A REVIEW OF THE HOMECOMING BASED ON THE
NIGERIAN PRINT EDITION
Written and presented at the book launch by Williams Ogbidi - FNIPR
THE HOMECOMING AND THE FACE OF REALITY
There is a breath of fresh air in the writing
of The Homecoming as the author has
carried out extensive study to capture reality for his readers, encapsulated in
fiction.
If a just and happy society is to be realised
everybody needs to have a proper education and understanding of what
constitutes life's priorities and challenges. Such education and challenges can
readily be acquired from Aihebholo-oria Okonoboh's The Homecoming - which gives a deep insight into how shallow and
selfish disposition of leaders and followers can constitute a bane to the
socio-economic development of their communities.
The book divided into three sections of
twenty-seven chapters and spread across 258 pages contains rich experiences on
issues to be resolved if the development of the rural areas and quality life
for our people are to be achieved.
The author was quick in introducing his hero
and setting with attractive visual reflection on the cover, verbalized on pages
13 and 14 of the book: Ekoyata was
standing under a mango tree in front of a mud bungallow, one hand thrust down
the pocket of his linen caftan. The house was in a very bad state... As he
stood in front of the ramshackled mud building crowned with rusty zinc, it all
dawn on him that this historical account bespeaks utter neglect and
disappointment.
Unlike
Lenrie Peter's poetic rendition in We
Have Come Home, where those "From
the bloodless wars, with sunken hearts" had their "Boots full of pride," Ekoyata's lot in The Homecoming was different. On page
22, the author posits: He... Was
repatriated from the United States on issues not more than racial bias. And he
decided to settle in his hometown.
Ekoyata's ambition was to assist in the
development of his land of origin and improve the welfare of his people. His
relocation to the rural area was an encounter with reality: Water was not running in the pipes meant
for it. Schools had leaking roofs. Roads were becoming impassable. Electricity
was painfully epileptic.
Ekoyata's performance is an illustration and a
challenge on how both young and old, man and woman, boy and girl, can all
convert adversity to prosperity, if the right priority is set and pursued with
unrelenting determination and focus.
The problems of Ekoyata's town are similar to
Nigeria's problem. Or is there anybody, family, harmlet, village, town or city
that is insulated? As enthused on page 14: Health
care was inadequate for the large population who were farmers. Hence people
were dying young in large numbers from preventable diseases. Youths were
restive and moving to towns and cities, buildings collapsing as the rural areas
were abandoned and neglected. The fear of witches was rife, corruption
everywhere with assassins on the prowl. Development projects had all failed.
A sample of the neglect which fuels rural-urban
migration with attendant problems is presented on pages 36 and 37 with
unanswered questions: Is it really true
that people could suffer that much and the government pretends that all is
well? No pipe water? And this question become polemic in the face of the
budgetary provision for failed water projects in Nigeria, over the years. The
worry in The Homecoming is a
resonance of the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti with his lone voice in the wilderness
crying for water and light that have remained elusive in the land.
Eguabor's argument on pages 46-50 is insidious,
placing care for the death as priority over the living. Or how else can we
explain the expensive and provocative burial ceremonies now dotting the land where
access to food and medicine is a luxury?
The rural response to failed and abandoned
projects is resignation as revealed in page 67: they spread mats and canvas on the roads to dry corn grains, rice
paddy, cassava chips, yam chips... And melon...
With deceit in Town Development Union akin to
budgetary allocation without corresponding performance, the people might resort
to self-help as feared by the author on page 154: We will demand the money from them, the money we have payed in the past
for the water project. They will give us and we will use it by ourselves and
build the water tower.
Any oppressor in any community like the leader
on page 259 is put on notice: Any
moment, they would close in around him, pounce on him and pound him to death. A
word is enough for the wise.
What more do we need from The Homecoming!
The Homecoming is not all about
problems. It is also rich in proverbs, language, dreams, adventures, romance
and social commentary. Awakening the reader to native wisdom are such proverbs
as "A short woman and contention,
both of them are companions; If the omen of death is calling a dog, the dog's
sense of smell stops working; Anyone who plays upon the hole of a cobra shall
with his own mouth accuse himself and excuse the cobra; It is better to tie the
head and hair together in one scarf; A halk that preys on a tortoise surely
sleeps in hunger."
The author's descriptive power also comes to
the fore in Ekoyata's parley with his aunt Obehi on page 33: "I will not lie against him so that my
breasts that I gave him to suck do not kill me," she showed the breasts to
him and left them; they were like a pair of slippers against her chest.
Ekoyata's romance with Gloria on page 232
melted into nostalgia under the scorching heat of maturity. Feel the move: Gloria felt flattered, though she knew she
was beautiful. She often fell in love with her own image anytime she viewed
herself in a full mirror. But she shook her head in refusal because it was
Ekoyata who mentioned it.
The drama on pages 327-341 on hostage taking
and rescue techniques are better real than imagined.
Some questions still remained to be answered.
Why do big men and rich people run away from their villages and towns? Why do
children live in opulence in the cities neglecting their aged parents to suffer
and die? What standards differentiate villages from towns and cities? Why are
morgues now thriving businesses? Is carrying of sachette or bottled water along
on visits to the village the solution to contaminated ponds in the rural area?
How were the children who nag habitually: no money, no money, able to muster
resourses for expensive burial ceremonies for their parents who die of
curabble, even preventable sickness? What role can the police and traditional
rulers play in the emancipation of our rural dwellers?
The Homecoming provides the answers in a
commendable way.
Aihebholo-oria Okonoboh in action packed
naration presents The Homecoming to
his audience in a simple and easy-to-understand language. The cover is
attractive and metaphoric.
Though veneered in fiction, The Homecoming is a reality which all
of us need to face. Everybody living in the city comes from somewhere down
town. Running away is no solution. Like Ekoyata, we need to surmount obstacles
to tackle the rot in our roots.
The author did not betray himself as a new
comer to the literary field as he has succeeded in removing himself and giving
all the actions to his characters who achieved tremendous success in arousing
in us the consciousness that Aihebholo-oria intended - that of making us
responsible citizens.
With skillful use of conflicts in values, ideas
and personalities, the author is able to marry both subject and theme with a
positive attitude. Both in intentions and accomplishment, Aihebholo-oria's hero
has a clear message to all Nigerians both young and old, that we need to return
home to our senses and contribute meaningfully to our emancipation and
prosperity as a people and as a nation. Otherwise, the much flaunted
Seven-point agenda, Millenium Development Goal and Vision 2020 would become a
mirage.
In my view, the book needs a few editorial
attention to enhance the preservation of its value. In the reviewed edition, I
would like to see a foreword and a content page if these are still in the
literary traditions. I would also like to see the correction of the slang on
page 20 paragraph 2 line 5 and beer saloons on page 30 line 1, to change to
beer parlours.
In all, The
Homecoming has succeeded in replacing despair with hope. It is our
reconciliation with ourselves and our communities. It is our redemption if the
dividends of democratic governance are to come our way. I recommend it.
