A collection of work based on the legend of Queen Moremi Ajasoro by Similoluwa Aluko
Adeyinka raised her head from between her cradled arms and pushed herself off her mat. I could hear her shuffling her feet against the clay ground. “Moremi?” she called. I groaned. “Moremi, the boy is fine. Stop sulking.” I knew. I knew my boy was fine. “Your husband,” she said as she trudged towards me, … Continue reading The Plight of a Woman I
“The plight of a woman,” I repeated. I began to pace. Adeyinka opened her mouth to speak but she hesitated, locking her fingers together. “When I first agreed to marry Orayan,” I said, stopping to look at her, “my father called me to his room. I sat on his mat. Baba picked up an old … Continue reading The Plight of a Woman II
Ọjọ Ọrùnmlá I woke up before sunrise. I peeled my face off my straw mat, with its patterns imprinted on my skin in thin lines. Adeyinka was sleeping on her mat beside mine. As I stood, she rolled onto her side. With blurry eyes, I pulled myself onto a stool near the window of my … Continue reading Trembling
Straw mat: Quarters: In traditional Yoruba settings, many houses of the wealthy were built in a certain structure. There would usually be a compound, and houses would be built around the centre of the compound, forming a courtyard in the centre[1]. Each individual building could be taken to be a family member's house/ quarters: Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/87046205268573550/ … Continue reading Moremi Glossary& Explanations
Ọjọ Ṣàngó Iya Beji dropped the ilarun when we heard the news. She grabbed me in her firm arms, and told me to be strong. She held me against her chest, and said the gods would not forsake me. She said I should be patient. This was the fourth attack. My son hadn’t come home. … Continue reading Forsaken
