Literature
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 writers as the country continues to provide fertile environment for such thematic pre-occupation. From Festus Iyayi?s novel, Violence (1979) to Wale Okediran?s Tenants of the House (2009), it has been a gloomy portrait of a nation in crisis. Sumaila Umaisha?s new book, Hoodlums, is a veritable addition to the genre.
The book, which is a collection of seventeen short stories, paints a graphic picture of the physical and psychological violence perpetrated in the name of religion, politics and culture. It captures the greed and the resultant blind quest for wealth that serve as the fuel for the incessant pugnacity and bloodshed across the country. Focusing on ethno-religious conflicts to militancy and other violent crises, Umaisha unveils scenes of savagery that has become the trademark of the Nigerian nation ? the tragedies of life that is the lot of the ordinary Nigerian.
The book opens with a story on the armed struggle in the Niger Delta area. Titled, ?Militants?, the story reflects the other side of the militancy ? the fate of women and children in the hostility. In the heat of a clash between the militants and soldiers, ?The confused flow of human traffic was so charged with the fear of death that it had no regard for little kids...? (p. 9). The kids ?had to manage along at the risk of being trampled upon by the moving forest of adult feet?? (p. 10). And the mother of one of the kids, who was shot while searching for her child, ?struggled to her feet but fell back.? (p. 11).
Four stories are dedicated to the ethno-religious riots in the North, particularly the bloody crises in Kaduna (2000) and Jos (2009). They are, ?After the Riot? (p. 12), ?Hoodlums? (p. 16), ?The Riot? (p. 99) and ?Soul Mate? (p. 80). The title story, ?Hoodlums? could be said to be the bloodiest. It is the story of a journalist, Ben, arrested by the police on the allegation of sensational reporting on the riot, and how the raging clashes turned everyone into a monster. Jungle justice is so starkly revealed in its elements that reading the story is like being in the scene of the riot, hedged in by the sight and sound of death and destruction. As Ben is being driven in the police van ?through the streets amidst raging flames from burning houses, vehicles and dead bodies...? (p. 25), he couldn?t help appealing to his captors: ?Should we all turn ourselves into hoodlums because of the situation in which we find ourselves? ?I think we can say no to further descent down the abyss of death and destruction?? (p. 28 - 29). But the inspector?s response shattered Ben?s hope of freedom: ?Sorry, but it too late.? (p. 29). Too late, perhaps, not just for Ben, but for a nation on the edge of total destruction.
Apart from the open violence on the streets, there is also a depiction of the silent but salient acts that are usually the genesis of the crises. They include political manipulation as shown in ?The President?s Portrait? (p. 96); perverted cultural beliefs and practices as portrayed in ?The Outcast? (p. 39) and ?The Forbidden Path?, (p. 54); and corruption, moral decadence and administrative ineptitude, as painted in ?The Honourable Minister? (p. 87), ?The King Himself? (p. 46) and ?Do or Die!? (p. 106).
?The King Himself? is particularly interesting because it centres on an unusual character whose ?position afforded him the uncanny privilege of being a combination of a top civil servant, a politician, a businessman... He was all these at the same time, but you could not pin him down to any of these at any time?? (p. 49). The character, who actually becomes mad and names himself king, is not just a metaphor for the typical Nigerian elite, but a pathetic image of a degenerating society. It is a picture of a society in limbo, a society that is at a stage where even a confirmed mad man could clearly see the madness in the so-called sane. Read this excerpt from a dialogue between a journalist and the mad man, the king:
??is it true that one millionaire murdered his wife yesterday?? said the king.
?How did you get the information?? I asked, surprised.
?I have my ears cocked all the time. Moreover, the poor woman is my ex-wife. She left me when I became a king.?
?Your ex-wife??
?Now, tell me, is the millionaire mad?? he asked, ignoring my question.
?No, he is perfectly sane. They said he did it out of anger.?
?Out of anger? From the way you speak, you don?t seem to know the story well. I?ve never seen a millionaire who is not mad one way or the other.?
