Why a Booktrail?
2000s: Immerses you into the harsh reality of life in Nigeria and the changes a family must make in moving to the country – no matter which country you are in.
Tiny Sunbirds Far Away
What you need to know before your trail
Blessing is a twelve year old girl living with her 14 year old brother Ezekiel. When their parents separate they find their comfortable lives in Lagos completely torn apart when they are forced to move to their mother’s village Warri.
Now they must learn to adapt to a new way of living,a new way of being and a new community spirit. Life away from the big city will be very different indeed .
Travel Guide
If you ever wanted to know or to even experience a slice of life in the Niger Delta then this is the book to travel there with. Many books based in this part of the world seem to focus on the oil situation there but this one really looks at a wide range of issues such as poverty, the everyday struggle of the locals and even FGM. The oil situation however is there to show how the local people are exploited, one of which is Alhaji, Blessing’s grandfather.
12 year old Blessing is a good and unique narrator and to see the culture shock of them having to leave the comfort of their home and having to move to a village where they fetch their own water, and thats if the well has not dried up. Humbling and when seen through the eyes of such a young and innocent child. Very sad and haunting.
What we found particularly sad was the way in which people here seemed resigned to their fate. Not expecting any parcels to Africa to get there as the temptation of the postal workers is too strong.
The contrast between Lagos and the Niger Delta is stark yet so fascinating to see what it must have been like to have gone through such a dramatic life change. Forget the history books, this will show and evoke so much more.
Booktrail Boarding Pass Information:
Twitter: @tinysunbird
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