Africa Kills Her Sun" by Ken Saro Wiwa Book Review

 My professor noted that "Africa Kills Her Sun" is among his preferred texts. Like him, I fell in love with its contents after reading it for the first time. Ken, a Nigerian author and economic activist, published this story in 1989. 

"Africa Kills Her Sun" is a riveting account of a bandit about to be executed and is excited about the ordeal. Bana, the narrator, narrates to his childhood girlfriend, Zole, the events that led him to be a thug and bid her goodbye in the form of a letter. First, he expresses the emotions of a love story almost forgotten after ten years. Perhaps this is the appropriate moment to remember it when he is about to die.

Bana and his two friends, Sazan and Jimba, are in prison awaiting capital punishment after admitting to being guilty of theft and the murder of a police officer. Their stunt is meant to protect the junior bandits who had committed the crime in self-defense after the Superintend of Police failed to keep away the police escort as agreed. However, Bana is not writing this letter for Zole to sympathize with his current situation. Instead, he intends to catch up with Zole after separating for ten years and has a last favor to request. It is his final act of love. 

You may want to know how the three men readily accepted their fatal fate. Bana was in the Merchant Navy, where extreme corruption that hurt his loyalty happened. Since he could not report the issue to a senior leader, he quit to become a thief. His latter choice was propelled by a prostitute who was proud of her job and weighed it just like any other career, such as a secretary or pilot. On the other hand, Sazan was a sergeant in the army, while Jimba was a Corporal in the Police Force. The three met when they had chosen that unpopular path that would eventually lead to their death.

Bana finalizes his tale by recommending the epitaph of his choice: 'Africa kills her sun.' He instructs Zole to access a sculptor to curve his image as it would appear in the national newspaper after he is executed. Besides, they should craft that phrase as his epitaph.

"Africa Kills Her Sun" depicts determination in whichever task one handles. You will also come across corruption issues, religion, and a clear view of the "dark situation" in Africa. The subtle question remains: is your career the job of your choice, or is it your only option?

I recommend "Africa Kills Her Sun" to anyone interested in hilariously evaluating political wrangles. For example, "What would you say about a robber shot in a stadium before a cheering crowd?"

It is sad how Ken Saro foreshadows his death in "Africa Kills Her Sun" as a former Nigerian military regime executes him six years later for leading the Ogoni community of Nigeria against environmental exploitation.