Nigerian Literature

African-born poet Lola Shoneyin makes her fiction debut with The Secret Lives of Babi Segi’s Wives, a perceptive, entertaining, and eye-opening novel of polygamy in modern-day Nigeria. The struggles, rivalries, intricate family politics, and the interplay of personalities and relationships within the complex private world of a polygamous union come to life in The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives—Big Love and The 19 th Wife set against a contemporary African background.

Ara is left heartbroken when her childhood sweetheart, Oye, leaves her for another woman. But she is unwilling to let go of the only man she has ever loved and is determined to do everything she can to get him back. When C.J, who is also having relationship problems with his girlfriend, comes up with the suggestion to pretend to be a couple, to get their exes jealous, Ara jumps at it gladly, both of them confident that this will be exactly the kick the people in their lives need to realise how much they love them. What begins as taking a few pictures for the 'gram soon becomes a journey of discovery for Ara; of herself and of the very true meaning of the word love.

Deep in the Niger Delta, officer Chike Ameobi deserts the army and sets out on the road to Lagos. He is soon joined by a wayward private, a naive militant, a vulnerable young woman and a runaway middle-class wife. The shared goals of this unlikely group: freedom and new life. As they strive to find their places in the city, they become embroiled in a political scandal. Ahmed Bakare, editor of the failing Nigerian Journal, is determined to report the truth. Yet government minister Chief Sandayo will do anything to maintain his position. Trapped between the two, they are forced to make a life-changing decision. Full of shimmering detail, Welcome to Lagos is a stunning portrayal of an extraordinary city, and of seven lives that intersect in a breathless story of courage and survival.