"Weep not, child" by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o.

This novel is about the white domination of the blacks in Kenya, with particular reference to the sufferings of Ngotho and his family. He has 5 sons from two wives : Boro, Kori and Kamau from his first wife, Njeri ; and Njoroge and Mwangi from his second wife, Nyokabi. The whites seize the blacks' best lands and the land of Ngotho's fathers is taken by Mr Howland and Jacobo, Ngotho's neighbours. While Mr Howland is a white, Jacobo is a black traitor. 

Blacks are often conscripted to fight in European wars. One of these wars claims Mwangi and Howland's son Peter. Ngotho works as Mr Howland's labourer on his own land. Oppressed blacks form the Mau Mau nationalist movement. Jacobo is killed for betraying black people and the police arrest and torture members of Ngotho's family as suspects. Njoroge is arrested from school. Ngotho is released soon after but he later dies at home. Later, Boro goes to Mr Howland's home, kills him and is arrested. Kamau and Kori are in detention. 

Njoroge is depressed by the fall of his family and goes into the bush to hang himself. However, he is prevented from doing so by Nyokabi's timely arrival and goes back home with her.

"Sizwe Bansi is Dead" by Athol Fugard.

This play is set in apartheid South Africa. 

At the beginning of the play, Styles (a photographer) is reading a newspaper in his studio. From his own mouth, we learn that he formerly works with Ford Motors. He later leaves the job (which he considers unprofitable) and opts for photography (his childhood hobby). 

Then Sizwe Bansi enters the studio to take a snap. He tells his own story: 

Sizwe has left his home , King William's Town, to seek employment in Port Elizabeth. A week after staying with his friend Zola, he is discovered to be an illegal immigrant and ordered to leave. Sizwe moves in with Zola's friend Buntu. 

Buntu and Sizwe are returning from a beer parlor one night when they find a corpse on the street. The dead man is Robert Zwelinzima who, unlike Sizwe, has a workseeker's permit. Buntu advises Sizwe to take up the dead man's identity but he refuses, saying, "I don't want to lose my name. What about my wife,Nowetu? Her loving husband, Sizwe Bansi, is dead! And my children! ... They're registered at school under Bansi" (page 37). 

Buntu lists the advantages: employment opportunity, regular pay, improved living standards and freedom to reside without police harassment. Sizwe eventually succumbs. He exchanges the pictures in his and Robert's passbooks. He then burns his own passbook and takes Robert's passbook and name.

So when he first enters Style's studio, he introduces himself as Robert Zwelinzima.

"Sizwe Bansi is Dead" by Athol Fugard.

This play is set in apartheid South Africa. 

At the beginning of the play, Styles (a photographer) is reading a newspaper in his studio. From his own mouth, we learn that he formerly works with Ford Motors. He later leaves the job (which he considers unprofitable) and opts for photography (his childhood hobby). 

Then Sizwe Bansi enters the studio to take a snap. He tells his own story: 

Sizwe has left his home , King William's Town, to seek employment in Port Elizabeth. A week after staying with his friend Zola, he is discovered to be an illegal immigrant and ordered to leave. Sizwe moves in with Zola's friend Buntu. 

Buntu and Sizwe are returning from a beer parlor one night when they find a corpse on the street. The dead man is Robert Zwelinzima who, unlike Sizwe, has a workseeker's permit. Buntu advises Sizwe to take up the dead man's identity but he refuses, saying, "I don't want to lose my name. What about my wife,Nowetu? Her loving husband, Sizwe Bansi, is dead! And my children! ... They're registered at school under Bansi" (page 37). 

Buntu lists the advantages: employment opportunity, regular pay, improved living standards and freedom to reside without police harassment. Sizwe eventually succumbs. He exchanges the pictures in his and Robert's passbooks. He then burns his own passbook and takes Robert's passbook and name.

So when he first enters Style's studio, he introduces himself as Robert Zwelinzima.

"The Black Temple" by Mohmed Tukur Garba.

Mansir (a native of Kofir in Kano State, Nigeria) is a poor man whose father works as a gardener for a rich family. One day, his employer's spoilt sons ask him to pluck fruits for them against their father's wishes. When Mansir's father refuses, one of them (Daudu) throws a stone at him, blinding him. The owner of the garden throws out Mansir and his sister after their father's death. The sister becomes a prostitute in Kano city.

