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...'