The forest giants
Are here,
In a loud trumpet
Is their arrival made.
The trees have fallen at their sighs.
They speak not with their trunks
But with tree trunks
For they wish to be heard more
With aid of trees as emissaries
To lands farther than voice could go.
The giant of the giants is here
And louder have the voices become
And more trees felled.
Our forests have become deserts
But our voices have been louder.
The scorpions are the symbols of the many troubles a man encounter in life. Only that, this time, it is as experienced by a female protagonist in a northern setting.
Hadiza El-Rufai's book portrays a realistic view of life as lived by a woman in a typical patriarchal African setting. In it are the cultural elements of Northern Nigeria explored.
Though a first book, there is a careful look at the details necessary for a book to be appreciated positively. The first person narrative technique adopted brings the book closer to oneself and makes one wanting to ask if the experiences in it are the author's experiences. This question is one that she hates answering though.
One thing is however certain, an author cannot write without pouring a little of himself or herself into his/ her work(s).