Mansir later leaves for Lagos in search of greener pastures with one Ibiang. Ibiang introduces him into a secret society, "The Black Temple" (camouflaged as "The Amoto People's Church" during the day). The cult- cum-church is headed by "The Father" and participates in smuggling and human sacrifice. 

Mansir returns to Kofir 2 years later, wealthy. To settle an old score, he takes Daudu with him to Lagos, stabs him to death and brings his heart and blood to the Black Temple. Ibiang,too, donates his niece who lives with him. The police find Daudu's body in the street and begin investigations but their chief (Biodun) is uncooperative. 

After some time, Mansir becomes tired of the Black Temple and decides to quit. However," The Father" says he must return all he acquired after joining the society, including his wife and son. Out of desperation, Mansir goes to the church and shoots "The Father" on the pulpit. He has earlier contacted the police, who later swoop in to search the church. They find stolen goods and the list of the names of the members. Among the names are "Chief Biodun, Linivia Island Police" and some other influential persons. When Inspector Nur phones Chief Biodun to tell him,he decides to shoot himself to prevent being caught alive. The policemen bomb the building used by the Black Temple. 

Inspector Nur commends Mansir for his efforts but says he'll have to spend 3 years in prison. At least, that is better than death, which is the fate of a murderer. He also has a restaurant to return to.

"The Lonely Londoners" by Samuel Savlon.

"The Lonely Londoners" is about the experiences of some West Indians
who have left their homeland for London in search of greener pastures.

The central character, Moses Aloeta, is an experienced immigrant who
helps newer immigrants (including Henry Oliver) to settle down.

However, the new immigrants face problems like inclement weather,
racial discrimination, unemployment and accomodation problems. Their
people back home are desperate to go to London, yet the ones already
there are suffering. The boys are uncomfortable in London but cannot
return home because there is nothing to show for their stay.

"Lord of the Flies" by William Golding.

The novel is about the adventures of a group of English children left alone (or marooned) on a tropical island. They degenerate into savages, due to lack of adult supervision. 

The boys have been evacuated from a war zone and dropped by plane. They choose 12-year-old Ralph as their leader. Of course, there are much younger boys in the group. Things go well for some time. Then troubles start. 

One day, the boys are making a fire on the mountain so that any ship coming near the island will notice and rescue them. The fire spreads beyond their power and kills one of them.

The boys kill pigs on the island for food. Sometimes they see beasts (real or imagined). The younger boys (or "littluns") once talk about a beast from water and the "biguns" allay their fears. Then, a dead airman dropped by parachute to the island is mistaken for a beast with wings. 

Later, Jack Merridew becomes rebellious against Ralph and the group splits into factions. Ralph's factions contains Ralph, Piggy, Sam and Eric. The other boys support Jack. 

One day, Jack's group attack by night and take Piggy's eyeglasses. Piggy has to be led. When Ralph's group go in search of the specs and leave Piggy behind,he is killed by Jack's group. Simon (in Jack's faction) has earlier died. Ralph escapes but the twins (Sam and Eric) are captured. 

Ralph is now alone,feels lonely and makes attempt to reconcile with the others. Jack's group hunt Ralph the following day and Jack dies in the battle. 

Just then, a naval officer comes with a ship to rescue them. All the boys weep over the deaths of their 4 colleagues - the burnt boy, Simon, Piggy and Jack.

"An African Night's Entertainment" by Cyprian Ekwensi.

The novel highlights how the quest for vengeance often leads one into greater problems. Vengeance is best left to God. Also, we should try and submit to God's will. 

Mallam Shehu is the richest man of his time in Galma but he is childless after 35 years of marriage with 3 wives. He is unhappy about this and always asks Allah for just any child. 

One night, Mallam Shehu dreams that he saw a horse he liked at the market. However, the seller told him someone had already bought it for 3 pounds. Mallam Shehu offered the seller 3 pounds 10 shillings to get the horse, to the annoyance of the first buyer. The horse had a foal and Shehu loved both of them. When the foal became rideable and Mallam Shehu rode it into the fields for the first time,it stumbled. He fell and broke an arm and a leg. 

