Kano in the nineties was a city known for its endless religious violence which left many dead or wounded, houses burnt and a general feeling of distress on its masses. Murtala’s family lived in this extremely hot city.
About Oriyomi Adebare
Oriyomi Adebare is a graduate of Microbiology, who has always found comfort in
books. She currently reviews books for the Africa Book Club. Send her an email at oriyourmmy@gmail.com.
One More Tale for the Road (by Chuma Nwokolo)
November 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Four children – Ndike, Tobe, Somto and Ezinne – respond to an emergency call from home that their mother Ma’Kanu is dying. Ma’Kanu, who is in the last throes of death, makes a final demand of her children that her wake be held while she is still alive. The wake, she says, must be held with no tears and no sadness. The children must each tell her a story with random words she supplies them.
Fine Boys (by Eghosa Imasuen)
August 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Imasuen’s Fine Boys is a tale about university life in the nineties drawn from the experiences of Ewaen and his friends. The Nigerian universities of the time, were characterised by incessant strikes both from the academic and non-academic staff unions, which regularly disrupted the academic calendar. The victim of one of many such strikes, Ewaen is [...]
Weaverbird (edited by Akin Adesokan, Ike Oguine, Sarah Ladipo, Ike Anya)
August 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Weaverbird is an anthology, which features stories that are rich in themes easily identifiable to the reader. The fourteen stories cut across race and gender with writers as varied as Ike Oguine, Ayodele Arigbabu, E.C. Osondu, Tade Ipadeola, Tolu Ogunlesi to mention a few. The themes include racism, self-hate, love, homosexuality, fables, and friendship.
The Ghost of Sani Abacha (by Chuma Nwokolo)
March 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Released in January 2012, The Ghost of Sani Abacha is a collection of 26 stories by the witty and satirical writer Chuma Nwokolo and has its setting in Nigeria. Seventeen of the stories are published here for the first time. Contrary to its title, the book is not about Sani Abacha, the late president of the country, but rather it’s about everyday occurrence of the human life.
Tomorrow Died Yesterday (by Chimeka Garricks)
March 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Chimeka Garricks deals with one of the major challenges facing Nigeria, namely the oil militancy in the Niger-Delta. Through the lives of four friends, he explores the origin of the oil militancy issue and the role of self-serving politicians and rulers who sell out their people for money. He describes how for many Nigerians living in the Niger-Delta, the tomorrow indeed, died yesterday due to the action of these greedy elders. This is a thought provoking book – one that, however, makes clear that violence is not the solution to the problems faced by the Niger-Deltans.
Carcase for Hounds (by Meja Mwangi)
February 12, 2012 By 3 Comments
Set in Kenya during the colonial period, Mwangi’s Carcase for Hounds, published in 1974 by Heinmann, is a typical revolution gone bad story. The story centres on General Haraka, a former village chief turned Mau Mau warrior and Captain George Kingsley who is after him.
July’s People (by Nadine Godimer)
February 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Set in the early 1980s, the book portrays a country undergoing a revolution with the writer predicting what happens when the black majority overthrow their white rulers. Gordimer imagines a South Africa, where the blacks have revolted against the white minority, with help from neighboring African countries like Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Mozambique. Houses are set on fire, industries are burnt, and white South Africans are being killed in droves.
The Beatification of Area Boy: A Lagosian Kaleidoscope (by Wole Soyinka)
January 27, 2012 By 1 Comment
Soyinka paints a different perception of the street urchins otherwise known as ‘area boys’ in Nigeria. Where society generally views them as a group of no-gooders, thieves, pranksters and miscreants, Soyinka portrays them here as a set of people who are as responsible as the next person, and are only busy going about the business of survival.
Nine Lives (by El-Nukoya)
January 23, 2012 By 1 Comment
Nine Lives is a story about Olupitan Ogunrinu, a young village boy and the travails he goes through to become a man. Pitan as he is called for short, comes from a poor rural fishing community. The first of three children, he has come to enjoy the serenity and peace associated with village life. But his life changes abruptly, when he gains admission to study at a university in the city.
