Zama da Surukai (Living with In-Laws) is Tela’s second novel. The story is told in the first-person narrative style where Ikram the protagonist is the narrator of all that happens in the story. Married at a very young age with only a secondary school education, and no professional skill of any kind, Ikram is ill prepared for the task before her. Ikram, Usman’s wife who is brought up in a traditional home has a father who like many traditional fathers believes marriage is more important than going to school and so, as soon as Usman proposes to Ikram, the father gives the go ahead.
The story weaves around the relationship that in most cases exists between a new bride and her husband’s family in traditional Hausa society. The fear of daughters-in-law “taking away” sons is expressed through Ikram’s mother-in-law Mama Hajiya whose hostile behaviours is projected towards Ikram throughout the novel. Ikram’s arrival into the family therefore threatens Mama Hajiya’s hold over her son. She sees Ikram as a slave who must relieve her of her domestic duties as a way of rewarding her for her numerous years of motherhood and childrearing. And thus, barely two weeks after the wedding, she summons Ikram out early one morning and orders, “you will start cooking the family meals from today” (Tela, 85). Throughout the novel, Mama Hajiya welds so much authority in her son’s life that she even boasts to her friends about her wicked acts towards her daughter-in-law.
Mama Hajiya not only harasses Ikram but also constantly urges Usman to send his wife packing out of their matrimonial home at the slightest provocation. Mama Hajiya intrudes on the couple’s privacy by walking straight into their bedroom without knocking and without offering any apologies even though, there is no written role or unspoken principle that gives mothers-in-law the right to walk into their married son’s bedroom.
Her wicked acts and behaviours towards Ikram are wholly supported by Usman’s father, Jamila, (Usman’s sister) and Amina the mischievous tenant.
In Hausa society, a bride knows and accepts the mother-in-law’s rights and she is expected to enter the home with the aim of relieving the older woman with all household chores. The daughter-in-law is expected to pamper her husband’s mother with respect and obedience. She is expected to obey all her mother-in-law’s orders and demands. The first terrible experience Ikram has with her mother-in-law takes place two days after she has taken over the cooking of all meals. Usman asks his wife for a delicious meal for the friends he had invited over to the house. He brings in everything needed for cooking the meal including ten chickens. When she is almost through with the cooking; Mama Hajiya unexpectedly meets her in the kitchen and requests for the fried chickens. She takes away all the juicy parts and leaves only the bony parts which she asks Ikram to use for the visitors. This action so much overwhelms her that after Mama Hajiya leaves the kitchen she says; “I wondered what to tell Usman had happened to the chicken he had brought for his special guests and full of apprehension and against my wish, I served them the bones Mama Hajiya had left” (Tela, 87). To Ikram’s surprise, Usman did not say anything.
Ikram remains in her matrimonial home and is not allowed to socialize or visit anyone. When she meets a neighbor who becomes her friend, her mother in-law does all she could to stop the relationship but, she fails and the relationship between Ikram and Rufaida waxes stronger by the day. Rufaida is characterized as sensitive, sensible and practical. When Ikram seeks her advice about leaving Usman, she advises her against leaving her matrimonial home.
When Ikram becomes pregnant, she has no one to guide her on ways of overcoming the early morning sickness because of the hostile environment she lives in. her sickness did not melt her mother-in-laws heart. When Ikram is admitted in hospital, instead of pity, Mama Hajiya retorts angrily at Usman; “I hope you do not expect any member of this household to go and take care of your wife in hospital?” (Tela106) Dejected, Usman takes the basic necessities needed and leaves for the hospital alone to care for his sick wife. Only Usman’s friends, business associates and their family members visit her all through her confinement. Even when she loses the baby no one but her husband consoles her.
When Ikram gets pregnant for a second time, she confides only in Rufaida. Her husband only gets to know of her condition seven months after. Mama Hajiya almost fainted out of disbelief when she hears the news because she has her marabout’s assurance that Ikram will never be pregnant. All her negative plans to terminate the pregnancy fail. At the first pang of labour pains, she quietly sneaks away to Rufaida’s house where she is safely delivered of a bouncing baby boy even before she gets taken to the hospital. In fury while claiming to down size the thread on the umbilical cord of the baby; “Mama Hajiya not only cut off the string from the cord but also cut off a large proportion of the baby’s flesh. She then gave the bleeding baby to us but neither Rufaida nor I uttered a word” (Tela, 183). Not satisfied with her earlier actions, while giving the baby his evening bath, Ikram says: “I was shocked when Rufaida told me that my mother-in-law was bathing the baby with iced water in the garden behind the house. I could not comment. It then dawned on me that she was really out to kill my little baby” (Tela, 184). Ikram continues her narration thus;
No one bothered to give me food to eat. Thanks to Rufaida who got me hot water and made hot choco beverage for me. At night supper was also not brought to us. At night the baby could not breathe well and he became restless and cried all through the night. He was reacting to the cold bath he had been given by his grandmother (Tela, 187).
Ikram only gets respite when her maternal Aunty comes to stay with her, two days after the delivery. The final crisis which engulfs everyone takes place on the day of the naming ceremony. Mama Hajiya’s hatred towards Ikram is revealed to all. This action of hers leads to a terrible fight between members of Ikram’s family and Mama Hajiya.
Mama Hajiya is depicted stereotypically generally as a difficult, inconsiderate, nagging, overprotective, manipulative, controlling, smothering, and overbearing figure, one who persists in interfering in her child’s life long after he has become an adult. She thinks first of herself and her position as the mother of the son; and these selfish feelings blind her from developing any constructive or meaningful relationship with Ikram. Instead, Ikram’s silence and respect becomes fertile ground for disagreement and unashamed troublesome behaviour.
Even after maltreating Ikram at the matrimonial front, she still deems it fit and right to attempt killing her bundle of joy. Her suffering and subsequent death in disgrace and dishonour goes on to show that no wrong deed goes unpunished in the Hausa society.
Professor Asabe Kabir Usman is a professor of Oral and African Literatures with the Department of Modern European Languages and Linguistics, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. Her several research efforts and academic experiences have established her as an authority in: oral literature/folklore; African literature, popular culture (with passion in film studies and Hausa popular fictional writings); creative writing as well as women studies. She is so passionate about the plight of women and women empowerment and focuses her intellectual prowess in the study of the place of women in Literature in relation to their socio-cultural background and history. Professor Asabe, however teaches in the domain of not just literature but also English language, whenever the need arises. She is a member of various national and international academic associations. She is the author of Destinies of Life, a novel and a critical text Studies in Hausa Folklore: A Selective Appraisal.
