own surging sap
Its pyrotechnics of photosynthesis...
With tumultuous timbre of a crowd?"
Page 118

And this excerpt might remind one of one of Marechera’s novels:

"Leaving me buffeted by hailstorms of doubt...
Black sunlight, granitic water
Flames encased in sheets of ice"
Page 180

"Fetid lilies..." some sort of oxymoron?

Some of the poems are very political, since Marechera was very knowledgeable and conscious of so many spheres; eg Sharpeville's Blind Nights Ahead. Here we are taken on a rather torrid, intellectually-hewn journey which touches on the likes of Azania, Nkomati, on and of course Sharpeville itself

(See pages 143/144)

In short Marechera, who died at only 35 was a very rare talent. He is easily in the poetic company of the likes of Africa’s Wole Soyinka and Lenrie Peters...

- Eric B

A FEW NIGHTS AND DAYS. By Mbella Sonne Dipoko

 

This book essentially focuses on a young African (Cameroonian) male student in Paris, and his startling liaisons with women. He is supposed to be in love with 19 year old French girl, Therese, but this does not stop him from sleeping with her best friend (Bibi) and also with a "home girl" - from Cameroon, a woman who treats her own real "fiance" with utter contempt!

Doumbe is a writer, or an aspiring writer as some would dub it ambiguously. At least, despite his patent shortcomings he can turn it on occasionally for the edification of hapless Therese, as we read:

"Therese you know you are a sprig of green leaves and flowers, eternal charm. You are more exquisite than art, more endearing than the most tender of dreams... you know that"

Doumbe accepts that he is something of a philanderer, though this in no way makes him feel bad or guilty:

"It was a pity that Therese’s father had refused to let her build her life with mine. I know I wouldn't have been faithful to her, even after marriage; but I would have made the effort". Tosh.

 But Doumbe apparently is peace loving, and not without a sense of humour as we intermittently see.

‘’She had a son Francois...who did not want to get married. He did not want women... such a decent boy, and she would add, 'he's 50 years you know!"

When Therese dies in the end, no matter what the narrator intends, there seems to be a shocking apathy and coldness on the part of Doumbe, and Bibi, the two people closest to Therese, and who have betrayed her again and again. Incredibly Bibi then chooses to announce that she is carrying Doumbe's child! ... real class.

Not that Doumbe worries much about anything... life will always go on for him... and of course he would continue to be something of a menace to the fairer sex...

Review by Eric B.

MISS CALLAGHAN COMES TO GRIEF. By James Hadley Chase

 

Raven, the ruthless, unconscionable protagonist here reminds us of the evil, blood thirsty Dillon of The dead stay dumb (one of Chase's many other books).

Raven has no qualms about using women, young fresh girls, trafficking them for his own personal profits, rendering them worthless all in a bid for the accretion of his lucre. And of course Raven has no respect for human life at all. By killing at will he becomes the king of vice. And more and more women are de-humanised and debased.

How appropriate one finds it, then when the two main lieutenants of Raven ( their names hardly matter here) are avenged by such women in the end, literally torn to pieces by the "harpies" who set about them limb to limb with a knife, with ribbons of blood surrounding them.

And as for the kingpin Raven himself, he is finally arrested when another woman he is despoiling bravely gets to grips with him with a handy stone... pity she does not smash his head to smithereens though ...

But the abiding impression is how Raven destroys so many young women, crippling their resistance to prostitution in many ways. This paves the way for some old fashioned racism as in the case of poor Sadie who is incensed when she has to get so close to a negro....

We read: "...And then he was on her. The horrible rancid nigger smell of him sickened her... before he pinned her hands..." So sad for such ladies that we blacks have to stink so much, eh!

But it hardly matters. The important thing is that the evil Raven and his organisation collapse in the end... and we can see that so many women embroiled in prostitution are actually victims. Who says we don't learn everyday- - P. Lothane

THE RETURNEES. By Elizabeth Okoh

 

‘After a bad break up, 25-year-old Osayuki Idahosa leaves behind everything she holds dear in London to return to Lagos, Nigeria: a country she hasn't set foot in for many years. Drawn by the transformations happening in the fashion industry in the city, she accepts a job at House of Martha as their Head of PR. While waiting at Milan airport for her connecting flight to Lagos, she meets Cynthia Okoye and Kian Bajo, a wanna-be Afrobeat star. After the plane lands at the Lagos airport, they all go their separate ways but their lives will intertwine again and change the course of Osayuki's life forever.’
------

Elizabeth Okoh's debut novel, following three characters as they return to Lagos, Nigeria is the book for summer. Using her three protagonists, Okoh delves into friendship, identity and sharp contrast between rich and poor in Nigeria.

