Another war survivor pours out his heart!!

 Leonard Ikpe wrote:

RE: THE FOREST DAMES BY ADA OKERE AGBASIMALO

I have gone through the 207 pages of your book. After reading the book, let me tell you how I see it.

Firstly, the men have told their own story of the war – Obasanjo, Madiebo etc. Yours is a woman’s pathetic story of what happened during the unfortunate Nigeria – Biafra Civil War when rampaging Federal soldiers saw the rebel women and girls as part of the spoils of war. It narrates the travails of the rebel girls and mothers who make the forests their abode just to avoid being captured (kwaptured) by soldiers. That is the struggle of an African woman during a war.

Secondly, the speed of the story is dramatic in a sense. It has the speed comparable to the now legendary 

 “Things Fall Apart” . One chapter weaves into the other without the reader losing track of the previous chapters. Our own Chinua Achebe has that speed too.

Thirdly, the handling of a complex matter like war was delivered as a simple story yet bringing out the sad effects of war which include hunger, malnutrition, disease, deaths at the battle field and the refugees.

Fourthly, I see that you are completely at home with your environment. You understand the culture of Owerre people and went ahead to highlight the tragedy that the war brought to your people more especially the females.

I see a Tragic-Comedy in your work. The burial alive of Madam Rosa was  shocking and obviously a tragic event. But why bury a woman simply because she followed a soldier? The men had their way.

But that was neutralized by the Comic Character that you created – Evagri. Did you say he was insane?.  Julie Ejema – the mother of Sunde is another character you handled like clay in the hands of a good potter. When one enters the road block chapter, post-war grief and anger are captured in the seizure of Mr Buno’s gun.

And what ever happened between Udunna and the soldier is an instant comic relief.

The book should serve as a text for people who did not witness the war. Especially the growing females. I was part of the war. I saw it all. My sisters were forest dames too. I fed them when they were in the forest.

A good story teller informs, entertains and most importantly drives a key message home. And these three elements of storytelling are visible in your work. War does nobody any good.

The Owerre child of today hardly knows much about the culture, norms, and beliefs of the Owerre people.

Perhaps, that is why I argue that a sketch of Pa Zurike’s funeral be part of this story. It will take us back to 1967 before the senseless carnage began.

The Forest Dames has hit the block as a moving story, full of wit and humour but yet conveying an important message not only to Nigeria but the world at large. It is the story told by a female and one who saw it all. The Owerre people must be very proud of you as they read your wonderful contribution to literature.

We lost Chinua Achebe – The Master Story teller. But you are now a female replacement for him.