Mallam Shehu wakes up from the dream and sends for Mallam Sambo to interpret the dream for him. Mallam Sambo tells him, " The horse represents your future wife and the foal is your son with her. She is the only girl likely to give you a child. However, you will find her already engaged to another man. If you succeed in snatching her from him, she will give you a child but you will suffer a lot and regret having gone against the will of Allah. It is better to accept your fate". However, Mallam Shehu is desperate to have a child, no matter the consequences. 

Mallam Audu's daughter, Zainobe, has been betrothed to Mallam Abu Bakir ever since they were children. Zainobe initially rejects Mallam Shehu's proposal but he later charms both her and her mother with a magic scent prepared by Mallam Sambo. Zainobe dumps Abu Bakir and marries Mallam Shehu against her father's wishes. The bride price rejected by Zainobe's father is offered to Abu as compensation for his investments on Zainobe. Yet, Abu rejects the gifts and money and decides to seek for vengeance. He leaves his mother in the care of his older brother, ignoring their calls to leave vengeance to God. 

A year later, Zainobe bears a son, Kyauta ( "Allah be thanked") for Mallam Shehu. Kyauta grows up to be both handsome and well-mannered. 

Meanwhile, Abu goes from one village to another in his quest for vengeance. He runs into a gang of thieves who ask him whether he can't find another woman to marry and leave him unhurt. Abu finally arrives Birnin Zauna da Shirin Ka (" the land where everyone holds himself in a state of readiness"), a town peopled by lawbreakers who ran away from other towns. It is a bad town where people did not do wrong in secret. Abu is referred to their leader, Tausayinka da Sauki (" the sorrow in your heart is little"). But even Tausayi fears the vengeance of Allah and makes Abu swear that the punishment for the evil Abu insists on doing shall be on his own head. Tausayi now sends him to his father at Kobonka Naka ("your penny is yours"). Tausayi's brother is to show him the way to Kurmin Rukiki (the forest containing the deadly tree whose sap will be used).

 

Tausayi's father persuades Abu in vain against visiting Kurmin Rukiki, telling him that no man he knows has gone there and returned alive. On his way, he runs into some evil men in the forest who take his money and horse and also cut off his left ear. He is tagged a thief at the next town because of his lost ear and jailed for 3 months. After his release, he still heads for Kurmin Rukiki. "Why would I turn back from my quest after suffering so much and almost getting there?", he tells whoever tries to persuade him.

Kurmin Rukiki is dark even at mid-day (because the sun can't penetrate its depths) and completely trackless. Abu loses one of his eyes while wandering about in the forest. A glittering object (the only source of light in the dark forest) eventually turns into an old woman, helps Abu get the sap from the right tree into his gourd, turns into a leopard and chases him out of the forest. 

Abu goes back to Tausayi, who uses the sap and some other ingredients to prepare a mixture. Abu is to rub the mixture on Kyauta's skin while he is asleep, cut off some of his hair, mix the cut hair with the preparation and bury it in a newly-dug grave. Tausayi gives Abu a talisman to make him invisible while doing all these. 

Abu returns to Galma, does as instructed and even wakes up Zainobe to tell her Kyauta shall be a curse to her. Zainobe assumes it is a dream because she can only hear Abu but not see him. Kyauta runs wild the following morning and becomes a disgrace to his parents as a habitual thief. He even serves a prison sentence in Kano before his father captures and handcuffs him. Two days later, he escapes and leaves for Lagos where he meets and joins forces with Dogo in robbery. 

Kyauta's parents leave Galma out of shame for a faraway town where they become rich and famous again. Kyauta and Dogo wander to the town 6 years later and rob the house of Mallam Shehu ( known there as Mallam Usuman from Daraman). Kyauta slaughters his own father before knowing because he doesn't know his parents have left Galma. Zainobe helps Kyauta escape and gets Dogo arrested. Dogo later dies in prison.

Zainobe and Kyauta (who is now free from Abu's spell) return to Galma. When she tells him her "dream" about Abu, Kyauta too decides to revenge. He beheads Abu and runs away for one year, eating wild fruits and sleeping in the rain and in the sun. He returns home prematurely aged and lives with his heart-broken mother for the rest of his days. 

Both Abu and Kyauta live wretched lives from avenging themselves while Mallam Shehu is killed by the son he sought for 35 years.

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