Helpful Score: 2
This is a series of stories told by Nne-Nne to her grandson, the day before he leaves his Nigerian village to go to America on a college scholarship. The stories tell of life in colonial Nigeria, and especially of the "Women's War" of 1929 which Nne-Nne took part in. The stories are linked together by Oha Ndom, the Solidity of Women.
There is the widow who refuses to remarry the man chosen by her husband's brothers and who also refuses to leave his village (shocking!!). There is the daughter who leaves the village to become a prostitute. All the women of her village set off to bring her back. They send messengers ahead and at each village the women receive them with praise and more followers. They retrieve their fallen daughter, and the English have to decide how to deal with this case of "kidnapping." There is the "chief" whom the English set up to act as a middleman between themselves and the people. He is a scoundrel of course - who else would accept such a shameful and anti-traditional position. And being a scoundrel and having the English power behind him, he extracts as many bribes as he can.
Best of all is the "Women's War." The women seem totally subservient to their men - doing the heavy work, marrying as they are told to, accepting beatings, all the while remembering their duty to praise their husbands (men becoming so easily discouraged). Till one man breaks the rules, beating his pregnant wife. The men of the village meet, condemn the behavior as shameful, and return home expecting few consequences. But beating a pregnant women offends the Solidarity of Women. The women go to war - leaving the village for the forest, taking hostages, fighting by all taking part in ceremonies that shame their husbands. And the men don't know what to do! They know how to handle one or two rebellious women, but this is every women in their village!
There is the widow who refuses to remarry the man chosen by her husband's brothers and who also refuses to leave his village (shocking!!). There is the daughter who leaves the village to become a prostitute. All the women of her village set off to bring her back. They send messengers ahead and at each village the women receive them with praise and more followers. They retrieve their fallen daughter, and the English have to decide how to deal with this case of "kidnapping." There is the "chief" whom the English set up to act as a middleman between themselves and the people. He is a scoundrel of course - who else would accept such a shameful and anti-traditional position. And being a scoundrel and having the English power behind him, he extracts as many bribes as he can.
Best of all is the "Women's War." The women seem totally subservient to their men - doing the heavy work, marrying as they are told to, accepting beatings, all the while remembering their duty to praise their husbands (men becoming so easily discouraged). Till one man breaks the rules, beating his pregnant wife. The men of the village meet, condemn the behavior as shameful, and return home expecting few consequences. But beating a pregnant women offends the Solidarity of Women. The women go to war - leaving the village for the forest, taking hostages, fighting by all taking part in ceremonies that shame their husbands. And the men don't know what to do! They know how to handle one or two rebellious women, but this is every women in their village!
