Daniella Oluwatomisin Kolade is the second runner-up for the 2024 Afrocritik Prize for Criticism
Affection and Other Accidents Review
In a recently shared anecdote, Nigerian poet, Dami Ajayi revealed how, in 2017, despite having authored two critically acclaimed works of poetry — his debut, Clinical Blues, and his second collection, A Woman’s Body is a Country — he had doubts about producing another volume. But does a poet choose silence when the unravelling of his private world coincides with the emergence of an external threat to humanity? In this case, no. And so in 2020, amid a global pandemic and grappling with the death of a romantic relationship, Ajayi turned to his most trusted device – poetry – and produced Affection and Other Accidents – his most vulnerable collection yet.
The titular poem details the final stages of the relationship. Written in five parts and spanning five cities, the prose poem is raw and undiluted. It is a cathartic exercise for the poet, but also an act of reflection that maps the timeline of an affection gone south.
After purging himself in the eponymous poem and resigning to ‘a premarital divorce’ in the first interlogue, Ajayi transitions into more wistful memories in “Queens”, where he celebrates the women in his life across various cities and periods. Set to reggae singer Patrice Bart Williams’ mellow tune, the poem unsurprisingly takes on a lyrical style, comprising a series of couplets, each dedicated to a season in the poet’s life.
In “Ode to a Face Mask”, an observation on the fate of face masks – abandonment – devolves into a more earnest conversation on George Floyd’s murder, as the poet fixes his gaze on the outside world. The chilling imagery deployed when the writer says “An American knee weighing on his neck”, is a powerful shift from personal experiences to contemporary events. This transition highlights Ajayi’s awareness of the socio-political climate, using haunting and bone-chilling imagery to convey the gravity of the situation, which is especially poignant given his perspective as a Black man. The juxtaposition of the triviality of face masks with the weighty discussion on police brutality and systemic racism makes the poem deeply resonant and impactful.
In “Covid-19”, Ajayi considers the capitulation of global empires in the face of a disease that respects none. Maintaining the focus on contemporary matters, “Codeine Diet” draws a compelling comparison between Nigerian popular culture and Christianity while touching on issues such as a drug epidemic and the prevalence of internet fraud.
The second interlogue of Affection and Other Accidents marks a return to the themes of love and loss that encapsulate the collection. It is a shift to the sensual poetry Ajayi is renowned for. “Unreliable Narrator” reflects on how the early stages of a relationship characterised by meaningful conversations and emotional explorations can be quickly forgotten. But shortly after, in “Declaration”, the poet stubbornly refuses to shy away from making his affections known. This poem, packed with cheerful imagery of a mid-summer evening, produces one of the more colourful works in the collection.
Immediately after, borrowing lines from the musical duo, The Lijadu Sisters, the poet gloomily declares, “Life Goes Down Low”. This sudden return to a pessimistic tone after a brief moment of chirpiness captures the cyclical nature of grief and the highs and lows of the mind it consumes. It also shows Ajayi’s deftness at oscillating between themes and moods. The discourse on grief continues in poems such as “On Grief”, “How to Grieve in Time”, and “Epitaph”, all of which reach the same haunting conclusion: grief is inevitable.
The third part of the collection houses “A Ghazal for Innocence”, a standout poem that recounts a childhood delusion encouraged by the poet’s father on the conception of children. It is a tender, relatable poem. The collection winds down with “Denouement”, a fitting title, considering its position as the penultimate poem in the volume. It presents the aftermath of a cathartic release of emotions: a coming to terms with reality. The poet declares his solitude tolerable and is again at peace.
Affection and Other Accidents is the work of a poet who defies norms. Ajayi does not shy away from the murky waters of feelings and affections; he embodies and expounds them, and by so doing, shatters traditional notions of masculinity that say men should remain inexpressive. This is a groundbreaking collection.
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Dreaming of Ways to Understand You Review
Nigerian writer, Jerry Chiemeke’s short story collection, published in 2020, Dreaming of Ways to Understand You, features fifteen short stories which are all deeply introspective and occasionally surreal in their scope.
The collection’s first story, “Not for Long”, will stop you in your tracks. It is a dark tale detailing a one-night stand gone wrong and headed in a devastatingly violent direction. Although I found the immediate dive into this gory tale unsettling, it was also intriguing, making me eager to see what else the collection had in store.
Chiemeke’s tendency to lean into the fantastical is on display in “Coming to Terms”, which has hints of magical realism and is eerily similar to “The Roads Get Thirsty, Too”, which comes later in the collection. Both stories bemoan the fates of accident victims, and the latter turns into a social commentary that critiques and indicts politicians for countless, avoidable deaths which directly result from their inefficiencies.
In the same vein, “City on Fastforward” features a commentary on profiling young men, a common practice that has claimed the lives of many. The profound statement, “and in these streets, a young man in a black T-shirt and brown shorts with a backpack containing a banged-up HP Pavilion must be an internet fraudster”, paints an all too familiar picture of the harassing and manhandling of young men on streets in Nigeria, over baseless claims and brash judgments.
