Should Women Be “Marked Down” If They’re Not Married By 30?
You know a book is good when the front cover gets people talking. The front cover of our Jamati Summer Pick Club pick, The Mrs. Club, shows three women holding signs. The woman in her twenties is holding a sign that says “New Season: Full Price”. The woman in her mid-twenties is holding a sign that says, “End of Season: 50% off.” Alas, the poor woman in her thirties is holding a sign that says “Final Clearance: Name Your Price.” Reader Jane wants to know, “Is a woman worthless unless she gets married? And is a woman in her thirties supposed to be so desperate that she will take anyone who comes along?”
Well, Jane, I’m not sure that I’m the right person to ask because I didn’t get married until I was well into my 30s. Before that, I was focused on getting to know myself, growing up, and building my career. Plus, I didn’t meet the perfect man until my sweet, kind, wonderful husband came into my life. But even though I was a very happy and content single person, there was definitely a lot of pressure from my family for me to get married. To my great embarrassment, my mother and aunties embarked on a well-intentioned but misguided mission to find me a husband. They basically showed my picture to anyone who even looked like they might know a half-way decent Ghanaian man. I shudder at the memory of one particularly embarassing phone call from a man who called and said “I have been told that you are looking for a husband.” Even though I didn’t let the pressure bother me, I definitely knew it was there. So, no, Jane, I definitely don’t think women in their thirties should be marked “Final Clearance.” But we can’t deny that in African cultures where marriage and family are highly valued, women are judged in large part by whether they are married and have children. » Read more…
Jamati Summer Book Club: The Mrs Club, by Ekene Onu
As the song goes, “Summertime, and the livin’ is easy!” I don’t know if it’s because of the heat, the slower pace of everything, or because there are just so many fun things to do, but summertime is the perfect time to relax and indulge in some slightly guilty pleasures. One way to have a good time without getting into too much trouble is to kick back and enjoy a juicy book. And like so many things in life, a good book is even better when shared with friends. That’s why we are launching the Jamati Summer Book Club. Let’s have some fun and connect with each other!
Measuring Time
Measuring Time by Helon Habila is a novel about LaMamo and Mamo, twin brothers whose mother died in childbirth. After their mother’s death, the boys are raised by their aunt and their heartless father. The brothers separate when LaMamo runs away to become a solider in a West African civil war and Mamo stays home, too sickened by sickle cell anemia to join his brother. The brothers stay in touch through LaMamo’s letters from the warfront as Mamo goes on to become a brilliant student, defying expectations that he would not live long. » Read more…
African Folktalkes for the Entire Family
Kiddie Folk Tales by Anita N. Eboka is a unique book with two stories that kids of all ages will love. The stories teach about staying focused and about team spirit, lessons that we can all use. The story The Ant Squad is about an ant named Tito who loves to go to school and is a straight ‘A’ student. Sometimes it seems to his friends that he takes school too seriously and might come across as quite boring. Tito’s friends love to play and have fun round the clock but Tito thinks differently. Find out how he succeeds in motivating his friends to stay focused, and the big reward that follows.
The King Finger is an exciting story about the five fingers that will delight children of all ages. The fingers want to have a King, and each finger thinks he should rule. A big fight breaks out and they stop playing together and talking to each other. Realizing that the conflict is not good for any of them, the fingers decided to work together to resolve their problems. The story teaches important lessons about cooperation as Peter Pointer, Patrick Pinky and Tommy Thumb each make their case for why they should be King. » Read more…
African Folktales for the Entire family
This is a nice book for children. My friend recommended it and I enjoyed reading it to my children. My children especially loved the King Finger. I was surprised at the quality of the work. Africans are really going places and this makes me proud.
The Shadow Speaker, The Map of Love, and Fatou: An African Girl in Harlem
Twelve year old Fatou travels from West Africa to America thinking she’s furthering her education. Yet, she arrives in New York City greeted by a man three times her age-someone from her village who paid dowry to be her husband. Suffering through pedophiles, deplorably cruel living conditions, and slave life job eventual pushes over the edge. Fatou refuses to be a victim and exerts control of her life by becoming part of Harlem’s fast money scene. This fast paced novel examines what happens when the bonds of family and tradition fall apart. It also shows how a strong and fearless woman can hold her own surrounded by shady men in the dangerous drug game. » Read more…
The Street, The Icarus Girl, and Everything Good Will Come
Nigerian Sefi Atta’s novel Everything Good Will Come charts the fate of two african girls, one born of privilege (Enitan Taiwo) and the other (Sheri Bakare) a lower class “half-caste”. One is prepared to manipulate the traditional system while the other attempts to defy it. the tale traces this unusual friendship into their adult lives, against the backdrop of tragedy, family strife, and war-torn Nigeria. » Read more…
Alek Wek – From Sudanese Refugee to International Supermodel
The rags to riches story of the African is not a new one. People like to tell the story of a poor village African who all of a sudden has luxury and wealth in the West. It is not often that the true in between story is told. In ALEK, the supermodel takes us on her journey between her home country; a war torn Sudan and her current international supermodel global status.
Alek (the 7th of 9 children) was born into a family that was nowhere near wealthy in material things and not quite poor either. The Wek family was rich in the fact that they had a roof over their head, food on the table, and clothes on their back. These things, although basic were not available to many people. Alek’s father was an upright man who loved her mother, and worked hard to provide for his family. » Read more…
A long way gone; Memoirs of a boy soldier – Ishmael Beah
A captivating story of a young boy caught up in the Sierra Leone Civil War whose childhood suddenly changed in a dramatic and horrific manner from that of a young boy full of hopes and dreams to that of a boy soldier bred by an army of sociopathic and unruly rebel armed forces. He later finds redemtion at a rehabilitation camp funded by UNICEF and other NGOs which is where some hope of a normal life was restored until another way riddled the nation sending Ishmael Beah and his family on a flight for safety to the US where he now resides. » Read more…
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Upcoming Events
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June 22 - 24, 2010
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July 10, 2010
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March 22, 2010
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