By: Yemi Bankole
With the fast disappearing heritage of ‘tales by moonlight’ whereby a society propagates and advances its customs, mores and values to the younger generation through story telling, books like African Mentality (An Anthology), which share traits with this old (oral) form of literature, could be Africa’s hope for self-preservation and advancement.
Written by Victor Omotayo, a poet, historian and teacher, the book is a collection of 20 short interesting and didactic stories which mirror diverse aspects of human life and experiences in African societies.
Unlike the allegories and animal characters of the old folklores, however, the narratives depict true-to-life scenarios, situations and everyday human life experiences and issues the reader can easily relate with. But, it does not legitimize or encourage perceived misdemeanor and negatives, which much of the tales are about. Rather, its central message is synonymous with the Golden Rule and admonishes, considering the interests and benefits of other people and the environment in one’s actions and in whichever position one finds himself as, good or bad, one was bound to reap the consequences.
Wanton disregard for this ethos, the book reflects in several accounts, is behind the rife, interpersonal conflicts, social injustice, corruption, hardship, strife, bad governance and underdevelopment in Africa and among its people. Among the sub-themes and issues it explores are trust and betrayal in love, family and business relationships, inordinate ambition, abuse of power, bad leadership and governance, nepotism, corruption, deception, religious commercialism, juvenile delinquency, professional sharp practices, and immorality. On the flip side, the volume shows that honesty, diligence, endurance and faith even amid travails and challenges, have their rewards. Negligence of Duty, for example, depicts how a medical doctor suffered double jeopardy due to conflict of interest. He lost his son and was sentenced to death for the boy’s death for, as usual, abdicating his duty post at the teaching hospital to go attend to patients at his private clinic when the boy was admitted on emergency.
Also, in You Reap What You Sow, an avaricious and exploitative businessman, Mr. Uche pays a heavy price for reneging on a promise to help set up in business the boys he brought from his village to learn and assist in boosting his trade. The boys who had diligently served him, left and teamed up to build a flourishing business, while that of Uche collapsed thus pushing him into bankruptcy.
In The Name Of God and Result of Laziness comment on unscrupulous folks who the book describes as ‘pastorpreneurs’ for turning the church into money making venture by exploiting gullible people. But, the antics of the protagonists served tragic lessons as they ended up in fiasco and ignominy.
Other stories, which similarly harped on the inevitability of Karma are Reward of Stealing, Injustice, Day of Reckoning, Be Nice to People on Your Way, and African Mentality, which tells of an irresponsible man, abandoned in old age by his wives and children that he carelessly amassed but failed to care for.
The stories, which emphasize that doing good pays, include Reward of Honesty, Reward of Kindness and Tables Will Turn. As against the mean Mr. Uche, for instance, another business mogul, Mr. Phillips, in Reward of Kindness got the reward of his kind-heartedness in raising and setting up in business an orphan, when the former protégé came to rescue him and his business from dying. However, the morals in some of the stories such as Devil is Wicked, Infidelity, Injustice, and Life is a Lottery are difficult to place as their outcomes are not in line with the book’s thesis of an unwavering law of reciprocity of cause-consequence.
With its didacticism, simple and straightforward narrative technique and accessible language and style, African Mentality has obviously been written for children in their formative years. The stories are apparently perfect literary bricks for building a formidable dam that can prevent the present flood of social moral decadence from overwhelming the emerging and future generations.
I recommend the anthology for lovers of good African literature, most especially children, who are leaders of tomorrow.