This week we celebrate the start of Reading Africa Week with reviews from Algeria, Cameroon, Nigeria and Kenya.

by Johanna McCalmont

Young Adult

The Djinn’s Apple

 Right from the start, readers are immersed in a fictionalised story of political intrigue, murder and revenge in medieval Baghdad. Narrator Nardeen clearly recalls how she escaped Death by a hair’s breadth when she was only twelve years old. Hiding in the garden to her house, she heard her sibling’s scream as the rest of her family was slaughtered by the caliph Al-Rashid’s men taking revenge against her father. From then on, Nardeen vows to avenge her family. Renowned medicine professor and doctor to the elite Mullaim Ishaq notices Nardeen’s bright mind and takes her under his wing and into his home, allowing her to study under him and even treat the caliph’s wife; a rare privilege for any student and an unheard of opportunity for a young woman. However, Nardeen gradually learns that not everyone is who they seem and she eventually finds out who she can truly trust.

The Djinn’s Apple is quite unlike any other murder mystery I’ve read. With blood curdling killings, an intricate revenge plot, and unexpected romance, Morani packs a lot into this fast-paced story, expertly translated into English by Sawad Hussain. Readers will definitely want to devour it in one go!
 

Middle Grade

Adi of Boutanga

In this short, vibrantly illustrated, middle-grade story, Alain Serge Dzotap introduces readers to life in a Cameroonian village on the slopes of a high green hill. Narrated by 13-year-old Adi, we go to school, visit the bustling market, and enjoy watching her swim in the river with her friends. But everything changes when Adi’s uncle announces that the time has come for her to get married, just like so many other little girls in her village before her. From this point on, it’s a race against the clock for Adi’s family, and above all her father, to find another school and home for her. “This is the only solution we’ve found that will let you escape from your uncle and keep going to school,” explains her mom. So Adi moves away to a school founded by Mama Ly for girls just like her. Eventually, Adi finds her laugh again and when we leave her, she is 22 dry seasons old and about to marry Idrissa, a young man who knows how to speak to her heart with “shea butter-scented words.”

Like Djaïli Amadou Amal’s The Impatient (World Kid Lit review here), Adi of Boutanga is a story about forced marriage in Cameroon. Dzotap, however, has written for a much younger readership and done so with great sensitivy in an age-appropriate manner. Lively dialogue conveys not only the humour of Adi’s teacher or her parents’ love for her, but also Adi’s own confused emotions and society’s expectations for young girls. The language captures beautiful elements and images typical of English spoken in Africa, such as Adi’s description of what is most likely a form of depression: “…I can sense Uncle lurking nearby. I don’t dare leave the house. And on those days,  I dream I’m antelope, sinking into the red waters of the river and disappearing into the belly of a crocodile.”

Accompanied by Marc Daniau’s brightly coloured illustrations, there is a sense of energy and movement throughout the story. The double spread scenes highlight not only joyful moments, but also communicate a great sense urgency at times, while the alternating text spreads, set against a backdrop of changing patterns, pay tribute to prints typical of the ndop cloth worn by the Bamiliké people. The book also contains a range of useful additional material for readers: a glossary; information about life in Cameroon; and a presentation of the characters featured in the story, such as the real-life Adi to whom Dzotap was introduced and whose story he felt an urgent need to tell.

Dedicated to all the little girls like Adi whose frail shoulders already bear the weight of heaven, Adi of Boutanga is a story full of love and hope true to Dzotap’s firm belief in the importance of education for all girls, everywhere.

Picture Book

What Happened on Thursday? A Nigerian Civil War Story

Set in 1967-1970, What Happened on a Thursday? is a picture book narrated from the perspective of a young boy forced to flee the Nigerian civil war in Biafra with his parents and younger sister.

Writing about war is not an easy task, but Ayo Oyeku finds a balance between everday details that stand out to a child, like bread for breakfast, and the much larger traumas of war time, like life in a refugee camp. Lydia Mba’s sharp illustrations use both vibrant and dark pallettes, capturing the range of emotions and echoing Oyeku’s succinct yet often poetic text.

Includes background material on the Nigerian civil war, notes by the author, and discussion questions.

Wanjikũ, Child of Mine

This gloriously vibrant picture book takes readers on a journey through the life of Wanjikũ. We watch her grow up in the lush Kenyan forest with her grandmother, learn the story behind her name which goes back to the first man and woman in our world, see her move to a big city, and go to boarding school. Heritage, nature, culture, education, language and family are all at the heart of Ndũng’ǔ-Case’s story highlighting the diversity in Kenya, while Vermeulen’s colourful illustrations include lots of fun details that curious readers, like my 3 year old nephew, will enjoy spotting!

Includes a Gikũyũ glossary, notes on cultural changes in Kenya, and a summary of the Gikũyũ and Mũmbi creation story.