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In a rural village in nineteenth-century Nigeria, British colonial rule is finally starting to lose its grip. As a new generation of educated locals seize their chance to take back power, a deadly disease threatens to wipe out their invaluable cocoa crop. Now the village must decide who they can trust to save them... In the Yoruba land of west Nigeria, the village of Ipaja is facing a crisis - one of identity, power, and famine. At the centre of the solution are two young men, Benjamin Benjamin and Udo Akpan, who both believe their own methods are the only way to save the village from disaster.
As the new District Officer for the region, Akpan is certain the only solution is to follow a British officer's suggestion and destroy every infected crop they can find. Benjamin, an ambitious politician and journalist, is determined to achieve total independence from British control, even at the cost of the farmers' livelihood. Although they claim to have the village's best intentions at heart, neither can deny the power they stand to gain if the other one fails...
About the author
T.M. Aluko was a writer, engineer, and academic born in 1918 in Ilesha, Nigeria.
He studied civil engineering and town planning at the University of London and held the position of Director of Public Works in Western Nigeria. In 1966, he decided to pursue a career as a professor, earning his doctorate in municipal engineering in 1976.
Aluko was awarded several prizes and honours such as an OBE in 1963 and Officer Order of the Niger (OON) in 1965. His debut novel,
One Man, One Wife, was published in 1959, followed by his stand-alone book,
One Man, One Matchet in 1965. His other notable novels include
Kinsman and Foreman (1966),
Chief the Honourable Minister (1970), and
His Worshipful Majesty (1973). Aluko died in 2010.
Summary
In a rural village in nineteenth-century Nigeria, British colonial rule is finally starting to loosen its grip. As a new generation of educated locals seize their chance to take back power, a deadly disease threatens to wipe out their invaluable cocoa crop and end their village for good.
In the Yoruba land of west Nigeria, the village of Ipaja faces a crisis - one of identity, power, and famine. At the center are two young men with very different ideas on how to prevent the oncoming catastrophe. Although they both claim to have the village's best intentions at heart, neither can deny the power they stand to gain if the other one fails.
As tensions rise, the village must decide who they can trust and who will be able to save them from a deadly disaster...
Foreword
In a rural village in nineteenth-century Nigeria, British colonial rule is finally starting to loosen its grip. As a new generation of educated locals seize their chance to take back power, a deadly disease threatens to wipe out their invaluable cocoa crop and end their village for good.
Additional text
(An) enchanting story of a cocoa community in Western Nigeria where the country's shift from colony to independent nation is acted out in terms of a serious-farcial conflict.
