• 

ISSUE  FIVE/2000  •

government,  S. O. Wey, was interviewed and
his valuable  recollections appear  in print for
the  first  time,  Alhaji  Abdul  Razab. who re-
corded  the minutes of the meeting  between
Ironsi and the rump  of the government was
interviewed.  Iloegbunam  used the U.K. Pub-
lic Records Office and examined the minutes
of the British cabinet meeting of August 2 1966
which  confirm  that  the U.K. High Commis-
sioner  and  the U.S. ambassador  persuaded
Gowon not to announce the secession of the
Northern region in his first broadcast as head
of state. Professor Ben Enwonwu, a childhood
friend  of Ironsi.  provides  illuminating  recol-

lections. The author also made  good  use of
West Africa  magazine,  always  a  useful  pri-
mary  source. All the above,  in addition  to
many other  interviews and a most  compre-
hensive use of secondary sources result in a
thorough  research  biography  which  will in
turn become a valuable source material for
historians,  political  scientists  and  biogra-
phers.

Mba a historian, is a consultant
Foundation.

vith the Nigerian Biographical

Promising leaves

BY MARK OZAVESE AFADAMA

Bunmi Oyinsan (ed) TREMBLING LEAVES (AN ANA LAGOS ANTHOLOGY
OF SHORT STORIES), Oracle Books, Lagos. 1999, 112pp.

and exile instigated by military dictatorship;
and  of course,  recrimination  and the pros-
pects of societal renewal following the era of
the collapse of military destructiveness and
the subsequent embrace and enthronement
of democracy.

In most of the stories, these thematic rev-
elations  are conveyed  through  refreshing
narrative  methods.  These  methods  encap-
sulate  unique  stylistic  perspectives  and a
general technical initiative and depth: quali-
ties which incontestably define a substantial
literature.

Age Of Iron' by Tony Kan-Onwordi which
sets the tone and texture of the other stories
is flamboyant  in view of its very  poetic out-
loob. The psychical disposition of the narra-
tor is principally of disappointment and rage
over a torturing social reality. He walbs 'stop-
ping  under  the burden  of truth  and proph-
ecy, through  these streets, reebing with  pain
and rage.' (p. 11). He is the poet-prophet and
watchman who notes 'the sights, the smells
and sounds... the tired, cracbed  streets... old
men silhouetted in doorways libe cursed fig
trees...  children  with  spindly  legs  and wild
eyes.' (p.9). But he also soberly notes that 'it
was  not always  so with  us. We had a  past
that was rich..  the wealth  our soil and sea
brought  us... soldiers  with  pot  bellies and
politicians  in flowing  gowns  conspired  in
their  greed  to  impoverish  us'  (plO).
Demoralised and alienated by all the drought
and darbness in the land, the option of exile
becomes  inevitable:  'the journey  from  this
land of my birth, bearing with me the sacred
seeds of hope and renewal'  (p. 13).

PROSPECTIVE or budding writers share a simi-

lar  aspiration:  to be accepted  as worthy of
publication and thus uplifted  from  a state of
being unknown to the bnown. And for many
a prospective  fiction  writer, the genre of the
short story may well be the veritable testing
ground  of  seminal  expression,  a  stepping
stone  and a  launch  pad to greater  artistic
accomplishment.

This view  probably  underlines  the com-
mitment  of the Association  of Nigerian Au-
thors (Lagos State chapter) to a programme
of consistent discovery or promotion of new
literary  talents in the Nigerian  literary con-
text. Its most  recent  achievement  in this re-
gard  is the publication  of this anthology of
short  stories.

The  boob  parades  a crop  of new male
and female writers and offers thereby a com-
pendium  of individual  perspectives linguis-
tic capabilities  and idiosyncrasies  that con-
firm  once  again  that  there are clearly inex-
haustible  resources  existing  for  literary
sustainability in the Nigerian milieu.

The writers  may well be the  'trembling
leaves'  in  a  sense  of  being  tentative and
unpractised  sojourners on a universally vast
and. in very many areas, distinguished  liter-
ary  terrain. And then  in the sense of being
long-suffering  victims of a malignant  socio-
political order. The themes of the anthology
are  thus  of  destruction  and  desolation
(which  is physical,  psychical,  personal and
collective);  poverty  and the ways of escap-
ing  from  it; moral  laxity  and ineptitude in
matters of sex. love  and relationships;  rape
and sexual harassment of women: alienation

Glendora  Books  Supplement

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Life as an  exile in a foreign  land  and  the
precarious  life of a  returnee exile to his na-
tive land constitute the subject of  'Exile' and
'How Dahunsi Regained His Nakedness', con-
tributed  by  Obi  Nwakanma  and  Akin
Adesokan  respectively.  Utilising  the  fictive
resource  of  realism,  the writers  render  the
experience of  exile as unfortunate  and  psy-
chologically traumatic. Because of it and for
want  of  a  relief,  the  exile's  recourse  is  too
consistent  restatements  of  self-identity  'I. a
priest-king in exile!' (p.21); and nostalgic ret-
rospections of a real home and culture grace-
lessly abandoned.  Worse still, the  tragic  ter-
mination  of  the  life  of  Aduba  and  Dahunsi
(both  returnee  exiles)  in  circumstances  of
military siege further  express the dangers of
military rule and  the ultimate  meaningless-
ness of the self-preservation  that a  move  to
exile dims to achieve.

