Title: On Black
Sisters’ Street
Author: Chika Unigwe
Length: 298 pages
Genre: Fiction.
Publisher / Year: Vintage
U.K Random House/2010
Source: From Nnedinma Jane
Kalu
Rating: .5/5
Why I Read It: Chika Unigwe is a terrific
writer. I read a non-fiction account of how she met with these prostitutes
while conducting her research.
Date
Read: 26/07/15
I know I should have
read this book a long, time ago. To be honest, I've been looking forward to reading it. Thank
God I finally got to it.
On Black Sisters’
street follows the lives of four young African women who, by choice or fate or
both, find themselves working on the red light district in Brussels. The novel
opens with the death of the ambitious Sisi, an only child, who had travelled
from Nigeria to Belgium in search of greener pastures. Her colleagues—Efe, Ama
and Joyce—are shaken by the news. They wonder whether they will be next. Their
fears are palpable and the tension in the house is so thick, it can be cut with
a knife. And so, one by one, they begin to open up to each other about their
past lives leading up to the moment. How did each one come to work as a
prostitute. Their stories are as different as their faces and their
temperaments. Chika Unigwe does a great job of sketching each portrait, of
narrating each girls’ story so we get to know them intimately and can empathize
with each of them.
It is a disturbing and
searching investigation of the many elements that make many African women fall
prey to ruthless pimps like Senghor Dele who acquire fake passports and visas
for young girls to travel to Europe. These girls are then forced to pay back a
whopping 30,000 Euros in monthly installments. Escape at your own peril.
Senghor Dele has eyes everywhere and the police are on his payroll. And there’s
the ruthless chaperone called ‘Madam’.
On Black Sisters’
Street is a solid work of fiction, and
very relatable. Joyce’s heart-wrenching tale brought tears to my eyes. At
fifteen, an ethnic conflict rids her of her family and her virginity. When
peacekeeping soldier, Polycarp falls in love with her and takes her to Lagos
from a refugee camp, I thought she had found freedom. But no, that was the
beginning of her troubles. Polycarp cannot spend the rest of his life with her
because he has a duty to make his family happy. Her tale is just as sad as the
others’. Efe, whose mother died and suddenly found that she had to be mother,
father (because her dad was often drunk and under the table) and even mistress
to a hair extensions mogul. And Ama, whose stepfather often forced himself on
her while her mother pretended not to notice. At some point Ama asks why? Why
did Joyce’s boyfriend abandon her? Joyce says, “Because he did it because.” No
one knows why human beings do hurtful, terrible things to people who have done
them no harm.
The characters are
strong and make choices within the limits of their circumstances and
environments. Most of the suspense revolves around Sisi’s death and
disappearance. The unfolding plot reveals her choice and its consequences and
how each person’s choice was influenced by different circumstance. And Sisi was
petrified by the thought that if she married her school teacher boyfriend,
Peter, that she’d be as poor as her parents. Chika expresses it beautifully,
“When she thought about her life, the phrase
that came to her mind was omnes errant…a series of mistakes.”
I shall never forget
that paragraph or the details of the girls’ job descriptions. I was grateful
for Chika Unigwe’s courage as she walked the red light districts of Brussels in
her mini-skirt and high-heeled boots while she conducted her research for this
solid book. Frankly, I found it difficult to put this book down.
On Black Sisters’
street will remain relevant until the end of time. And I applaud the NLNG
judges for awarding this beautiful book it’s 2013 prize. I have always admired Chika’s
strong, almost intoxicating and confident voice. The voice of a prolific
writer. I love the way she uses onomatopoeia. I recommend this book to everyone,
irrespective of their class, race and creed.