Osayuki Isahosa is running away from London and a broken heart as she heads for a new Head of PR for a fashion brand in Lagos. While waiting for her connecting flight, she meets Cynthia who does not really want to go to Nigeria but her parents want her to do a year's service and find a purpose rather than being pampered in the UK and they also meet Kian, full of confidence and assurance that he is about to become the biggest Afrobeats star you could imagine in Nigeria.

They all go their separate ways once they land, each experiencing different sides of Lagos - Osayuki has a driver to take her to glamorous parties and to the office, Cynthia must start her training in a camp before she is assigned a teaching job, and Kian starts to realise that to get anywhere he needs to bribe people and sleep in a cramped flat with his cousin ... but slowly their lives start to intertwine.

The Returnees is a coming of age story where our three characters face unexpected love, finding a purpose down an unexpected route, and a new determination that will reshape their lives. Even though their parents are not in the same country, they are still tied to their families and tradition and Okoh explores this push and pull against expectation and wanting to have your own defined direction.

Okoh makes sure that you can't walk away from these characters and their lives by creating vivid characters who have to face twists and turns but makes sure that there are fantastic descriptions of the clothes, food and the locations. If you're looking to know more about a culture that you don't know much about then this book really pulls
you into the life of Lagos and shows you not only the highlight of boat parties and fashion shows but also the markets where you haggle for hair treatments and food.

This is a great read ... you need to read this book…

Review by Jessica – courtesy goodreads

THE FORNICATOR. By Philip Etemesi

 A CONTROVERSIAL WORK FROM EAST AFRICA!

In her quest to find happiness and success, Pesh⁠—a young and sexually liberated university student⁠—is thrown into a world of betrayal, heartbreak, and unfiltered lust. Her complicated relationship with her family makes life even more hellish for her. But in all the turmoil that haunts her existence, she remains strong, hoping that the dark nights will soon be replaced by much-needed dawn. Will she ever find the perfect man? Will she ever see better days?

Moraa Masalai says,

Forget 50 Shades Of Grey. This is the best erotic novel of all time for me…

Courtesy, goodreads

GARDEN HOUSE. By Eno Obong

  

 

This is the story of a (Nigerian) lady,  Mayen, charming, cosmopolitan, suave and sophisticated  - yet she is haunted by the past.  She finds love in the end, but this is not a typical "woolly" love story. This book belongs to the pantheon of outstanding imaginative works published over the decades by African women authors. The author for one writes very well and fluently, with remarkable diction. This blog is happy to reproduce just three quotations from this exquisite book here...

 "It was the worst of the slums in Lagos... roadside lined with filth; a squishy, damp-soaked, maggot ridden mass of latent putrefaction that rose in occasional heaped piles and tumbled over, spreading on all sides..."

 "(Mayen) would bear the gifts to the shrine and return with Mammywater's own gift of hymenal beads... a promise of fecundity".

 And what a tender ending to such an excellent novel! -

"She cupped his hard buttocks pressing his flesh into her flesh, parting her thighs to receive him...she felt him cleaving a path deep into her womb rocking and flowing and receding, moving with the rhythm of the sea"

 True love, and blissful consummation at last...   

A SMALL SILENCE. By Jumoke Verissimo

 

'Imprisoned for ten years for his rage against society, activist and retired academic Prof resolves to live a life of darkness after his release from prison. He holes up in his apartment, pushing away friends and family, and embraces his status as an urban legend in the neighbourhood until a knock at the door shakes his new existence. His new visitor is Desire, an orphan and final year student, who has grown up idolising Prof, following a fateful encounter in her hometown of Maroko as a child. Tentatively, the two begin to form a bond, as she returns every night at 9pm to see him. However, the darkness of the room becomes a steady torment, that threatens to drive Desire away for good. A Small Silence is an intimate and evocative debut that charges us to look again at the alienating effects of trauma and the power of solitude and darkness to ignite the imagination...'