Monday, October 20, 2008

Plantation Stories and Rhymes from Cameroon By Vivian Yenika

Vivian Yenika. Plantation Stories and Rhymes from Cameroon. iUniverse, 2007. 76 p.

In Plantation Stories, we participate in the daily rituals of family life as parents and children make the best that life has handed out to them. This compelling collection entertains as it exposes readers to the contradictions and tensions that are forever present on a colonial plantation. Set on one of the oldest oil palm plantations in Cameroon, West Africa, the stories tease and dare the readers to rethink their understanding of justice.

How far would people go in their quest for a "good" life? What are parents willing to sacrifice in order to provide basic necessities for their children? The stories in this collection address these issues and more as they force readers to gradually notice parallels between life on a colonial plantation in Africa and life on a slave plantation in the new world.