Sunday, 1 May 2016

Madam's Maid & Other Stories, 2016, Ayibu Makolo ***

This  is a collection of short stories, let me say the first story, Madam's Maid is more of a novella,  and the rest Invisible, A Trip to Jamaica, The Point of View are relatively, short stories.

In Nigeria there is a widespread social approval of the use of children from poorer families as house maids. To say that these children are treated with disregard is to say the least. More often than not, they are abused and enslaved, by so doing denying them their right to be children. The worst part of the situation is that it has become an established standard of behaviour to which everyone is expected to conform. Madam's Maid is the story of a young girl who lost her father, the only breadwinner of the family, as a result her mother sent her to the city to a madam (a family friend supposedly) where she almost lost her belongingness.

Another disturbing situation about the country narrated on in the book is the reckless driving of state governors travelling in convoys. For instance, Festus Iyayi,
a revered Nigerian writer whose book I reviewed here died in such accident. Click here to read more. The short story Invisible is the story of a child who is knocked down by a state minister's convoy.

Furthermore, A Trip to Jamaica, sheds light on the injustice that occurs every day in Nigeria legal system. Joshua and his friends, university students, were  in a place that they aren't suppose to be at the wrong time and are arrested and taken for hardcore criminals. I'll say it is my favourite of the four stories, the narrative style is engaging.

The last story The Point of View narrates on another widespread belief in (rural) Nigeria, that pastors can perfectly perform the job of medical doctors, that is, with prayers and or rituals they perform miracles and can heal you from whatever disease you have been diagnosed with. By the way, the service is not free of charge.

Overall I like the book, it is an easy read 70 pages. I recommend, it easily narrates on the problem Nigeria faces as a society, it can even be used to illustrate a point or prompt a realisation across schools in Nigeria.

I'll also say a Big Thank You to Ayibu Makolo for sending me a copy to review.

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