However, an examination  of the military
problem  through  a  portrait  of  the  dictator
archetype  is  most  adequately  achieved  in
Uduma Kalu's  'Riddle Of The King'. This story
uses the technique of a tale (a parable) within
another  tale. The parable  is an  oral  literary
resource deployed in a modern context for a
purpose of thematic and  technical develop-
ment.  The convergent  lives of  King Eburute
and  Professor  Eneke  espouse  the dire  con-
sequence of any act of opposition or betrayal
directed at an authoritative military person-
age.  King Eburute is the typical dictator: brut-
ish and sly, with a set of teeth that are 'green-
ish... giving him a carnivorous Ioob...' (p.71)
His example emphasises once again that dic-
tators  are  easily  taken  for  granted  for  their
lack  of  physical  attractiveness,  positive  in-
tellectual prowess and social finesse. And this
is perilous to their opponents as the (case of
Eneke shows) because  beneath  the  intellec-
tual naivety of a dictator  lies a deadly suspi-
cion,  an  unfathomable 
rapacity,  a
calculativeness.  murderous  propensity  and
the  concern  for  self-preservation  and  per-
petuation.

The military problem is yet further exam-
ined  in  'Science  And  Technology',  by Sun-
day Ayewanu. This story is unique for its use
of the technique of  dream for conveying and
expressing social  reality. The experiences of
Olumide  are  clearly  Kafkaesque:  first,  of a
moving fan up the ceiling that transforms into
an arm waving at him; second,  of an  adver-
tised breed  of car with engines on  its oppo-
site ends; and  third, of an advert  that disap-
pears from the page of the magazine in which
it  had  featured.  Moreover.  Olumide.  con-
fronted  by insistent interrogation by two very
stern-looking,  rifle-wielding  soldiers,  grows
confused,  confounded  and  incoherent  and
he is ultimately passed  off as a lunatic case.
The  total  effect  of  all  this,  in  addition  to

Olumide's fantastic  regenerative  transmuta-
tions, is a heightened farcicality that leads to
a heightened  entertainment value in the fic-
tion.  Science,  like  a  dream  can  make  the
implausible  plausible; and  by extension,  the
absurdity  of  military  imperviousness  and
predation.  turn  more  manageable  and  sur-
mountable.

Similarly,  the dream  technique  is  used
by  Akachi  Adimora-Ezeuigbo  in  'Faith'  to
highlight  a  feminist  predisposition  to  con-
fronting and arresting certain basic forms of
female-targeted  aggression  of  men.  The
dream of  a very young girl, raped by a very
grown  and  very  high-handed  man,  is  no
longer  a  dream  but  reality  in  its  depraved
abjectness. The narrator, a university teacher
and a feminist, is in complete empathy with
the situation  of Victoria  who  is a  victim  of
sexual harassment  by a male university lec-
turer. In the face of all this, a Christian  solu-
tion  of  looking  up  to  God  for  deliverance
from  difficult  situations of  life and  impend-
ing evil is the deus-ex-machina  suddenly in-
troduced  by  the  author  to  secure  the
student's victory over her male pursuer.

Carnal  desires  of  men  and  women  that
translate into non-violent forms of moral tur-
pitude and  abuse of relationships  constitute
the  focus  of  such  stories  as  'A  Heathen's
Niche',  On One Foot'. 'Whistles In The Wind'
'The Table Under The Almond Tree', and 'Val-
ley of Hunger'. The story Agony Of Love'  by
Iyabo Adeoye  is a  moving  tale of  the  emo-
tional trauma of losing a loved one to sickle-
cell anemia.

Perhaps the stories 'Dobo'. 'The Last Har-
mattan'  and  'Obinna  the Vulture', are  more
poignantly expressive of general hardship and
excruciating poverty that protracted  military
misrule  engenders.  The  metaphor  of
'Matainos'  (in  'The  Last  Harmattan)  as  an
haven of agedness.  faith, chaos and decrepi-
tude  is particularly  apt. Even so. the  means
of reprieve from poverty  vary: mainly by the
exploitative  (as  in  Dobo  turning  to  petrol
racketeering  for  which  he  is ultimately  and
tragically burnt) and  by the diabolical  (as in
Obinna and his friend  turning to the service
of a witchdoctor  for money-making rituals).
These  then  are  the  landmarks  of  Trem-
bling Leaves, an  anthology  that  is definitely
a  worthy  successor  to  its  immediate  ante-
cedents. Yet. inspite  of  this,  it  is  observable
that  because  these anthologies of short sto-
ries must aspire to the expectation  that  the
Nigerian literary scene needs a fresh vitality.
new voices  and  new visions,  they  have  (by
their very form  as anthologies  of short  sto-
ries) crystallised  a pattern  that  is indicate of
a diminishing volume and  vigour of overall
fictive  conceptualisation  and  actualisation.
In other  words, anthologies  of  short  stories

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GlenrJora  Books  Supplement

28

by different  authors  (in contrast  to  those  by
the same author) through their increasing as-
cendancy  get notably suspect  as doing a dis-
service to the literary canon because most of
the  new  talents  that  have  been  published  in
anthologies do not become  fully  fledged  art-
ists with robust voices, vision and  literary ca-
reers. Their expressions are mainly scanty and
incidental  fly-by-nights  existing  'obscurely'
only on  the pages of the anthologies.

