Literature
Title: Hoodlums
Reviewer: Uchechukwu Agodom
Publisher: Hybun Publications International;
Pages: 110 pages.
A loud explosion desecrates the peaceful atmosphere of the six-year old Tene and her friends as they are going to a playground. Everybody runs for cover including their teachers. It is a rumour that becomes a reality. The rumour was that the militants would attack. The attack was ?a protest against the heavy military presence in the Niger Delta area.? (p.9) Tene risks being trampled upon ?by the moving forest of adult feet? (p.10) as she races toward home, with the hope of finding peace and orderly world once she sees her parents, to the extent that her ?daddy would command the sound to stop scaring her and it would stop instantly.? (p.10). As she gets home there is another explosion. She sees her mother also running for cover, but another explosion lifted her (mother) high and smashed on the ground.
This opening story ?Millitants? of Sumaila Umaisha?s engaging collection of short stories is a powerful reflection of an aspect of the gory situation in the Niger Delta. The story ends abruptly, leaving the reader to figure out the end of the story, maybe; some readers may think it is a finished business, but some may think otherwise, but for the writer it is a finished business.
The second story, ?After the Riot? also comes with a great style. There is an echo of death. There is humour too. Zabi runs to catch up with a woman he thinks is ?very much like his missing wife.? (p.12). Missing because he has not seen her six days after the riot. He imagines his wife would ask him questions like, why he did not look for her after the riot. Zabi, on forming what he would give her as answers, tells a story of a tragic part of the riot he witnessed, including how he dressed like a madman to evade death. But when he gets to the woman he realises that the person is, after all, a man.
In the powerful story ?Seat of Power,? there is a kingdom in a thought-controlled era where technology has no need for the use of wire. To communicate to a person, one only needs to think about the person and the intended message would automatically go to the person. It is an ambitious science fiction which revolves around Saeed, the king of a tremendously advanced civilization, Huza?u Kingdom. Saeed is to rule for a staggering 3000 years. But his friend, Shamna, claims God sent him to save him; that he should abdicate the throne. The story journeys back to the reality that Saeed is actually in a state of drowsiness in a lift, and all the event of thousands of years took place just within seconds; between the ground floor and the tenth floor. The writer succeeds in dramatically infusing science fiction in the story.
?The Godfather? displays godfather antics. Chief (Dr.) Odaudu Okpetu, the Godfather, who does not want a second term for his godson, Gangi, the mayor of Gold City, is angry. He is angry because the Gangi, whom he earlier bankrolled into the office, awards contracts to his opponents. Though the mayor has paid back the loans he gave him, because of his lack of loyalty to him, he decides that Obata, the manager of his farm, Odaudu Farms, will be the next mayor though Obata says he is politically inexperienced. The election comes with all its bloody strings and the godfather?s new godson wins. Obata never knew there would be bloodshed, as his godfather never told him. The bloodshed disturbs him and he decides to atone for the sins against the dead by improving the lives of the people. But Godfather is not happy with such action, especially as he is not consulted. Mayor Obata decides to go on in the face of blackmail from godfather. And this leads to the mayor?s mysterious assassination.
The story ?Magic? from page 77 to 79 is about Bologi who is desperate to know if the power of his desecrated charm for wealth has gone. In the story, ?Soul Mate,? Lilian is in a condition of ?lingering grief and loneliness? (p.83) due to the death of her parents during an ethno-religious conflict in the city. She finally finds love with Bulus, after a long tortuous walk.
?The Honourable Minister,? a story that is stunningly creative, spinning a drama in a short story, giving a short story the badge of drama, humorously dramatizes how a minister runs his duties, exposing the foibles, vanity and failings of a state. Children perform before a real minister, displaying huge element of mockery and criticism of government performance. ?The Black Cat? is a powerfully told story about an old woman who visits her youthful days when she enjoyed life, life of prostitution, rejected men who wanted to marry her, messed up her wealth, and when old and rejected lives with a cat, becomes prayerful, and recognizes the transformative power of the cat. She is lifted from her plane to other planes, by her new state of life, and by From page 96 to 98 is a hilarious story titled ?The President?s Portrait?. Artist Amedu keeps reworking his painting of the president to get the best piece of the art which he intends to present to the president during his inauguration. At first he paints a beautiful picture, but as news on the extent of rigging that took place during the presidential election comes in, he keeps repainting the work to reflect the real president whose profile continues to change from innocence to ugliness.
