Reviewed by
Aisha Umar M.
Department of European Languages,
Federal University Birnin Kebbi
Year of Publication: 2019
Publisher: Malthouse Press, Zaria, Nigeria
Pages: 184
In revolt against the forced marriage, Naja makes up her mind not to let her husband defile her, after all, her body belongs to her, and her father or husband have no rights to decide who she gives her body to. Because she has nowhere to run to and going back to her father’s house isn’t an option, she remains in her groom’s house and refuses sexual intercourse with him, an act which in itself is considered a taboo. Naja observes how naïve her co-wives are, living monotonous lives that revolve around the small edible products they produce which are hawked for them by their children. She is appalled at how the women are comfortable with sending their children out to hawk before getting money to spend, in spite of the fact that their husband, Mallam Ilu, is seen as a wealthy man in his community. She has always known that her mother will never have sent them out to hawk, if her father has been half as wealthy as Mallam Ilu, her supposedly rich husband. She also wonders why he sends only his male children to the Western school. Even though she has very little education, she feels she has a duty to fulfil, she feels it is her responsibility to open the eyes of fellow women around her, to let them know that they are being cheated and used by their men. She thinks deeply and comes up with the idea to introduce indoor Islamic education for women. She has no classroom to use, so she uses the courtyard of her matrimonial home for her classes. Under the guise of teaching women Islamic education, she reorients them about issues of everyday life: health, marriage, trading, and issues of social concern in their community; transforming the school that supposedly teaches the Quran to a place of social interaction and economic activities for the women. She encourages the women to be assertive in handling their marital affairs or running their homes. This did not go down well with the husbands of the women who detest the new boldness in their wives.
Naja’s revolutionary nature also manifests when her younger sister, Kaamila, is threatened by death during child birth at home. Kaamila returns home for the birth of her first child as is the tradition. Naja’s (and Kaamila’s) father refuses to give his consent to take Kaamila to the hospital to have her baby, even after labouring for a very long time with no positive result. Despite the fact that Naja’s father says it is forbidden to take a woman to the hospital for delivery because it is ‘haram’ for a man to see the nakedness of a woman who isn’t his wife; Naja gets a wheel barrow in which she rushes her almost unconscious sister to the hospital. She is able to save her life, though it is almost too late as the baby is lost and Kaamila ends up with Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF). Naja’s father blames her for the loss of the baby. Kaamila’s VVF condition is seen by the community as God’s own punishment for promiscuity. In search of a solution for Kaamila’s condition, Naja encounters Hauwa (Maman Yara) who narrates her harrowing VVF experience; and how she is eventually healed after an operation which enlightens Naja about the VVF condition leading to her understanding that it is not brought about by promiscuity, as the community believes. Naja’s resistance, stubbornness and inquisitiveness lead her to discover a lot of new knowledge, which she uses to the advantage of women in her society.
Despite Naja’s resolve to resist her marriage by avoiding consummation of the marriage, her search for help for her VVF infected sister eventually makes her succumb to her husband’s sexual urge, in exchange for his financial support to pay the bills for Kaamila’s surgery that will stop the urine leakage. Naja is battered by her husband on false allegations of infidelity; she runs to Aunty Zahra, a lawyer who visits the village and meets her by chance; becoming her saving grace. Naja offers to follow Aunty Zahra to her home in Abuja; to work for her as a maid, in exchange for Aunty Zahra footing Kaamila’s hospital bill, which she has failed to get from her husband, who defiles her and refuses to pay for the surgery as earlier bargained for. Naja’s little education endears her to Aunty Zahra and ensues, a friendship that changes their lives and determines the course of the story.
Zahra is another major character in the novel whose marital experience provides another dimension of the author’s view of northern Nigerian women under patriarchy.
Naja settles into taking care of Zahra’s twin girls: Naila and Laila, as well as the home, for Zahra has a busy schedule as a practicing lawyer with a politician husband who maltreats her. She ends up helping Zahra take a bold step to end her marital slavery, seeking legal redress.
Najais a novel thatweaves together the story of women’s social challenges in both urban and rural areas. It addresses the issue of insecurity and communal conflicts and politics. This novel adopts a multidimensional approach to projecting the issues of the northern Nigerian society, especially as it relates to women.
