by Martins Agbonlahor
Killing Them Softly, by Martins Agbonlahor, a Nigerian-born United Kingdom’s based trained lawyer and journalist is not just only a seminar book on the struggle for women’s rights in Nigeria but also of the exhibition of the oppression and injustice visited on the women based on cultural beliefs and practices. It is a revolt against this odious maltreatment.
It is an x–ray, in a very moving manner of happenings in Nigeria, where bad governance has given root to endemic problems of injustice, abuse of human rights, bribery and corruption, religious bigotry and all sorts of social vices and economic woes. It is also a reflection on other Africa countries where such practices are elevated to an act.
Interestingly, the writer has shown through his proper situation of the story that he may have left his country of birth, but he is fully abreast of developments in the country, as he draws essentially from his background and experience to lay bare the endemic problems plaguing his fatherland.
He will surely earn the recommendation of anyone reading the 318 pages novel for telling his story from the stand point of a feminist. Agbonlahor succeeded in sustaining interest in his socio–fictional cum factual novel by choosing to adopt the story telling technique rather than use mere polemics and socio-jingoism employed by many of the feminists or promoters of feminism.
It is this story telling method which has to do with telling the story from the standpoint of a fictional lead character, Martha Clifford, that makes it worthwhile and something that anyone will find difficult to put down once you get through the first few pages.
Agbonlahor from the prologue left no one in doubt of what he sets out to achieve with his work: Detonate African’s oppressive culture as laid bare in a patriarchy setting and beliefs that at every point undermines the rights of the women, putting a hold on them as second class, if not third class citizens, who are only fit to fan the embers of man’s ego, doing his biddings and satisfying his erotic and bestial desires.
Although not a feminist himself, but for obvious reasons through the use of his poetic license as a writer, he has decided to bring to the fore the disadvantaged position society has put women. And so, at every point in the novel, while unfolding happenings across the socio-cultural, economic, religious and political planes, to bad governance, he does so highlighting how all of these are skewed against the women.
The 28 chapters are devoted to how Martha Clifford challenged the status quo, trying to break the glass ceil and act not only as a conscience of the society but as a voice for the oppressed women and others in the society.
Agbonlahor takes his readers into the inner recess of the cultural practices and beliefs of his Benin background, giving us a benefit of his experience and apt understanding of the cultural practices of his forebears while growing up in the city of Benin.
Clifford is raised in a polygamous home, where the father calls the shot and turns his wives and children to mere furniture or appendages to his person as none of them had say in the running of the home or dare go against the autocratic decree of his father, who is seen as ‘The Lord of the Manor.’
Growing up, she agonises over these accepted ways of life and whenever she raises questions, she is silenced by her father and mother as well as others around her, who have acquiesced with the oppressive and degrading cultural practices, to simply do as she is told and not go against the societal code as the consequences are grievous.
Her fate was defined from the first day of her life. And this, she knew too well as she lived in perpetual fear of being denied education and given out early in marriage. Perhaps her first practical experience of the brutality of the skewed cultural practice was the mutilation of her genital at a very tender age by her parents. This experience was like a wake-up call to the reality of her situation as a girl–child growing up in a patriarchy environment and under a stultifying cultural belief.
But somehow, fate smiled on her as at the point of being given out in marriage, her prospective husband, who happens to be a creditor to the father, and the manager of the pool betting outfit in her community, brought the good news of her father becoming an instant millionaire following his winning.
However, before handling the cheque to her father, he succeeded in eliciting a promise from the father to educate Martha Clifford from secondary school level to university level.
It was this singular happening that changed her life as she gradually became more exposed to the realities of the injustices around her, especially those melted to the women; for which she naturally became a defender and decided to take on the establishment, going against the grains of her culture and society. For this, she paid the ultimate price, going to prison.
Reflecting on the road destiny has taken her through, she says of the transformation of her life from a local village girl to an internationally recognised feminist and human rights crusader thus:
”I had set out to be a Microbiologist, sweating it out in the labs and fondling with all familiar and unknown test tubes and syringes, but events and call of conscience were to steer me in another direction. And here I am.”
With five of her university friends, she formed a group known as ‘Women Incorporated,’ which was later corrupted by the government and the society to, ‘Woeman6.’ Imprisoned for over two years alongside her five other feminists went ahead to fight against every injustice faced by women and children.
Despite her fight, she was not able to reach the ‘mountain-top of her desire’ due to the deep-seated nature of the cultural beliefs and endemic corrupt practices in her country, as she voiced out her frustration thus.
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”Our country, Nigeria, has deep–seated, stone–age anti– feminine culture coupled with her two main religions, Christianity and Islam, as well as the unofficial ‘traditional religion.’ All of these place woman in an inferior position, their adherents quoting verses and spitting venom in support of the debasement, our slavish existence.
”Therefore, so long as there are still these stark inequalities, there will always be toes to be stepped on, and we shall courageously continue to step, and in fact, thump on them, until these toes develop gangrene or feminine rights are respected in Nigeria.”
Martha Clifford may not have reached the mountaintop of her desire, however, she has through her many fights succeeded in breaking many grounds and drawing attention of the international community and her people to the oppression of the women and the less privileged in the society amidst other issues that she set out to address.
This, she clearly reflected on in the epilogue, page 318, where she also expressed optimism following the recent developments in the political landscape of her country, with some women now being elected and appointed into political offices, and one of her members, Ifueko, made a minister of Women Affairs, predicting that in less than two decades a woman president may emerged in her country.
”In short we’ve shown to the world that human rights which also include the rights of women should not just be an empty phrase mouthed by insincere propagandists, but one that finds meaning and fulfilment in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
”Please, keep the flag flying.”
The author has carefully penciled the novel in a lucid, simple as well as easy to comprehend language, with symmetric flow and diction while he has also spiced it with anecdotes and drawing examples from other parts of the world to drive home his story.
He draws also in terms of anecdotes from his years of stay in Europe, precisely Italy, where he first sojourned before relocating to London, where he presently resides with his family.
This is a book every Nigerian, especially the women and human rights activists should read so as to understand the plight of women and the oppressed. It also seeks to banish it through concerted efforts as Martha Clifford and her team sought to draw many followers to their fold through this process.