All eyes were on outspoken writer, Bunmi Oyinsan, last Sunday when she introduced her new novel, A Ladder of Bones, to the Nigerian public.
At a reading and conversation event held at the sprawling JK Randle Centre, in Onikan, Lagos, Canada-based Oyinsan discussed the theme and circumstances surrounding the birth of the book.
A Ladder of Bones is an ambitious fiction which tackles the corrosive effects of slavery and colonisation on Nigeria and Africa in general.
In the book, Oyinsan critically reacts to Ellen Thorp’s older Ladder of Bones, which presents British imperialists as noble missioners and Nigeria’s liberators.
In her review of Oyinsan’s new offering, equally Canada-based Jumoke Verissimo, describes her approach as a masterclass.
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She says in the review read by Perpetual Eziefule:
“Award-winning writer Bunmi Oyinsan delivers a masterclass in storytelling with her latest novel, A Ladder of Bones, plunging readers into a weighty emotional landscape. Since the publication of her first novel, Silhouette (which was also serialized on national television), Oyinsan has consistently demonstrated a formidable ability to craft narratives that deftly balance social criticism, commentary, and compelling fiction. A Ladder of Bones continues this trajectory, brilliantly employing intertextuality to engage deeply with history.
“In A Ladder of Bones, Oyinsan seamlessly blends Yoruba folktales, iconic works like Toni Morrison’s Beloved, and reimagined historical figures (whose cameo appearances add significant depth) to illuminate the contexts of her five pivotal characters: Enilolobo (Eni), Siaka, Melvin, Iona, and Timothy. These individuals, each bearing unique and profound experiences, find their lives intersecting in Halifax, Canada, as they volunteer for an aid mission in a troubled African country. However, their humanitarian effort takes a grim turn when Melvin, a Liberian boy scarred by his parents’ militia-led murder, organises a gang ambush. Despite the volunteers’ peaceful intent, this sudden act of violence plunges them back into familiar patterns of conflict and trauma.”
On her mission in A Ladder of Bones, Oyinsan, who is a former Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Authors, explained, “In her (Thorp’s) version, she presents British colonisation in Nigeria as noble and altruistic. A lot of us know that that is nowhere near the truth. Of course, unless you are telling Badenoch. So, she presents colonisation as altruistic and the efforts of the missionaries and administrators as to civilise the land said to be devastated by tribal warfare, slave trading and other issues. Her position draws on the popular trope that the British Empire and other European empires did the fantastic work to get Africa developed. Beneath that paternalistic language and this so-called righteous intention lies the real history of brutal conquests that we were never taught in school, of cultural erasure and inter-generational trauma we are still grappling with. So, my novel deliberately signifies on Ellen Thorp’s title where ‘Ladder of Bones’ symbolises the sacrifices of the colonial agents, I reclaim it. I jam it to highlight the human cost of colonisation.”
Other programmes at the reading included the screening and discussion of a dance video by founder of QDance, Qudus Onikeku.
The performance titled ‘Re-Incarnation’ reflects the spirit of the novel vis-a-vis the conversation that had a former editor at ‘The Guardian’, Jahman Anikulapo, as anchor.
Popular performance poet, Akeem Lasisi, also spiced the evening with inspiring verses.
The session attracted many literary minds, including famous actress Joke Silva, The NEWS Publisher, Kunle Ajibade with his wife, Bunmi; a former Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Authors, Lagos State branch, Kayode Aderinokun; writer Ndidi Chiazor-Enenmor; as well as A Ladder of Bones husband, Soji Oyinsan, a veteran filmmaker.
