Literature
Elizabeth Adeolu?s review of Hoodlums, a collection of short stories by Sumaila Umaisha, published by Hybun; pages ? 110
When one reads Sumaila Umaisha?s collection of short stories Hoodlums, one sees how the everyday mishaps, joys, and sheer insanity that riddle our individual and national existence are creatively and clearly put into words. With seventeen concise and interesting stories in the collection, Hoodlums is a book that one would not want to put down until one finishes reading it.
The stories discuss all ranges of human emotions and expressions, generally, and, other times, with specific focus on the Nigerian environment, referred to appropriately as Gold City in at least one of the stories. Gold City is appropriate to describe the abundance of resources that are available in this country, but whether they are put into good use is another matter all together, and that is one of the preoccupations of the author. Umaisha portrays in this book the hoodlums in society and their victims. Umaisha accurately describes us.
The sad reality of the situation we all find ourselves in is reflected sharply in these stories. There is reference to the Niger Delta crisis, the religious, political and ethnic riots, the societal and cultural stigmatisation, the insanity of every man, the mysticism of the universe, and, strangely, even love.
There are many themes to be seen in this book of living languages and characters, each one a true aspect of the commentary on society and man, especially in this country. There is acute struggle for control and dominance, especially in such stories as ?The Godfather? and ?Do or Die? where one reads with revulsion the violent power game that politicians play. There is also, simply, the issue of avoidable grief and pains as first introduced by the story of little Tene who loses her innocence by watching her mother die in ?Militants?.
The general madness or insanity of people irrespective of class, education, or gender is also an underlying message that is revealed throughout the book. Insanity is defined as being seriously mentally ill and not fit to live in normal society, and in its informal sense is described as actions that are very stupid and possibly dangerous. This description could certainly fit the insanity of the militants who decide to fight the authorities by killing masses like themselves; insanity of the religious bigots who kill each other because of a ?difference? that is not known to the common man. It is confirmed as a fact by the actions of the bus driver who tears naira notes in half and attempts to lure passengers into his bus by trickery; by the security agencies who think the solution to quelling corruption within their ranks is withdrawing agents from their duty posts. It portrays even the insanity of an old woman who begins to see things that others do not see because of alienation, and the unknown woman who dumps a mere post-foetal baby into the bin.
Then there is the issue of hoodlums ? the subject of the book. In majority of the stories, Umaisha shows that there is a hoodlum in almost every situation, whether as conspicuous as the militants in ?Militants?, the religious rioters in ?After the Riot?, the assassin and his senders in ?Do or Die?; to even the unnamed baby dumper in ?The Outcast?, the honourables represented in the ?The Honourable Minister?, and even the sadistic, self-centred watchers of violent acts like Alhaji Ibrahim in ?The Riot? who believe they are immune to violence without thinking about the proverb ?If you throw a stone into the market, it would hit your relative?.
Then there is the quest for freedom from all of these man-made shackles. This is definitely what led the man in the lift in ?Seat of Power? to venture subconsciously into a futuristic world where he is king; it is what sent the professor in ?The Last Hiding Place? on nocturnal visits to the forest, it is what made a lonely old woman in the ?Black Cat? look into the eyes of her cat to find a portal to other worlds, it is what sent the old woman Onkwo in ?The Forbidden Path? to seek another world. It is what led many of the characters in this revealing book to find a refuge, albeit deceptive, in hard drugs.
Sadly, there is no permanent hiding place of escape from these largely man-made problems, save for, perhaps, death. I would like to imagine that the pathetic fallacy employed in ?The Outcast? is a direct reference to the fact that even nature sympathises with our plight.
The idealists, the likes of Ben in the titular ?Hoodlums? and Obata in ?The Godfather?, who try to right the many wrongs of society are dispatched to the life yonder.
But, in the midst of all these bitterness and confusion are signs that love still reigns. A love as intense as that professed by the professor (no pun intended) in ?The Last Hiding Place?, ?? I love you, I love you so much that I would rather die than to let anything or anyone hurt you.? A love as binding and above-sentimental-issues as that between Ben and Mairo in ?Hoodlums?. The nurturing and protective love that made a woman pick up a child from the bin and attempt to keep her from societal stigma and want in ?The Outcast?; the love of a friend that makes Shamna risk his life to save his friend in the majorly futuristic story ?Seat of Power?; even the love of family that turned Zabi mad in ?After the Riot?.
And in all of these paradoxical and chaotic situations, the words of Mallam Sanda in ?The Magic? stand out as true, timeless, and effective, ?? keep close to God and be good to everyone, including those who appear to be unfriendly to you. And work hard.?
If this advice is followed religiously by all, hoodlums would certainly cease to exist, and Mr. Umaisha might have to do away with a similar title for his next work.
Overall, Hoodlums, with its simple and flowing prose and its contextual experiences is a delightful and expository read.
- 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....
- 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...
