Sankofa (2021) by Chibundo Onuzo

Nigerian author Chibundo Onuzo

Book Review

Sankofa (2021)

by Chibundo Onuzo

   Genuinely loved this novel by Nigerian author Chibundo Onuzo, about a mixed race British woman, raised by her white mother, who discovers that her husband is the liberator and "Big Man" (and Dictator) of a fictionalized West African nation that combines elements of many different African experiences.  Anna Graham is the narrator and protagonist, 50ish, separated from her white husband.  Her white daughter is a workaholic who struggles with bulimia.  Anna struggles with her own pain, that of growing up in a London council flat in the 1970's with a Welsh Mother who refuses to acknowledge her race in an attempt to "protect" her.   The mechanics of the plot are set into motion when Graham, cleaning out her Mother's flat after her recent death, discovers the journal kept by Francis Aggery, an African student who stayed as a boarder in her Grandfather's house when he was studying in London.

    Aggrey returns to his fictional home of Bamana when his Mother falls ill and ends up leading the liberation struggle and becoming the dictator of the small, diamond rich country.  Graham's first trip is to the library, where she reads up on her absent dad.  Her reading reveals some good- Aggrey- the liberation struggle, years in prison followed by his post-independence elevation to the Presidency, and an early  Presidency that evokes much of the hope that followed African independence; some bad- Aggrey eventually becomes a dictator for much of his reign before stepping down; and some ugly- the state sponsored murder of five students- the Kinnarko Five.

  After that she becomes determined to travel to Bamana and meet her Dad, an adventure that takes up the rest of the book.  Onuzo writes with style and aplomb, she has a sense of humor for sure, and Onuzo's experiences in Bamana manage to combine the perspective of an African with the impressions of a Londoner.  I highly recommend the Audiobook version so you can hear the accents of the characters.