Dilemma of an Outcast interrogates the concept of bigotry, an under-flogged theme in Nigerian literature and yet one so prevalent in society.
By Evidence Egwuono Adjarho
Bigotry remains arguably one of Nigeria’s biggest problems, prevalent in every generation, albeit expressed in different colours. Collins Dictionary defines this term as “the possession or expression of strong, unreasonable prejudices or opinions.” In this context, it refers to longstanding cultural prejudices, especially the Yoruba–Hausa–Igbo dichotomy.
Yet, this division is also internal: discrimination thrives even among people of the same “major” ethnic groups. Some Yorubas claim to be the “original”, tagging others “counterfeit”, and similar patterns exist among Igbos and Hausas. There are also extreme cases where certain communities are labelled as outcasts and ostracised entirely. This scenario forms the focal point of Anih Charles Emeka’s debut novella, Dilemma of an Outcast.
Ifedi meets Ruth at the University of Lagos, and they both become enamoured with each other. They both agree to get married upon graduation, and Ifedi decides to meet his fiancée’s parents in their village. Upon arrival, however, he is confronted with an age-long caste problem: Ruth’s family belong to the Ohu lineage, traditionally ostracised and labelled outcasts because of their history as servants. The situation is so extreme that they can only relate to fellow Ohus.
In a parallel situation, Jide, Ifedi’s friend, falls in love with Agatha, who also happens to be Ruth’s best friend. Upon proper inquisition, he discovers that his girlfriend belongs to the lineage called Osu, societal outcasts. He is warned sternly by the Dialas, his fellow tribespeople, against the implications of proceeding to marry Agatha.
One of such, aside from ostracism, is a series of misfortunes such as stillbirths, poverty, etc. Jide is obstinate and decides to do his research to uncover the root of this problem. What he learns is that the Osu practice began with the need to make human sacrifices to deities. The people selected for the ritual or as slaves to the chief priest were then named Osu. It then becomes Ifedi and Jide’s task to overcome this obstacle, which is no easy feat.
Dilemma of an Outcast shines light on what it means to live as an outcast and the unreasonable justification of this injustice. At the University of Lagos, Ruth and Agatha are two female undergraduates. But back at their respective homes, they are outcasts. It is their parents who bear the brunt of this ostracism. During Jide’s first visit to Agatha’s parents, Chiazam who served as his tour openly expresses his disdain for the family: “Uncle Jide, this place we are now is Osu people’s enclave, I cannot visit, eat or drink water in their house. Please, I will point to the house we are going to… don’t drive me into the compound”.
After Jide’s visit to Mazi Mbosi, Agatha’s father, he announces his intention to visit the Catholic priest to Chiazam and the latter immediately assumes it is to seek forgiveness from God because “Visiting an Osu is an expensive sin”.
Mazi Mbosi explains to Jide, over palm wine, the gravity of the Osu label. In one of their discussions, he tells him how they lost a neighbour’s wife and unborn child because the private clinics, all owned by the Dialas, refused to help the woman who was an Osu “even when the foetus’ head could be visible”.
While Dilemma of an Outcast is primarily about interrogating the outcast system, it also focuses on the different lives Nigerian students lead while in the university. Ifedi and Jide belong to an association called Kegites, who believe greatly in the power of palm wine, and have a language unique to Kegites.
The novel is replete with this lingo, which is an intentional act of promoting this culture, but perhaps excessively, such that the reader is lost in some conversations. There is also a student association consisting of Ifedi, Ruth, Agatha, Jide and other students who meet to discuss mostly politics.
Although the novel attempted to capture what student discourse looked like, it struggled with this. The major reason is that the conversations didn’t feel natural. The diction was highly elevated, similar to the discourse of political analysts on television. At some point, it appeared as though the book was superimposing didacticism on readers.
One of the issues with Dilemma of an Outcast is that it does not live up to the “novel” tag. A novel uses elements of form and content to make a fictitious narrative that bears a degree of semblance to reality. What this means simply is that the plot, characters and characterisation, language and themes should work together.
In this respect, Dilemma of an Outcast reads more like a collection of stories than a novel. Some chapters feel somewhat out of place and hardly connect with previous or preceding chapters. New characters are introduced in some chapters, and although they are connected to one of Ruth, Ifedi, Agatha or Jide, they bear no relevance to the narrative.
For instance, in chapter 8, the first scene is that of men having uninteresting conversations among themselves. The conversation is cut short abruptly, and we find ourselves questioning what purpose that scene serves in the plot. The next scene is more brow-raising. An Osu who had dared enter the abode of a Diala is brought before the elders and questioned, but later released. The scene ends with two elders, referred to as “die-hard bigots,” discussing the incident. Yet, this story has no connection with the plot and instead reads like a short story added to the book, perhaps to make up for word count.
Dilemma of an Outcast is guilty of the very thing it criticises, namely, labelling and stereotyping. There is nowhere this is more apparent than in the cliché story of Constance, who ventures into prostitution to cater to her educational and financial needs. She is stereotyped and discriminated against by everyone, including Ifedi and Jide—an irony because these two are on a mission to fight bigotry—except her clients.
In fact, Ifedi and Jide are despicable characters in that they are undisguised misogynists, mostly guilty of objectifying women. What’s most irking is that the women justify their actions. In one instance where Jide gawks at Celina’s “backside” and shamelessly flirts with her in his girlfriend’s presence, the girlfriend says, “My sister, let them admire you”.
Dilemma of an Outcast interrogates the concept of bigotry, an underexplored theme in Nigerian literature and yet one so prevalent in society. This fact makes this book an important one. However, if the plot had been restructured to eliminate redundancies and the diction mhad been ore natural, this novel would have been more impactful and less forgettable.
Evidence Egwuono Adjarho is a critic and writer who blends literary criticism with content creation. Find her talking African literature on her instagram page (evidence_egwuono).