There has been a spate of excellent novels about Nigeria, its past and present predicaments. Set in the predominantly Muslim town of Kontagora, Stephen Buoro’s debut is overstuffed with themes, from corruption and religious intolerance to identity and teenage desire, but there’s much to admire in this imaginative coming-of-age tale.
Fifteen-year-old Andrew Aziza, nicknamed Andy Africa, is an altar boy in the neighbourhood church. He lives with his single-parent photographer mother, who refuses to reveal the identity of his father. Skilled in maths and poetry, Andy ponders various theorems and “HXVX” – his mathematical shorthand for “the curse of Africa”. His teacher dismisses it as a construct for “everything negative that has befallen Africa: slavery, colonialism, dictatorship, kleptocracy, xenocentrism” and claims that by “conniving with HXVX, we’ve made Africa the heart of darkness… for not believing in her”.