?I know the story very well. In fact, I have just finished writing the story. I know every detail of it.?
?You are a journalist or a policeman then??
?News editor.?
?And you are saying the man is sane??
I saw a mocking smile frolicking round his mouth... (p. 48)
Another interesting dialogue could be found in ?The Honourable Minister?, a drama crafted in a short story form. A journalist is interviewing the minister on the electricity problem and just as the minister is boasting about the country?s repositioned power company, there is a power failure, leaving them in solid darkness!
One of the major strengths of Umaisha is his ability to craft harsh realities into simple metaphors. On the surface is the story, but between the lines is the heart of the story itself ? story that involves or implicates everyone. In the stories even the reader stands accused without knowing it! The author being a journalist (an award-winning literary journalist with the New Nigerian Newspapers), it is no wonder that the stories are topical and presented in a simple but artistic and thought-provoking style that leaves the reader enough room to partake in the creative process of appreciating the works.
Hoodlums is also about love and the quest for a harmonious co-existence. This is most explicit in ?The Last Hiding Place? (p. 31) where the couple, Professor Ameh Deen and Amelia, come to terms with their individual shortcomings, reconcile their differences and live happily ever after ? a clear statement on the way forward for Nigeria: If Nigerians could learn to be upright, accommodate each other?s weaknesses and emphasise the affinity between their individual concepts of humanity, hope is not lost.
In conclusion, therefore, one could say Umaisha?s Hoodlums is a harvest of crises as well as a message of hope.
Yahaya Ibrahim, Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria.
- 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,...
- Umaisha And Omalicha Offer November Treat In Abuja
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- 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...
- My New Book!
My collection of short stories has just been released. From the back of the book: THE BOOK Hoodlums is a collection of short stories reflecting the Nigerian situation, especially the physical and psychological violence perpetrated in the name of religion,...
Literature
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 writers as the country continues to provide fertile environment for such thematic pre-occupation. From Festus Iyayi?s novel, Violence (1979) to Wale Okediran?s Tenants of the House (2009), it has been a gloomy portrait of a nation in crisis. Sumaila Umaisha?s new book, Hoodlums, is a veritable addition to the genre.
The book, which is a collection of seventeen short stories, paints a graphic picture of the physical and psychological violence perpetrated in the name of religion, politics and culture. It captures the greed and the resultant blind quest for wealth that serve as the fuel for the incessant pugnacity and bloodshed across the country. Focusing on ethno-religious conflicts to militancy and other violent crises, Umaisha unveils scenes of savagery that has become the trademark of the Nigerian nation ? the tragedies of life that is the lot of the ordinary Nigerian.
The book opens with a story on the armed struggle in the Niger Delta area. Titled, ?Militants?, the story reflects the other side of the militancy ? the fate of women and children in the hostility. In the heat of a clash between the militants and soldiers, ?The confused flow of human traffic was so charged with the fear of death that it had no regard for little kids...? (p. 9). The kids ?had to manage along at the risk of being trampled upon by the moving forest of adult feet?? (p. 10). And the mother of one of the kids, who was shot while searching for her child, ?struggled to her feet but fell back.? (p. 11).
Four stories are dedicated to the ethno-religious riots in the North, particularly the bloody crises in Kaduna (2000) and Jos (2009). They are, ?After the Riot? (p. 12), ?Hoodlums? (p. 16), ?The Riot? (p. 99) and ?Soul Mate? (p. 80). The title story, ?Hoodlums? could be said to be the bloodiest. It is the story of a journalist, Ben, arrested by the police on the allegation of sensational reporting on the riot, and how the raging clashes turned everyone into a monster. Jungle justice is so starkly revealed in its elements that reading the story is like being in the scene of the riot, hedged in by the sight and sound of death and destruction. As Ben is being driven in the police van ?through the streets amidst raging flames from burning houses, vehicles and dead bodies...? (p. 25), he couldn?t help appealing to his captors: ?Should we all turn ourselves into hoodlums because of the situation in which we find ourselves? ?I think we can say no to further descent down the abyss of death and destruction?? (p. 28 - 29). But the inspector?s response shattered Ben?s hope of freedom: ?Sorry, but it too late.? (p. 29). Too late, perhaps, not just for Ben, but for a nation on the edge of total destruction.
