A Contextual Review of Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone
By: Oge Amarah
Children of Blood and Bone (CBB) is the first book in the Legacy of Orisha Trilogy. It is a book that I believe was born of the desire to awaken black minds and to flush out the poor representation and bad image that has been painted by the media to be what blackness is about. The book is full of appreciation of our skin which comes in all shades of brown, our massive hair that sits on heads like beautiful crowns, our nose, our physical might and mental capabilities and our culture. These are all the things that make us who we are. The way Tomi portrays blackness and the Yoruba culture of Nigeria in a different light made me cherish my ‘Africaness’ a little more and I’m thankful for it.
Another reason why I enjoyed reading CBB is that I love when women are portrayed as strong characters and functional members of the society. For me, Zelie does not just represent the struggles of African women, she symbolises ‘the African hustle’. In Africa, we live in very harsh conditions such as poor electricity and water supply, poor health care and educational system, inavailability of basic infrastructure and unemployment, yet we thrive. Even after Saran broke Zelie, she got back on her feet and used her pain as the fuel that drove her into breaking loose, the binds holding her powers. We are just like her. Although our governments neglect our needs, we still wake up every day with determination. We toil day and night to tear down the walls preventing us from reaching our goals.
Mothers play a very important role in the growth and development of a child. Having a mother like Mama Zelie and Mama Agba is what every child, whether male or female, needs to prosper and reach their full potential. These two women provided Zelie with love, guidance and support. They gave her the necessary weapons she needed to achieve her goal.
It is said that a man is the head of the family. However, most men treat this role in a dictator manner. They do not understand that to be the head is to lead, and to lead is to put the needs of your followers before yours. Every man should be like Baba Zelie. He did not only show love, care and dedication to his family, he also supported their dreams and endeavours in his own little ways. He set a good example for Tzain, he taught him what being a real man was all about. My favourite character, Tzain, was a model big brother. He was the strongest support Zelie had. He followed her every step of the way and protected her until she completed her mission. I therefore urge all black men to love and protect black women without making them shrink themselves and cower before you in order to boost your ego. Instead, help them to discover, explore and harness their innate abilities so that they can rule by your side as the queens that they are.
Saran was the opposite of Baba Zelie. He was a cynical, paranoid and bloodthirsty man who taught he could play god and his obsession with hunting down the Magis made him miss out on creating beautiful memories with his new family. In the end, he damaged his children physically, mentally and emotionally in his quest to mould them to his taste. He also successfully led his son, Inan astray. I must confess, I was highly disappointed in Inan, I had high hopes that he would follow in his younger sister’s footstep and be free. Inan had a good heart quite alright, but in the end, he still didn’t know how to put it to good use. They say love conquers all but I guess his love for Zelie was not deep enough to make him conquer his fears. You cannot truly love someone else if you do not know how to love yourself after all.
Sometimes, we do not know the things we are capable of until we find ourselves in difficult positions. This was the case for Amari. Amari deserved the title ‘the courageous’ for it was courage that led her to break out of her father’s hold and become who she was meant to be. Even though she was passive and easily frightened at the beginning, she got a hold of herself and slowly conquered her fears and blossomed into the warrior and queen that she is. I think Amari and Tzain would make a power couple.
There is a saying that God sends the right people your way at the appointed time. When Zelie needed more fighters to escort her to the temple in the Sacred Island, the Sky Mother sent Roen her way. When Inan broke her heart, Roen was there too. Everything always falls in place if the creator wills it. I may be wrong but I foresee a love triangle between Zelie, Inan and Roen.
When I was younger, I watched a lot of Nollywood movies-not by choice anyway- and it played a huge role in shaping my perception of ‘Jazz’ and our local deities. There is a lot of fear attached to magic and generally supernatural phenomena but Tomi did a good job in showing us that magic can be beautiful too. Can magic corrupt the human heart? Yes, but so does beauty, riches, power e.t.c. We all have dark sides. We just have to find a way to maintain balance between good and evil.
Finally, I have read stories and watched movies about foreign history, myths and legends and I couldn’t help but wonder what Africa was like during the pre-colonial era; our way of life, our system of belief and worship before the invasion by foreigners. CBB gave me a glimpse of what Nigeria was like in the past. Although CBB is not the only book that focuses on African mythology, it is my first and it has awaken a hunger in me; a hunger for more African fantasies.
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Ogechukwu Maryann Amarah is a school teacher. She graduated from Usmanu Danfodiyo University with a degree in Biochemistry. She is a literary enthusiast and amateur writer.
