The story of leaving dahomy by jude shaw is Set around mid-nineteenth century West Africa in the renowned kingdom of Dahomey, in the heart of the proud Fon (misspelt as Foy in the novel) people and their fear-inspiring kings.the story follows Adeoha, an enterprising young woman through her journey of self-discovery.
Adeoha’s noble blood gives her a place in society but what puts her in the spotlight is due to no accomplishment of her ascendants but her own prowess - in trading, dancing, sprinting -and the pull of the oracle. As is usually the case with narratives set on the continent, exploits breed jealousy and enmity. In Adeoha’s case, this leads to the decision, as self-explanatorily titled of Leaving Dahomey.
Slavery is a recurring subject in this historically well-researched piece on Dahomey and surrounding kingdoms. One gets to see the difference in slavery as practised within West Africa for generations and that commenced by the transatlantic White human traders. Early in the novel this contrast is fittingly described in these words about the slaves in Dahomey: “The lives of their children are not predestined. They will not inherit their parent’s status as slaves. They can buy land and farm it or choose a respected profession and even marry within the household of their masters.”
What about those Africans who worked with the White slave traders to sell their own? A chief priestess gives the answer: “Those who have inherited wealth from the enslavement of our Afrikan brethren, or those descendants whose ancestors brutalized our ancestors. In the African system of restitution and compensation, they are not punished. Instead, they are rewarded and protected.”
Womanhood is an ever-present theme throughout the novel – Women’s status and aspirations, leadership and friendship, inheritance, ownership of wealth and land, property deeding… Marriage is not seen as an accomplishment on its own but rather as a step to take after a woman has achieved certain things.
While Leaving Dahomey is rich in historical themes, it does not keep the reader with bated breath as the story is told. Also, though the novel gives proof of much research, a few misses make one wonder at the depth of the author’s African conversance:• The dialogues appear to lack authentic African aura.• The virtual absence of proverbs even in conversations among elders and in royal court exchanges.• The description of Adeoha’s father’s wives as “minor wives”.• The author’s choice to explain Fon words (i.e. Dokpwe, Meu, Xenuga, Gbe, Migan) within the text, sometimes in a dialogue.• “It all started nine moons, or months, ago in early December.” (chapter 1) This is the first sentence I found unsettling in the novel. Why define a Dahomeyan moon and then use a Gregorian calendar month for a scene set in 1840? It is only in chapter 5 that the reader learns that these months actually refer to the Yovo calendar.• The way “summer” is peppered throughout the novel! Is there summer in West Africa? To this day West Africans do not use the word summer in reference to any season of the year even when speaking a non-African language.• Then the reader gets to where Adeoha tells her father “I love you” – how African! I wonder if even Europeans and Americans at that time had started throwing that expression at each other.• At a point in the novel, Jude Shaw brings in tigers and wolves. There is a reason why there is no original word for tiger in many West African languages. Tigers do not exist in Africa.
In spite of these shortcomings, Leaving Dahomey is a good read especially for its detail in the cultural practices and religious beliefs in ancient Dahomey. I’d rate it three out of four and recommend it to those who enjoy delving into leisurely pre-colonial African fiction.
Post a Comment