LITERARY PIONEER FLORA NWAPA

This is Lagos and other stories By Flora Nwapa

First published in Nigeria by Tana Press, 1977 First Africa World Press edition 1992 Review by I.M Soqaga

Flora Nwapa is a legend, the first Nigerian female to publish novels - works of quality internationally recognised and lauded. She also wrote sparkling short stories as witness this work. Absolutely, this is a fine and fascinating short story book by female Nigerian African pioneer in literature Ma Flora Nwapa. This is Lagos and other stories comprises many exciting short stories that display a very amusing, didactic, and dire family situations. All the stories in this book are noteworthy, from the first story to the last, this is the literary voyage that Flora Nwapa wants the world to relish with great joy. The Traveller From the outset, it was clear that Mr Musa was up to something. Of course, the chivalry and integrity he evinces especially towards women make him a complete gentleman. However, his approach to women of substance like Bisi is very disappointing, obfuscating and amusing. Like any other man attracted to a women, Musa did all what he could to see that Bisi became close to him and without being impudent she did respond positively to him.Yet Mr Musa delayed being quick to the point. Later he attempted his luck for love twice, unfortunately Bisi remained doggedly and Mr Musa did not appreciate her unkindness. This is Lagos Like elsewhere in the big cities of Africa, Africans will show a different type of behaviour and lifestyle that is totally opposite to pristine village one. Though Africa is free, many people constantly admire big cities and regard them as white man utopia, a place where individual clan remains an irrelevant pride to boast about. This is what we read about from the story; a young pretty charming Soha became part of the family of Mama Eze who is her niece. By the time she arrived at Mama Eze's house in Lagos, Soha was an exciting nifty lass. Her presence in Mama Eze's house brought a sense of relief, comfort and joy. She was a girl of twenty who got a teaching job in Lagos, alas things started to change and she easily forgot invaluable early injunctions from her mother on the eve of her departure to Lagos when she said to her “They say Lagos men do not just chase women, they snatch them. So my daughter be careful." Astonishingly, by the time Soha started to know Lagos men, what she could only recall from her mother was she should never show a man that she was anxious about him. Nothing can extinguish a newlyblazing love even if there are warnings; this is what Soha did, changing suddenly from being a polite, obedient, caring young girl. Beforehand, Mama Eze suspected her when she started behaving unusually. Subsequently, she told her aunt that she wanted to move out and live in the hostel citing that she wants to start reading again. Bisi who was a neighbour of Mama Eze when she heard about what Soha said to her aunt, she commented “Do you know the kind of girls who live in that hostel at Ajagba Street? Rotten girls who will never marry. No man will bring them into his home and call them wives.” Jide’s Story You can ask again when it comes to marriage what is really expected from men and women. Immediately after they get married, they are mutually bound by the rules of marriage. But here we find that Jide constantly bothered himself with questions as to whether his wife is faithful to their marriage. Such kind of question was simply influenced by his act of unfaithfulness to his wife when he met Maria in the boat. Since he met with Maria, he kept on thinking about his wife who was working overseas. Essentially in following the story you will notice that Jide's wife is never being mentioned as cheating, safe Jide alone. Jide is unambiguously portrayed as a man who does not want to take responsibility in his marriage; this was evident when he met with Maria. His character too did show that he was not a man of his words when it comes to woman he preferred to love. From his remembrance when he was charmed by Maria he would state “All the qualities she possessed, including her make-up were what I told my wife I abhorred in women. And here was I. Jide would enjoy life by drinking and sleeping with women while his wife is absent. Probably distance-marriage contributed to his hysterical demeanour. The Road to Benin It ultimately is glaringly doleful when poor parents working hard for their children to have a brighter and better future in their lives and on the verge of success something revolting would unfortunately wreak havoc to their dreams which they have for their children. Emphatically it is what we read from the story, Nwanyimma's son early efforts and later awesome achievements were graceless. It was obviously abstrusely disappointing to see Ezeka ending up being a prodigal son. Of course the reader will firstly be spurred when they read at how Nwanyimma's son did incredibly well in school, secondly, the bracing news about his scholarship, thirdly the excitement and joy by his parents and the neighbours over Ezeka's achievement. Fourthly, the reader will be flummoxed by Ezeka's strange attitude which started to develop later; he began to drink alcohol, asking his mother to buy beer for his friends and he became a drug addict. Suddenly he disappeared and his trails were finally traceable and found in Benin prison. So many stories in the book are shocking and they explain how real life unravels sometimes, by reading another story about marriage “The Child Thief” a reader will feel very sympathetic for Agnes who when she was at school was having different boyfriends, it happened by the time she got married that she was unable to have children. Her marriage life was not stable, her husband decided to have children with another woman and Agnes finds herself without any other alternative but to accept her husband's behaviour. For many times she avoided her mother’s advice that she must consider consulting the native doctor, finally she conceded, and she consulted the native doctor. Again, the native doctor never reinvigorated her married life as she was unable to have children until she stole the baby in the hospital! The writer would again reveal traditional customs of African people in the story “The Delinquent Adult.” Eventually after Ozoemena's husband died untimely, predicament of life started to affect Ozoemena egregiously. For her to survive she pondered to go back to school again because she was still young. To her mother the idea of returning to school was not immaculate. Ozoemena although she did not regret to be married when she was a schoolgirl, she could still remember advice from her teacher and her schoolmates about the disadvantages of being married when she was young. Nevertheless, she remained plucky about her decision to accept to be married when she was still young because her husband was perfectly good to her. Consequentially she was brilliant at school. Ozoemena's mother in realizing how difficult life would be for her daughter, she eventually intervened. Specifically, her intervention was unscrupulous. But to her it was about to rescue her daughter from ludicrous tradition. Beforehand she experienced the same treatment from her late husband family because the tradition dictated that the family of the husband will propose nauseating demands to her daughter, eg to marry the late brother of her late husband or surrender her husband's property and bag of money. That’s why Ozoemena mother resolved to be a solace to her daughter against this putrid tradition that denied women to control their husband's property after their death. She too knows how abysmal it is after her husband's death, that the husband family will propose that you must allow to be married by your husband brother, surrender her husband's bag of money etc.

As we read the book by Flora Nwapa we can see that the book touches on real aspects of life which are not immune from human existence, the story ranges from lust, love, plight of marriage life, African beliefs, poverty, disobedient children, alcohol and drugs abuse by children and so many issues that are relevant to real life situation. But how is Lagos? Is it really dangerous or lively? Specifically the reader will find out about the real Lagos when reading this enchanting book by Ma Flora Nwapa. Succinctly in the story when Ezeka and Tunde were busy dancing in the story “The Loss of Eze” the writer reveals something interesting by mentioning the original Lagos name “Eko” of the Yorubas' : ‘Where is home?’ ‘Can you guess!’ ‘Ibadan?’ ‘No. Guess again.’ ‘Abeokuta? Ijebu?’ ‘No, I am not from Ijebu. I am from Ado-Ekiti,’ he said. ‘Yes, up-country. Eko people make fun of us. They say we are bush people, uncivilised."...