Stories that happen almost everyday around you, things you read in the newspapers, or hear next-door neighbors talk about: Things that you’ve become desensitized to, and distanced from, and those that never seem quite real.[break]
Uwem Akpan writes about these things, and tells us stories through the eyes of children, without seeking pity and sympathy, without coating them with innocence. These are children who learn that evil exists, and the only ones who can help them are their own selves.
“Say You’re One of Them” is Akpan’s debut collection of short stories, set in different parts of Africa. The book has been called one that sheds light on the Dark Continent, reminding us of the often-overlooked voices of children.
Akpan’s five stories are varying in length, sometimes nearing a novella, but all of them are stunning in their raw exploration of circumstances, and how his young characters deal with them.
“An Ex-Mas Feast” is told by a young street boy in Nairobi whose sister becomes a prostitute to help pay his school fees; “Fattening for Gabon” is about an uncle who plans to sell his niece and nephew; “What Language is That?” is about two best friends who become estranged when their family religions become a barrier; “Luxurious Hearses” is about a young Muslim boy trying to pass off as a Catholic so he can fly to safety; and “My Parents’ Bedroom” is about a young girl during the Rwandan genocide.
Oprah Winfrey, who selected “Say You’re One of Them” as a 2009 Oprah’s Book Club selection, said that “it (My Parents’ Bedroom) pierced the interior of my being.” The one-sentence summary of the stories is to give you an idea of what the stories are about. But Akpan’s book is not for light reading. The last story, “My Parents’ Bedroom” is perhaps the heart of the book, one that relates to the Rwandan genocide unlike any of the reports or films about the period. The young narrator waits in her parents’ bedroom, for her father is a Hutu and mother a Tutsi, like they asked her to. And when they do come, the decisions that are made and actions taken make you wonder how such things went unnoticed?
“Fattening for Gabon” is something that happens in our own backyard. Young children being sold by relatives and people they trust. Akpan tells this story without taking sides. He does not make the bad guys bad and the good guys good. He gives all his characters a balance of good and evil to complicate matters. However, it is the voice of the children, and the reality that hits them, which throws the reader off.
“Luxurious Hearses,” set in Nigeria, is the longest story in the collection, and one fraught with constant tension. Akpan does a great job of introducing us to the other passengers in the bus through dialogue and action. Jubril, a young Muslim boy, is traveling to the South, trying to pass off as a Christian during the Muslim-Christian conflict. One of his hands was cut off for stealing, and Jubril must conceal it throughout the journey because it will reveal his faith.
A Nigerian Jesuit Priest and writer, Akpan does not preach or pretend. His stories are raw and simply written. There is beauty and there is heartbreak. He does not shy away from poverty and conflict; but amongst all the wretchedness and evil that surround his characters, there is hope.
“Say You’re One of Them” is a powerful book that tells us about Africa through dialects and accents, through faith and reasons, and through its children. Winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book (African Region), this is a book to put high on one’s reading list.
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