In view of this, it is worth  reiterating  that
artistic  production  is still largely an  individu-
alistic pursuit.  Robust and  vibrant  artistic  in-
dividuality,  expressed  in  equally  robust  and
vibrant  artistic  productiveness  over a period

of  time,  engenders  a  definable,  easily
recognisable character - call it the corpus of
the artist - and thus establishes a lasting the-
matic,  stylistic  and  technical  basis  for  con-
sistent reference  and  discussion.

Hopefully,  the  writers  within  Trembling
Leaves, would  grow  far  beyond  their  tenta-
tiveness and  their short-stories,  and  in time
establish, each of them, their unique, vibrant
voices, vision  and  styles,  and  thereby  con-
tribute  a  meaningful  plus  to  the  prestige of
the heritage they are committed  to  uphold.

Afadama is a businessman and literary critic.

From your child, with love

Lookman Sanusi, Toyin Adewale, Richard Mammah (eds), OPEBI THE
HUNTER AND OTHER STORIES. Synergy Educational  (with Mace Books),
Lagos,  1999, 72pp.

AN experimental  literary  offering.

Nineteen  stories produced  by cer-
i 
tain  Nigerian  primary  school
V  pupils  under  the  auspices  of
•  Synergy  Educational's  story
writing competition, initiates the Nigerian lit-
erary landscape into a new tradition of chil-
dren  literature  written  by  children  them-
selves. This example is an effective  challenge
to a hitherto dominant  tradition of  children
stories  written  by adults  from  the  perspec-
tive and  for the perspective of the child. Ex-
amples of the stories abound:  The Drummer
Boyby Cyprian Ekwensi. ChikeAnd  The River
by  Chinua  Achebe.  Without A  Silverspoon
by  Eddie  Iroh  and  so  on.  These  boobs,  by
every intent and purpose, have been and will
continue to be considered and accepted with
an  appropriate  seriousness  befitting  the es-
tablished  literary canon.

In  fact,  after  an  adult  reading  of  Opebi
The Hunter, the feeling  that develops is that
of  a pleasant encounter of a curio: an aggre-
gation of children's perceptive and cognitive
potentialities  clothed  by  a  very  raw  inno-
cence,  naivety  and  promise. Seriousness of
acceptance  and  consideration  may  not  be
on  immediate  response, aided  by a nagging
suspicion  woven  from  such  puzzling
thoughts as: aren't these stories merely a re-
hash  of  those  heard  from  adults?  Are  they
really original and imaginative? Can children
really be storytellers with  a confidence  and
deliberateness of thematic and  technical in-
tent comparable to the matured  and experi-
enced  mind  of  the  adult  storytellers?  Can
these stories stand  rigorous  criticism?

Yet the anthology is truly a surprising re-
flection of the narrative imaginativeness and
effort  of very  young  people  who,  from  the
newest  seeds  which  in  the  sprouting  stage
of this literary offering,  will grow to become
formidable  materials  for  further  literary
growth  and  expansion.  This  is  the  convic-
tion and vision of the editors and  publishers
and  thus, the stories are presented  as a seri-
ous and  ingenious affair,  to which a reader's
consideration  is understandably  important.
The  stories  are  mostly,  and  essentially,
moralistic-didactic  portraitures, animal  and
human  stories  operating  within  the  mode
and  tradition  of oral literature which  in this
instance are expressed  and  presented  in the
written  medium. The resources of orality as
regards development  and presentation  (the-
matic and structural) are judiciously adhered
to and  utilised.

The themes examined  which are varied.
are of the consequences of greed, arrogance,
jealousy,  larceny.  Iasciviousness  and  of  be-
ing talkative: others are retribution or poetic
justice  in the face  of  inhuman  treatment  or
evil and  the glories of responsibility and  hu-
maneness.

With  the  exception  'The  Promise'.  The
Wicked  Nurse'.  'The  Stranger'.  'Opebi  The
Hunter'  and  'Oliaku  And  Ego', all  the  other
stories (exemplified  by  The Blessed  Family')
are very restricted in development. But what
they Iacb in length  is compensated  for  by a
certain  succinctness  and  ingenuity  of  the-
matic unfolding.  Joromi The Good  Boy' ex-
presses in a deeply touching  manner the in-
evitability and  finality  of death. Joromi  is 'a