Several stories in this collection are centred on the intricacies of the modern-day dating scene in Lagos, a city notorious for being rotten in this regard. These stories are written in such detail, that it is obvious they hit close to home for the writer. In “It’s All Just Periwinkles, Really”, a familiar and often talked about preconception about dating in the creative scene is referenced in a humorous fashion.
In the titular story, the writer addresses mental health issues and the stigma associated with them as a flighty character who suffers from mental health struggles is misunderstood and ends up in a grave situation. The writer subtly raises awareness about mental health support by referencing the Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative, offering a compassionate helping hand to his readers who may be grappling with mental health struggles.
In “Ugborikoko”, a standout story and personal favourite, Chiemeke reaches new heights. Written entirely in Nigerian Pidgin English, it describes a communal, everybody-knows-everybody town set in Warri. Chiemeke’s voice rings loud and clear, and he is obviously in his element writing in language that comes naturally to him, making it a refreshing read.
Another captivating story, “The River Brought Us Here”, pays homage to the brave and defiant victims of transatlantic slavery lost at sea, who are champions of our survival today. It serves as a reminder of the enduring struggle that has shaped us into who we are today.
This selection prominently features the stream-of-consciousness technique, showcasing the motivations and thoughts of characters. This approach offers deep insight into characters and their motivations, although it slows down the pacing and tempo, making some sentences more challenging to read.
In conclusion, Dreaming of Ways to Understand You does a good job of touching on various aspects of the human experience. Its entire focus is encapsulated in a quote from one of the stories, “The Roads Get Thirsty, Too” which says “our dreams, our aspirations, our emotions, our worries, and our potentials.” These are all areas of human existence that are touched on, as well as themes such as youthfulness, the journey to self-discovery and acceptance, and all-encompassing issues that sum up our being.
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His Only Wife Review
In Peace Adzo Medie’s delightful debut novel His Only Wife (2020), set in her home country, Ghana, familial tensions and intrusions give rise to an arranged marriage between Eli Ganyo, a businessman, and Afi Tekple, a seamstress from Ho, an obscure Ghanaian town.
The union is spearheaded by the domineering matriarch of the Ganyo family, Faustina Ganyo, who in true African fashion, goes simply by Aunty. Having rejected Eli’s Liberian partner, Aunty handpicks Afi as a suitable choice for her beloved son. Aunty’s proposal is readily accepted by Afi’s mother, who feels indebted to her for giving her a job and a home. The prospect of marriage to the influential Ganyo family is also promising to Afi’s extended family, especially Toga Pious, her entitled uncle.
But the marriage is far from ideal. Eli’s conspicuous absence at their wedding prompts Afi to reminisce about their limited prior exchanges, recalling, “There had been so much static on the line that he sounded like a robot.” The weight of the situation is not lost on her, and she compares the task of meeting the expectations of both families to “balancing …a basin of water, which was full to the brim.” This fitting description underscores the daunting task for the young Afi, who soon finds herself caught in the middle and manipulated both ways by powerful figures in her family and Eli’s family.
After the wedding, Afi moves to Accra, where she lives in one of the many Ganyo-owned residences, but there is still no Eli. When she eventually meets Eli, he charms her, but she soon realises that despite being his only wife, she is playing second fiddle to Eli’s Liberian lover, who is still in the picture.
As the novel progresses, it parallels Afi’s transformation from a young and naive girl unsure of herself and what she wants, to a confident, self-assured young woman. By the end, she has broken free from familial and societal pressures, and come into her own.
Throughout the novel, Medie excels at depicting characters. Whether in her description of the matriarchal powerhouse that Aunty is or in her presentation of the remarkably unlikeable Toga Pious, her characters are undeniably striking, whether you love or hate them.
Her writing of female characters in particular is deeply informed by her academic background as a researcher whose work is at the intersection of gender, women, and African studies, ensuring that she never loses touch with the socio-economic realities of African women. Even when Medie presents the more infuriating female characters, it is to show them as products of societal pressures. Ultimately, just as she does in much of her academic writing, Medie portrays women’s complex challenges and their triumphs and victories. Although the word is never explicitly mentioned in the novel, she has made it clear that feminism is one of the major themes of the narrative.
The most refreshing part of His Only Wife is the role female friendships play. Ironically, Afi is saved by her friendship with Evelyne, whom she was initially sceptical of. Evelyne is straight-talking and brimming with wisdom, which she dispenses to Afi, helping her make sense of the tricky situations she sometimes finds herself in. The friendship between Afi and Mawusi is another standout female friendship, which stems from the bond shared between their respective mothers. Set in a society that constantly pits women against each other, these special bonds are refreshing, making His Only Wife a delicious comfort read, and providing positive examples of empowering female friendships.
Daniella Oluwatomisin Kolade is a law student at the University of Ibadan, with a keen interest in pop culture and opinion writing. In 2021, she was a finalist in the National Review Essay Competition organised by Channels Television. In her free time, she enjoys reading and staying updated on the latest trends in pop culture.