LAUGHING WITH THE GODS

Title – The Gods Are Laughing

Author – Chinedum Ify Onwusilikam

Publishers – E mage Reality

Pages – 150

Reading through Ify’s book, I cannot help but to laugh along with the gods. Not because I find them funny but rather scary. The events depicted in the one hundred and fifty page book took one on a journey back to the pre-colonial Nigeria where men are nothing but pencil in the hands of God/gods. Where became nothing but pawn in the hands. The gods, with the help of their priests toy us around as they desired.

This book reminds one of Africa’s male child traditions. In those days and till today, the joy of a typical African man is not complete without a male child. Such was the faith of Ichie Amadi in the first plot of this interesting story, whom after his talk of the village marriage had four female child in quick succession. He became so dissollsioned that he isolated himself from his wife and daughter. Through the village priest, Akrika, Ichie Amadi offered sacrifice to the gods to appease them that they may give a male child who, as Africans would always put ‘will carry on the name of the family’ The gods did heard him and gave him a child, or so he thinks but only for a short while as that same child whom he called Ebubedike and shower so much love on would later be decreed by the gods to be casted into the evil forest when he was discovered to have grown his first two teeth from the upper jaw. But as fate would have it, the boy finds his way back to the village of Umunna Ala through her elder sister, Ihuoma who up till then still hold herself responsible for the evil that befell his brother Ebubedike.

The God’s are laughing is no doubt a unique piece of creative effort worth reading because of the multiple sets style used by the author. For instance, in the village of Ekwuka, where another character, in the book, Ifediba had ran to after loosing her three children and husband in a mysteriously and was accused of being responsible for those deaths by her husband, the villagers and the gods of the land represented by their mouthpiece, Akirika the Chief Priest. She it was who later found and take care of Ebubedike, who was renamed Oluebubechukwu. Then contrast this setting then thrust on us is the conflict of people’s way of life and religion to be precise. While the people of Umunna Ala believes in their gods and abide by whatever Akirika order them to do without recourse, the people of Ekwuka, as was discovered by Ifediba discovered that believes in another ‘Chi’ which is the bigger GOD. This bigger GOD eventually finds its way into Umunna Ala when the missionaries invaded the village under the disguise of wanting to educate their children.

As would be the case, Ihuoma ended up becoming one of the pioneer brides of this new God. With the approval of her father she had enrolled in the missionaries’ school and rose to become a medical doctor. Are the gods still laughing? They dare not. For through this means the bigger God perfected his plan of bringing the doomed boy back to his root. Now a medical student himself, he got drawn to her elder sister, Ihuoma on first sight and the two could not rest until the mystery of their blood link was unraveled by the ever curios Ihuoma who is still not able to exonerate herself from her brother’s misfortune.

Talking about the missionaries and their mission, some of our fore-fathers till date are not still able to forgive themselves for allowing the colonial masters to come in under whatever guise only to come turn our people against their long known god. This was evident in the attitude of the people of Umunna Ala, whose Igwe approved the entrants of the missionaries to the village but with a stern warning not out step their bound. Amadi, Ekene and many others soon see the importance of this missionary, not minding the intrusion of their religious belief they all enroll their children and themselves in the school.

In the sub plot in this book of cultural anthropology, the people of Amofia were not spared from this archaic traditions and custom. Here, Igwe Uchendu insisted that his only son and heir to the throne must choose a wife from a royal family from any of the neighboring village. Kelechi, the Prince would however not hear of this as he already have his eyes set on Obianuju one of the most beautiful and well mannered girl in that village and who is from a good family as well. While Igwe Uchendu busied himself arranging for his son’s wife as is the custom, Kelechi who is determined to leave his life his own way and not to be burdened by any royalty string, also pre-occupied himself trying to win the love of the one his heart has chosen. For the Igwe, it was a double tragedy which for any reason will not have befallen him if the missionaries and their professed civilization have been prevented. He not only loose his son to this bridge in generational gap but his daughter Adanna who like his brother is already in a secret affair with Emeka instead of waiting for their father to choose him a princely husband from the neighboring village as custom demand. In the heat of this confusion and the conflicts that follows, Kelechi not waiting for his father to disown him as he already threatened packed his belongings and relocated to Lagos,

Consciously or unconsciously one interesting subject in this book is love, I mean true love. It runs through the book from beginning to the end. First was Amadi who laboured to win the love of Adaeze and how they lived happily thereafter except for their single moment of trial when he abandoned his wife and children when his wife gave birth to their fourth daughter while he was expecting a male child. Then, we talk about the display of true love, friendship and brotherliness displayed by Amadi and Ekene. The two families is a good example of what life was in the pre-colonial era where everyone lives together peacefully and one is his brother’s keeper. Another good example is Ikem and Obioma and the ease with which they receive Ifediba into their household even without knowing her before. And as the story implies, they must have lived together for not less than twenty years. Needless to talk about Ihuoma and Ebubedike when they first met in the hospital, Kelechi and Obianuju and ofcourse, Adanna and Emeka.

Without mincing word, I wish to say here that the book is no doubt a worthy addition to the shelves of every passionate reader in this country. It is a book for all ages and class. Its language is simple and the settings are not in anyway difficult to understand. In this age when we are already loosing touch with our ways of live as a people, the gods are laughing no doubt provide some insight into our ways of life as a people, especially to the younger generations.

So, go pick up a copy of ‘The Gods are laughing’ and laugh with the gods.