Authors: Dr. Kosi J. Avotri and Nella P. Avotri
ISBN: 1420873067
Set in the Volta region of Ghana, pediatrician Kosi J. Avotri and his wife Nella P. Avotri’s novel Child of Pologamy makes excellent use of loosely linked tales to help us better understand the customs and traditions of Ghanaians who live in this corner of the world.
Each chapter of the novel focuses on different aspects of daily life in a small town as they live it and is narrated by three main characters: Mina, one of the wives in a polygamous relationship, her father Mededu and her daughter, Safia.
The novel begins with the application of customary law regarding the trial of Mededu, head of the city of Sakuma. Accused of a criminal act by his rival Ketor, the first in line to become chief, if Mededu’s rule is brought to an end, the latter must place his dominant hand in a pot of boiling palm oil to prove innocence. of the. If guilty, he would suffer horrific burns or even death. Fortunately, Mededu is found not guilty and his accuser must pay a fine for a false accusation.
The complicated relationship between Mina and Mededu is particularly intriguing as it deals with the pros and cons of converting to Christianity. Mina fails to understand why her father is adamant in not wanting to follow her example and why she wants to keep her traditional religion, worshiping guardian spirits and ancestors. Mededu maintains that if he converted, the grandparents would not be pleased, and to support his argument he relates an experience he had when he was saved by the ancestors.
The practice of polygamy that is governed by classical or customary law is explored and examined with great sensitivity. This is prevalent in the conversation between Safia and her brother Seyo, when the former asks the latter how her father could live with two wives. According to Seyo, the arrangement is quite simple, “he spent a week with one wife and the next week with the other.” When Safia asks her mother why she married dad when she knew he already had a wife, Mina replies that “it is common for a man to marry more than one woman if he is able to take care of them.”
The authors address other difficult issues such as the treatment of mental illness, incest, the Catholic Church’s acceptance of polygamous families but at the same time preventing them from fully participating, suicide, education, sibling relationships of a polygamous marriage, and taboos
This is a compelling book that never gets shrill as the authors manage to present the information clearly and concisely related to many serious topics related to Ghanaian culture that are foreign to most of us and perhaps even mind blowing to some.
