3 out of 4 stars
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Gods and Heroes by Oladele Olusanya recounts the story of the Yoruba people in ancient times. Now, the modern Yorubas occupy present-day western Nigeria, but their origin traces back to ancient Nubia, located between Egypt and Sudan during those olden days. Their story has been told and retold through oral tradition, passed from generation to generation of storytellers, the foremost of which is the Old Woman. At last, committed to print is an historical record of epic proportions regarding Yorubaland in its Golden Age, depicting the struggles of its people, myths and legends, sacred visions and traditions, and the legendary deeds and heroic sacrifices of selected individuals marked for heroism and godly status, to add to the pantheon of deities guiding them in life and in death.
Truly, the fervent wish of the author for the Yoruba people to have an epic of their own is herein fulfilled, notwithstanding the efforts incurred in the monumental task of writing, sans records in papyri or stone to base from. Instead, in the minds of the storytellers were the vignettes of history to be gleaned before the mortality of such historians gives in, as the only immortal witnesses to the occurrences were the gods and goddesses believed to be omniscient.
The ancestors of the Yorubas had embarked in an epic migration starting from a point near Egypt. I could not help but draw a parallel to this in the Exodus of the ancient Israelites, recounted in the Bible, that started from Egypt itself. And it is strangely coincidental that both undertakings were aided by preternatural forces, and neither Lamurudu of the Yorubas, nor Moses of the Israelites, as the leaders, reached the promised destinations. In both instances of migration, as the wanderings in the desert tried the patience and faith of men, the leaders faced the constant threat of mutiny, and in the least, the grumblings of their people.
As the people get settled and productive, they soon filled up the land, and a kingdom got established in the relative peace. It is not unusual for their offspring who are capable, to dream of adventure, and fulfill their destiny. Such is the fate of a firstborn prince who could not rule because his father still lives, or of a second-born prince who is yet far in the line of succession. They would soon wander away and look for their kingdom elsewhere. This way, more kingdoms get added to the central settlement.
Yorubas undeniably possess a strict sense of decency and a moral code of conduct, apart from the religiosity that the leaders follow. It is ingrained in their culture that every endeavor of some significance has to be consulted with the proper deity in order to ascertain its auspiciousness. In this regard, the role of a priest or priestess is indispensable, to read omens, perform divination, or cast oracles. Even leaders of the highest rank are installed and disposed of based on the instigation of the priest as the expression of the will of the gods. Their crude religion which could allow polygamy prohibits cohabitation of couples without undergoing the rites of betrothal first.
Gradually, the neighboring cities or kingdoms had been occupied by clans belonging to the Yorubas also, and the original settlement sometimes had to contend with blood relations for enemies. Or some of its clans would align with enemies. The Yorubas were then confronted by the influx of outside factors, the intrusion of the white man is one, and the Moslem threat is another. How long will the Golden Age endure?
The errors I found could easily be remedied by another round of editing, and yet the intended thought could be discerned, despite these. I recommend this to lovers of historical novels of any age. My rating after another round of editing would be higher than the 3 out of 4 stars that I will give presently
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Gods and heroes
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This book sounds like it is right up my alley, that is historical novel. I definitely will look into it. I had never heard of the Yoruba people before reading this review. But I want to know more.... Thank you for posting such a good and well written review.
