Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger

Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger is a collection that tells the stories of African womanhood and what it is imagined to be. Among the stories are "The Gaps in My Memory," "A Childless Wife," "The Silence of the Gods," "The House Girl," and the title story, "Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger." With each story, the reader continues to be drawn into the experiences, both feelings and thoughts, of women and girls... Situating the stories within rich context of culture and place enriches the reader's appreciation for the struggles, resilience, and oppression that is experienced on a daily basis by females around the world... In each story, we might wonder about what each character could have done to make a difference. Lemuel Warren Watson Provost professor Senior scientist, the Kinsey Institute "You see, women are not born. They are made. That's how they are made.... You ought to do it," she added as a last latch in her persuasion. --"The Gaps in My Memory" "There is nothing wrong with you," the doctor told me with utter certainty and pushed toward me, across his table, the report of my test.... "I am sure you will be pregnant," he added. I was no longer listening to him. I was right then wondering why I could not get pregnant if there was nothing wrong with me. --"A Childless Wife" "Satan is a liar," the pastor uttered and raised his Bible.... --"The Silence of the Gods" "You have made my day," she said and let me out of her embrace. I knew I felt the same thing I had felt with Anuli. I avoided her eyes so she would not see the joy that radiated on my face. It came as a surprise. --"The House Girl" Fide opened one of the drawers in his library and pulled out a brown folder. It was dusty and wrinkled on the edges and was secured tightly with a rope. He blew on it slowly to ward off the creams of dust. He then looked at what he had written over thirty years ago on the folder: "the Pacification of the Primitive." There was no impression on his face, which was then plain like his bald head. What was rather remarkable was his overall weakness; his hands trembled as he was untying the folder. When he pulled out a ream in it, his hands were also trembling, even as he sifted through the pages. He flipped through the first few pages; there was evidence of hesitations shown through cancellations and ripped pages, then he came to the section the author had entitled "The Evil Forest." On the margin, the author had other narratives that clarified what he was saying about the forest. There was a marginal narrative about egwugwu. Literally, he had unmasked egwugwu, calling it a "heathenish recreation at best" yet "a masculine secret society aimed at hoodwinking the people." --"Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger "

-- Jude Okpala