- 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
Hoodlums: A commentary on society
Elizabeth Adeolu?s review of Hoodlums, a collection of short stories by Sumaila Umaisha, published by Hybun; pages ? 110
When one reads Sumaila Umaisha?s collection of short stories Hoodlums, one sees how the everyday mishaps, joys, and sheer insanity that riddle our individual and national existence are creatively and clearly put into words. With seventeen concise and interesting stories in the collection, Hoodlums is a book that one would not want to put down until one finishes reading it.
The stories discuss all ranges of human emotions and expressions, generally, and, other times, with specific focus on the Nigerian environment, referred to appropriately as Gold City in at least one of the stories. Gold City is appropriate to describe the abundance of resources that are available in this country, but whether they are put into good use is another matter all together, and that is one of the preoccupations of the author. Umaisha portrays in this book the hoodlums in society and their victims. Umaisha accurately describes us.
The sad reality of the situation we all find ourselves in is reflected sharply in these stories. There is reference to the Niger Delta crisis, the religious, political and ethnic riots, the societal and cultural stigmatisation, the insanity of every man, the mysticism of the universe, and, strangely, even love.
There are many themes to be seen in this book of living languages and characters, each one a true aspect of the commentary on society and man, especially in this country. There is acute struggle for control and dominance, especially in such stories as ?The Godfather? and ?Do or Die? where one reads with revulsion the violent power game that politicians play. There is also, simply, the issue of avoidable grief and pains as first introduced by the story of little Tene who loses her innocence by watching her mother die in ?Militants?.
The general madness or insanity of people irrespective of class, education, or gender is also an underlying message that is revealed throughout the book. Insanity is defined as being seriously mentally ill and not fit to live in normal society, and in its informal sense is described as actions that are very stupid and possibly dangerous. This description could certainly fit the insanity of the militants who decide to fight the authorities by killing masses like themselves; insanity of the religious bigots who kill each other because of a ?difference? that is not known to the common man. It is confirmed as a fact by the actions of the bus driver who tears naira notes in half and attempts to lure passengers into his bus by trickery; by the security agencies who think the solution to quelling corruption within their ranks is withdrawing agents from their duty posts. It portrays even the insanity of an old woman who begins to see things that others do not see because of alienation, and the unknown woman who dumps a mere post-foetal baby into the bin.
Then there is the issue of hoodlums ? the subject of the book. In majority of the stories, Umaisha shows that there is a hoodlum in almost every situation, whether as conspicuous as the militants in ?Militants?, the religious rioters in ?After the Riot?, the assassin and his senders in ?Do or Die?; to even the unnamed baby dumper in ?The Outcast?, the honourables represented in the ?The Honourable Minister?, and even the sadistic, self-centred watchers of violent acts like Alhaji Ibrahim in ?The Riot? who believe they are immune to violence without thinking about the proverb ?If you throw a stone into the market, it would hit your relative?.
Then there is the quest for freedom from all of these man-made shackles. This is definitely what led the man in the lift in ?Seat of Power? to venture subconsciously into a futuristic world where he is king; it is what sent the professor in ?The Last Hiding Place? on nocturnal visits to the forest, it is what made a lonely old woman in the ?Black Cat? look into the eyes of her cat to find a portal to other worlds, it is what sent the old woman Onkwo in ?The Forbidden Path? to seek another world. It is what led many of the characters in this revealing book to find a refuge, albeit deceptive, in hard drugs.
Sadly, there is no permanent hiding place of escape from these largely man-made problems, save for, perhaps, death. I would like to imagine that the pathetic fallacy employed in ?The Outcast? is a direct reference to the fact that even nature sympathises with our plight.
The idealists, the likes of Ben in the titular ?Hoodlums? and Obata in ?The Godfather?, who try to right the many wrongs of society are dispatched to the life yonder.
But, in the midst of all these bitterness and confusion are signs that love still reigns. A love as intense as that professed by the professor (no pun intended) in ?The Last Hiding Place?, ?? I love you, I love you so much that I would rather die than to let anything or anyone hurt you.? A love as binding and above-sentimental-issues as that between Ben and Mairo in ?Hoodlums?. The nurturing and protective love that made a woman pick up a child from the bin and attempt to keep her from societal stigma and want in ?The Outcast?; the love of a friend that makes Shamna risk his life to save his friend in the majorly futuristic story ?Seat of Power?; even the love of family that turned Zabi mad in ?After the Riot?.
And in all of these paradoxical and chaotic situations, the words of Mallam Sanda in ?The Magic? stand out as true, timeless, and effective, ?? keep close to God and be good to everyone, including those who appear to be unfriendly to you. And work hard.?
If this advice is followed religiously by all, hoodlums would certainly cease to exist, and Mr. Umaisha might have to do away with a similar title for his next work.
Overall, Hoodlums, with its simple and flowing prose and its contextual experiences is a delightful and expository read.
- 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....
- 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...
- 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...