The title story, ?Hoodlums?, is an outstanding story that deals with violence, criticism against journalists, and the hazards of the profession. There is a tragic clash between Christians and Muslims in a religiously charged city (Kaduna). A police inspector accuses the journalists of causing the riot through their sensational and dubious reporting. A security team of policemen and soldiers dumps the two arrested journalists in the two hottest spots of the riot; they drop the Muslim journalist in the Christian-controlled area and the Christian journalist in the Muslim-controlled area ? where they will most certainly face death. In ?Hoodlums?, the writer balances his story to show his awareness of religious sensitivity and to appeal for religious balance in a multifarious country like Nigeria. There is an excellent use of flashbacks to develop the story ?Hoodlums.?
?The Forbidden Path? is a moving story, powerfully told, and poetically rendered. It is about the suicidal journey of Onkwo, the woman who ?had overstayed her days and had seen the forbidden masquerades.? (p.54). The superbly told story is greatly worth reading several times, over and over again.
There is a wide range of themes: corruption, greed, power, violence and drug abuse. Some of the stories carry the crushing weight of reporting. And there is good use of suspense. For instance, in the story ?The Last Hiding Place? The reader is gripped from the beginning of the story. The writer uses the power of thought to drive some of the stories. Also irony plays a good role in bringing out the beauty of some of the stories. Other stories are packed with humour like ?Hoodlums? and ?After the Riot.? In fact, ?After the Riot? is loaded with good style. It is one of the best stories.
Though Hoodlums is good for everybody, I strongly recommend it to politicians, religious, political, traditional, and economic leaders. They should read and experience the grim and horrific effects of riots, injustice, do-or-die mentalities and other societal dysfunctions in some of the stories. I recommend the book to the citizens of countries like Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Zimbabwe, Mexico, Uganda and Columbia where there are recurrent waves of violence, greed and corruption. With Hoodlums, Umaisha has succeeded in creatively showing to the world the complex situations that characterize, in varying degrees, some hotspots in Nigeria.
Uchechukwu Agodom, is a writer, poet, columnist and social commentator. [email protected]. +2347064881550.
- Umaisha?s Harvest Of Crises
Title: Hoodlums Author: Sumaila Umaisha Publisher: Hybun Publication International Year of Publication: 2010 No. of pages: 110 ISBN: 978-49181-2-1 Reviewer: Usho Smith Adawa The spectrum of criminality in Nigeria cut across all facets of life....
- Bound To Violence
Reviewed by Denja Abdullahi Hoodlums, a collection of 17 short stories of varying length, is a much awaited work from the author, Sumaila Umaisha. For well over a decade, his stories have been read on the literary pages of major Nigerian newspapers,...
- How Chris Ngige Inspired My New Book
In this interview with Henry Akubuiro, Sumaila Umaisha, literary editor of Nigerian Newspapers and two-time winner of Literary Journalist of the Year, awarded by Association of Nigerian Authors, speaks on his new book, HOODLUMS. Excerpts: What is your...
- Hoodlums: Portrait Of A Crisis-ridden Nation
Title of book: Hoodlums Author: Sumaila Umaisha Number of pages: 110 Publishers: Hybun Publication International Date of publication: 2010 Price: N500 Reviewer: Yahaya Ibrahim Over the years, protest writing has become the focal point for many Nigerian...
- Hoodlums: Long Stories In Short Captivating Tales
Ahmed Dodo?s review of Hoodlums (a collection of short stories) by Sumaila Umaisha, published by Hybun, 2010, pages - 110. If there is one thing I have always loved in a good story, is the ability of the writer to intelligently weave a long story into...
