JAGUA NANA'S DAUGHTER. By Cyprian Ekwensi

 

The work of a skilful, experienced writer, Cyprian Ekwensi, perhaps Africa's most prolific and proficient novelist, never mind his (mostly academic) critics.

But here we are concerned with the twists and turns of this particular novel - the sure touch of a master writer is generally seen throughout; despite the fundamental theme of both daughter and mother looking for each other.

As the story unfolds, we get to see the treachery and deceit of Aunty Kate who stole Jagua Nana's Daughter from her since the child was just a baby. We see now that Liza the daughter is grown up, a lawyer with two children of her own. She has a very rich lover even if he already has three other wives!

Both daughter and mother keep on travelling, looking for each other, traversing the north of Nigeria, the east, the middle belt - essentially the whole country as it were. We are given intriguing flashbacks into the past, how a very young Jagua got to be impregnated...

And the daughter's (Liza) sexual history too, her stint in the UK, her initial lovers, how she conceived her first child. And the second one. Late on, we are rather surprised when she gets involved with a much older man, a dignified Judge. She apparently finds happiness with him.

The seamy unscrupulous side of a much older Aunty Kate is revealed too, her role as a sex trafficker, exploiting young girls from across the border to become sex slaves. Kate pays for her misdeeds in the end, though neither Jagua nor Liz is directly involved.

Through it all, fresh adventures and perspectives unfold ... and it all ends happily for mother and daughter, Jagua chuffed to bits upon finding her lovely daughter at long last. "I fit die now.... I no mind!" Hmmm...