The novel discusses the life of a journalist named Mr. Justus Omoeko, whose life is being threatened due to his soon-to-be-published novel, Angels Live in Heaven. This novel of his describes the religious gambits of supposed men of God, power drunken politicians, military dictatorship, poverty, lack of employment in the country, etc. Having established these facts, we can now proceed to the discussion of the themes in the novel which have been summarised into three, namely: moral decadence, man’s struggle for survival and man’s inhumanity to man.
The theme of moral decadence is portrayed throughout the novel. One aspect of moral decadence in the society which is critically addressed in the novel is seen in the dealings of Pastor David and his friend, Alani (also known as Prophet T.C. Jeremiah), who trick their congregations in the name of our Father”.
It then means that there are various parts of the society that have morally decayed. These so-called pastors perform signs and wonders with the aid of diabolism and charms. They are so self-conceited that they are not concerned about morality at all. According to Prophet Jeremiah, he was not bothered about the morality of what he was about to do (280).
This is owing to the billions of naira that he will craftily collect from General Sani Idoti, the military Head of State. His intent is summarized in the following statement: after all, the money belonged to Nigerians, and he was a Nigerian! (280). His justification is that he is collecting his own share of the national cake. This reveals the moral decadence in the political sector. The following excerpt shows the affluence of the politicians that patronise the pastors in the novel:
On getting there, Pastor David was busy attending to some people who came in big cars: Limousine, Previa and C-Class Mercedez Benz… They were known people. The first to emerge was Sir Johnson Inalende, the Commissioner for Poverty Eradication… Chief Eric Gbewudani, the Director-General of the Ministry of Poverty Eradication and Dr. Bode Eruobodo, the Commissioner for Planning and Development.
It is no surprise that these politicians hold crucial positions in society. However, rather than channelling their resources towards improving the lives of the people, they give them away to pastors for spiritual backing. As such, pastors are shown ‘sweeping in affluence’ through tithes and offerings. This seems to be the reason the guys at the beer parlour comment that Churches should be treated as business ventures and the money they get should be used to provide basic amenities in the country.
Meanwhile, Prophet Jeremiah gives incriminating information about the ministers (politicians) in his newspaper column which yields him monetary homage from these ministers. He also reveals his intention to lie to the Head of State, General Sani Idoti: “…He might even tell him that his enemies were the ones behind such gory incidents. Just to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it.” (290). In this light, one identifies a pastor who tells lie to accord favour from people. It is ironical because this same pastor will mount the pulpit and preach about the need to repent from known and unknown sins.
Pastor Jeremiah also proves to be a cheat and an adulterer as he impregnates a member of the Church, Nkechi. He hides the pregnancy of Nkechi from everyone, including his wife. One can also infer that Prophet Jeremiah is a murderer as the whereabouts of Pastor Hezekiah, whom he kidnapped, is not known until the end. He even unjustly mistreats Mr Justus using his influence with the Head of State because Mr Justus’ novel discusses issues relating to his life.
Furthermore, Pastor David, Prophet Jeremiah’s counterpart tricks the ladies who come to his church for prayers. Unknown to them, the pastor had previously gotten information about them from their friend. Thus, he requests a certain amount of money for spiritual backing. The desperate ladies are only too willing to comply. Everything Pastor David does belies his so-called status as a pastor.
He drinks eight bottles of alcoholic drinks at a go. In collaboration with his partner, he uses dubious means to remain relevant. This is achieved through the use of charms from their “Elders Coven cum Brotherhood”. Furthermore, to retain the potency of the charms, they perform human sacrifices: Prophet Jeremiah sacrifices an eight-day-old baby every year. Therefore, they are dubious, licentious, hypocritical, unjust and immoral.
Another pertinent theme in the novel is man’s struggle for survival. At every point in the lives of the characters, one can see how the need to survive drives them to commit atrocities. The first character is Alani, who later becomes Prophet Jeremiah. Alani is a poor married man who cannot afford to provide for his wife and son, due to his meagre wages as a supermarket cleaner.