Literature
Gripping Tales of Violence
Title: Hoodlums
Reviewer: Uchechukwu Agodom
Publisher: Hybun Publications International;
Pages: 110 pages.
A loud explosion desecrates the peaceful atmosphere of the six-year old Tene and her friends as they are going to a playground. Everybody runs for cover including their teachers. It is a rumour that becomes a reality. The rumour was that the militants would attack. The attack was ?a protest against the heavy military presence in the Niger Delta area.? (p.9) Tene risks being trampled upon ?by the moving forest of adult feet? (p.10) as she races toward home, with the hope of finding peace and orderly world once she sees her parents, to the extent that her ?daddy would command the sound to stop scaring her and it would stop instantly.? (p.10). As she gets home there is another explosion. She sees her mother also running for cover, but another explosion lifted her (mother) high and smashed on the ground.
This opening story ?Millitants? of Sumaila Umaisha?s engaging collection of short stories is a powerful reflection of an aspect of the gory situation in the Niger Delta. The story ends abruptly, leaving the reader to figure out the end of the story, maybe; some readers may think it is a finished business, but some may think otherwise, but for the writer it is a finished business.
The second story, ?After the Riot? also comes with a great style. There is an echo of death. There is humour too. Zabi runs to catch up with a woman he thinks is ?very much like his missing wife.? (p.12). Missing because he has not seen her six days after the riot. He imagines his wife would ask him questions like, why he did not look for her after the riot. Zabi, on forming what he would give her as answers, tells a story of a tragic part of the riot he witnessed, including how he dressed like a madman to evade death. But when he gets to the woman he realises that the person is, after all, a man.
In the powerful story ?Seat of Power,? there is a kingdom in a thought-controlled era where technology has no need for the use of wire. To communicate to a person, one only needs to think about the person and the intended message would automatically go to the person. It is an ambitious science fiction which revolves around Saeed, the king of a tremendously advanced civilization, Huza?u Kingdom. Saeed is to rule for a staggering 3000 years. But his friend, Shamna, claims God sent him to save him; that he should abdicate the throne. The story journeys back to the reality that Saeed is actually in a state of drowsiness in a lift, and all the event of thousands of years took place just within seconds; between the ground floor and the tenth floor. The writer succeeds in dramatically infusing science fiction in the story.
?The Godfather? displays godfather antics. Chief (Dr.) Odaudu Okpetu, the Godfather, who does not want a second term for his godson, Gangi, the mayor of Gold City, is angry. He is angry because the Gangi, whom he earlier bankrolled into the office, awards contracts to his opponents. Though the mayor has paid back the loans he gave him, because of his lack of loyalty to him, he decides that Obata, the manager of his farm, Odaudu Farms, will be the next mayor though Obata says he is politically inexperienced. The election comes with all its bloody strings and the godfather?s new godson wins. Obata never knew there would be bloodshed, as his godfather never told him. The bloodshed disturbs him and he decides to atone for the sins against the dead by improving the lives of the people. But Godfather is not happy with such action, especially as he is not consulted. Mayor Obata decides to go on in the face of blackmail from godfather. And this leads to the mayor?s mysterious assassination.
The story ?Magic? from page 77 to 79 is about Bologi who is desperate to know if the power of his desecrated charm for wealth has gone. In the story, ?Soul Mate,? Lilian is in a condition of ?lingering grief and loneliness? (p.83) due to the death of her parents during an ethno-religious conflict in the city. She finally finds love with Bulus, after a long tortuous walk.
?The Honourable Minister,? a story that is stunningly creative, spinning a drama in a short story, giving a short story the badge of drama, humorously dramatizes how a minister runs his duties, exposing the foibles, vanity and failings of a state. Children perform before a real minister, displaying huge element of mockery and criticism of government performance. ?The Black Cat? is a powerfully told story about an old woman who visits her youthful days when she enjoyed life, life of prostitution, rejected men who wanted to marry her, messed up her wealth, and when old and rejected lives with a cat, becomes prayerful, and recognizes the transformative power of the cat. She is lifted from her plane to other planes, by her new state of life, and by From page 96 to 98 is a hilarious story titled ?The President?s Portrait?. Artist Amedu keeps reworking his painting of the president to get the best piece of the art which he intends to present to the president during his inauguration. At first he paints a beautiful picture, but as news on the extent of rigging that took place during the presidential election comes in, he keeps repainting the work to reflect the real president whose profile continues to change from innocence to ugliness.
