Mama

Abstract

Mama regaled us with the haunting tale of the wounded Hausa soldier who had unwittingly sought refuge in their backyard, a place of refuge marred by the echoes of gunshots and unrest from the previous night. A throng of furious women had gathered, throwing stones and hurled curses at the ill-fated man. Mama, fueled by a deep-seated resentment stemming from the memory of her husband’s incomplete returns from the North, had joined in the stoning with the same fervor she once used to pound fufu in good times.