Apart from the open violence on the streets, there is also a depiction of the silent but salient acts that are usually the genesis of the crises. They include political manipulation as shown in ?The President?s Portrait? (p. 96); perverted cultural beliefs and practices as portrayed in ?The Outcast? (p. 39) and ?The Forbidden Path?, (p. 54); and corruption, moral decadence and administrative ineptitude, as painted in ?The Honourable Minister? (p. 87), ?The King Himself? (p. 46) and ?Do or Die!? (p. 106).
?The King Himself? is particularly interesting because it centres on an unusual character whose ?position afforded him the uncanny privilege of being a combination of a top civil servant, a politician, a businessman... He was all these at the same time, but you could not pin him down to any of these at any time?? (p. 49). The character, who actually becomes mad and names himself king, is not just a metaphor for the typical Nigerian elite, but a pathetic image of a degenerating society. It is a picture of a society in limbo, a society that is at a stage where even a confirmed mad man could clearly see the madness in the so-called sane. Read this excerpt from a dialogue between a journalist and the mad man, the king:
??is it true that one millionaire murdered his wife yesterday?? said the king.
?How did you get the information?? I asked, surprised.
?I have my ears cocked all the time. Moreover, the poor woman is my ex-wife. She left me when I became a king.?
?Your ex-wife??
?Now, tell me, is the millionaire mad?? he asked, ignoring my question.
?No, he is perfectly sane. They said he did it out of anger.?
?Out of anger? From the way you speak, you don?t seem to know the story well. I?ve never seen a millionaire who is not mad one way or the other.?
?I know the story very well. In fact, I have just finished writing the story. I know every detail of it.?
?You are a journalist or a policeman then??
?News editor.?
?And you are saying the man is sane??
I saw a mocking smile frolicking round his mouth... (p. 48)
Another interesting dialogue could be found in ?The Honourable Minister?, a drama crafted in a short story form. A journalist is interviewing the minister on the electricity problem and just as the minister is boasting about the country?s repositioned power company, there is a power failure, leaving them in solid darkness!
One of the major strengths of Umaisha is his ability to craft harsh realities into simple metaphors. On the surface is the story, but between the lines is the heart of the story itself ? story that involves or implicates everyone. In the stories even the reader stands accused without knowing it! The author being a journalist (an award-winning literary journalist with the New Nigerian Newspapers), it is no wonder that the stories are topical and presented in a simple but artistic and thought-provoking style that leaves the reader enough room to partake in the creative process of appreciating the works.
Hoodlums is also about love and the quest for a harmonious co-existence. This is most explicit in ?The Last Hiding Place? (p. 31) where the couple, Professor Ameh Deen and Amelia, come to terms with their individual shortcomings, reconcile their differences and live happily ever after ? a clear statement on the way forward for Nigeria: If Nigerians could learn to be upright, accommodate each other?s weaknesses and emphasise the affinity between their individual concepts of humanity, hope is not lost.
In conclusion, therefore, one could say Umaisha?s Hoodlums is a harvest of crises as well as a message of hope.
Yahaya Ibrahim, Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria.
- 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,...
- Umaisha And Omalicha Offer November Treat In Abuja
Two emerging writers, Sumaila Umaisha and Ifeyinwa Omalicha, will feature at the 28th edition of the Abuja Writers? Forum?s Guest Writer Session, which holds on November 27, according to the Forum?s PRO, Abudullahi Abubakar: The event, which holds from...
- 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...
- My New Book!
My collection of short stories has just been released. From the back of the book: THE BOOK Hoodlums is a collection of short stories reflecting the Nigerian situation, especially the physical and psychological violence perpetrated in the name of religion,...