ABOUT THIS BOOK
Description
"Jajare is the town of red people; if you see a dark person, then a stranger has arrived"—this is the nickname of Jajere town. Jajere is a town of the Fulani of Damaturu. Malam Madu is one of the residents of the town, born and raised there for generations. His parents washed Mariya [arranged her marriage] and gave her to him. Mariya was like a daughter to them because they raised her from childhood; they found her in an abandoned building under construction and took her in without any disdain. They then gave her to their son out of pure love. However, Madu did not love Mariya at all; he only accepted the marriage out of obedience to his parents. They lived peacefully without anyone hearing their affairs, as Mariya endured many of Madu's attitudes since she couldn't speak out. In time, she became pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl. You should have seen Madu's outburst—he did not want a female child, believing a female child is just an added burden that brings no benefit. He refused to do anything for the birth, so his parents handled everything; in fact, his father named the child Halima (after Madu’s mother). Life moved on with Mariya patiently enduring Madu's behavior out of respect for his parents, whom she viewed as her own God-given parents. Unfortunately, Mother Halima—who used to pity and help her with various things—passed away. As life went on, Madu married another wife, Hajara. Her first childbirth produced a boy, and you should have seen Madu's joy. It was only during this childbirth that Mariya realized her husband was actually quite wealthy, as he spent lavishly on Hajara and her baby up until the naming ceremony, where the boy was named Idris after Madu’s father.
After giving birth to Halima, Mariya did not conceive again until Hajara had given birth three consecutive times—all boys—who received love, affection, and favor from Madu. Halima, on the other hand, was not even worth a second glance to him; he claimed he would not waste his efforts on her, believing that with women, you only suffer for nothing without benefiting from them. Fortunately, God blessed Halima with a gentle nature; she never approached her father because she knew his character, as the slightest thing would make him slap her—even now that she is eight years old.
Comments
Sign in to comment.