(30) Alani is so poor that he has to seek assistance from his neighbour, Baba Festus, who agrees to loan him money and takes his radio set as collateral. Unfortunately, Alani only gets “thirty naira” which can barely feed him. Due to the poor state of Alani, he sends his wife and his only child to the village. After the demise of his only child, he divorces his wife and sets out to begin life afresh. In a bid to become rich, Alani becomes a prophet. He does not only become a prophet but a fake one who uses charms to lure members to his church.
He needs to survive at all cost; therefore, he agrees to sacrifice an eight-day-old child annually to renew the potency of the charms. To get wealthier, he uses diabolical means to brainwash the Head of State and makes him do his biddings. He is desperate to cover his tracks; thus, he frustrates the life of the Journalist cum writer, Mr Justus Omoeko. One sees the extent to which people can go to satisfy their desires, especially for people like Alani, who has tasted poverty. They would do anything to remain in the circle of the rich.
The character of Tosin (Alani’s girlfriend), one whom people would naturally blame for being the cause of her death, from the narrative, is the daughter of a primary school teacher and trader. Judging from the status of her parents, it is only natural to infer that as a young girl, she faces financial difficulty. No wonder she ends up being with Alani who impregnates her. Her parents seem so busy trying to make ends meet that they are unaware of her pregnancy till she died.
The shocking news of her death kills her father and makes her mother a lunatic. Tosin’s death can be said to (indirectly) be as a result of parental negligence due to the struggle for survival. Rebecca Daniel, an orphan, is another character in the novel who also struggles to survive. Life’s troubles drive her to become a prostitute as she rejects an incestuous relationship with her father. She becomes an orphan after her father commits suicide. She meets Georgina who introduces her to the business of prostitution.
Her friend, Georgina, aside from personal reasons, also does prostitution as a means to survive in the metropolis. In a bid to survive as prostitutes, they are faced with the risks of death through failed abortion, kidnapping, ritual killing, etc. Therefore, when Prophet T.C. Jeremiah asks for Rebecca’s hand in marriage, she sees it as an opportunity to quit commercialising her body for monetary gains. But Georgina, on the other hand, dies while trying to survive and make ends meet. Thus, in as much as they are all striving to survive, they all encounter various challenges which make or mar them.
Lastly, the way Mr Justus is treated in the novel depicts man’s inhumanity to man. He is treated with disdain without any justification other than his soon-to-be-published novel. Meanwhile, what he discusses in his novel is nothing but the truth. Besides, he writes with a motive to correct and not to spite anyone. This connects us to the dictatorship of the military head of state. It is not uncommon in a military regime that the head of state becomes the sole authority.
Hence, anything or anyone that flouts his order comes under his wrath. It is in the same capacity that the military soldiers treat Justus. He is treated less than a human being because he is allegedly accused of planning a coup against the head of state. Hence, he is sentenced to life imprisonment without a fair hearing. However, the end of the reign of the dictator, General Sani Idoti, leads to Justus’ freedom.
In conclusion, the highlighted themes discuss critical issues that pervade our society, by drawing facts from our contemporary world. Issues discussed are not farfetched as we can see, feel and touch them. Some so-called men of God who use diabolical means to enslave their members, how they belie their position and exhibit traits of false worship. Due to their connection with notable politicians in the society, they feel they are above the law. Thus, they bend the law to suit their desires. Also, the fact that prostitution is the world’s oldest business remains unchanged.
Apart from the risks associated with trade, many women see it as a means to survive in society. After all, Rebecca is fortunate enough to be a “mummy G.O” through her profession. Although it is unplanned, she sees it as prayers answered since a job is not forthcoming. This bespeak of the economy of the country. Critics could as well argue that she could have gotten a teaching job being a trained teacher. Furthermore, survival is key to the existence of mankind.
Everybody on planet earth wishes to attain a better position at certain points in life. Everyone desires to be rich. It becomes morally unacceptable when one becomes rich by swindling and dubbing other people, who invariably are struggling to survive too. Thus, the contemporary issues discussed in the novel have only been summarised into three themes for better understanding.
…Akamadu, a student of the University of Lagos, won the third place of the In The Name of Our Father Prize organised by Reading Café at UNILAG’s Department of English