Iya Ayo is a petty trader. She sells yams, palm oil, plantains and onions. Her kiosk is by the side of an untarred road, and she displays her goods on old tires. I have known her for about a year now and we sort of have a relationship. She’s more than the onion seller toContinue reading The Unknown
Recently, I was at a school inter-house sports competition and they played this game called, wheelbarrow. Participants were grouped into pairs and in each pair, one person would hold up the other’s legs, while the other person (who is the “wheelbarrow’) walked on their hands. After a while, they would switch places until they gotContinue reading Wheelbarrow
It had been a long day of fetching water, hoeing and cooking. Grateful not to have been called by Ajao, Oyinade had collapsed on the mat in the longhouse and promptly slept off. The other slaves were outside, enjoying the moonlight and sharing stories of their hometowns. Back in the longhouse, Oyinade turned away fromContinue reading Oyinade Episode 2.4: “Marked.”
Weeks passed and Oyinade continued to live as a slave in Ajao’s house. She learnt quickly how to cook, grind beans and pepper, farm, wash, weave hair and fetch water without slipping into the stream from the muddy banks. But most importantly, she learnt how to keep her head down. The one thing that sheContinue reading Oyinade Episode 2.3: “This world is not for women”
Oyinade was up before the cock crew. Her first thought was the incident of the night before. With tears flowing down her cheeks, she wondered why it seemed that she alone was to suffer so greatly. Her father had killed himself, her brothers had been killed, and her sisters and mothers continued to live inContinue reading Oyinade Episode 2.2: “A new name.”
Dear all, A new season of the series begins today. I hope you enjoy it! Please don’t forget to share this link and leavve a comment! Thanks! It had been raining steadily for the past few hours, yet, Ajao had not commanded them to stop. The slaves trudged on, weak, cold, starving andContinue reading Oyinade Episode 2.1: “A Nobody…”
Dear all, this is the last episode of this season as I mentioned yesterday. The next season starts on Monday, hope to see you here! Please tell me what you think about this series, use the hashtag #Oyinade on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I appreciate you! Oyinade and her maids were brought before Ajao inContinue reading Oyinade Episode 10: “Strange House…”