The title story, ?Hoodlums?, is an outstanding story that deals with violence, criticism against journalists, and the hazards of the profession. There is a tragic clash between Christians and Muslims in a religiously charged city (Kaduna). A police inspector accuses the journalists of causing the riot through their sensational and dubious reporting. A security team of policemen and soldiers dumps the two arrested journalists in the two hottest spots of the riot; they drop the Muslim journalist in the Christian-controlled area and the Christian journalist in the Muslim-controlled area ? where they will most certainly face death. In ?Hoodlums?, the writer balances his story to show his awareness of religious sensitivity and to appeal for religious balance in a multifarious country like Nigeria. There is an excellent use of flashbacks to develop the story ?Hoodlums.?
?The Forbidden Path? is a moving story, powerfully told, and poetically rendered. It is about the suicidal journey of Onkwo, the woman who ?had overstayed her days and had seen the forbidden masquerades.? (p.54). The superbly told story is greatly worth reading several times, over and over again.
There is a wide range of themes: corruption, greed, power, violence and drug abuse. Some of the stories carry the crushing weight of reporting. And there is good use of suspense. For instance, in the story ?The Last Hiding Place? The reader is gripped from the beginning of the story. The writer uses the power of thought to drive some of the stories. Also irony plays a good role in bringing out the beauty of some of the stories. Other stories are packed with humour like ?Hoodlums? and ?After the Riot.? In fact, ?After the Riot? is loaded with good style. It is one of the best stories.
Though Hoodlums is good for everybody, I strongly recommend it to politicians, religious, political, traditional, and economic leaders. They should read and experience the grim and horrific effects of riots, injustice, do-or-die mentalities and other societal dysfunctions in some of the stories. I recommend the book to the citizens of countries like Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Zimbabwe, Mexico, Uganda and Columbia where there are recurrent waves of violence, greed and corruption. With Hoodlums, Umaisha has succeeded in creatively showing to the world the complex situations that characterize, in varying degrees, some hotspots in Nigeria.
Uchechukwu Agodom, is a writer, poet, columnist and social commentator. [email protected]. +2347064881550.
- Umaisha?s Harvest Of Crises
Title: Hoodlums Author: Sumaila Umaisha Publisher: Hybun Publication International Year of Publication: 2010 No. of pages: 110 ISBN: 978-49181-2-1 Reviewer: Usho Smith Adawa The spectrum of criminality in Nigeria cut across all facets of life....
- Bound To Violence
Reviewed by Denja Abdullahi Hoodlums, a collection of 17 short stories of varying length, is a much awaited work from the author, Sumaila Umaisha. For well over a decade, his stories have been read on the literary pages of major Nigerian newspapers,...
- How Chris Ngige Inspired My New Book
In this interview with Henry Akubuiro, Sumaila Umaisha, literary editor of Nigerian Newspapers and two-time winner of Literary Journalist of the Year, awarded by Association of Nigerian Authors, speaks on his new book, HOODLUMS. Excerpts: What is your...
- Hoodlums: Portrait Of A Crisis-ridden Nation
Title of book: Hoodlums Author: Sumaila Umaisha Number of pages: 110 Publishers: Hybun Publication International Date of publication: 2010 Price: N500 Reviewer: Yahaya Ibrahim Over the years, protest writing has become the focal point for many Nigerian...
- Hoodlums: Long Stories In Short Captivating Tales
Ahmed Dodo?s review of Hoodlums (a collection of short stories) by Sumaila Umaisha, published by Hybun, 2010, pages - 110. If there is one thing I have always loved in a good story, is the ability of the writer to intelligently weave a long story into...