Yadok’s human King of the Jungle

In life, stories are told of people whose fate brought them to a points unknown to their background. This is the case with the two major characters of this novel – Giwa Bako and Solomon Tambes Bakka, half -brothers lost in a web of life that takes them in different directions. Set in northern Nigeria, […]

In life, stories are told of people whose fate brought them to a points unknown to their background. This is the case with the two major characters of this novel – Giwa Bako and Solomon Tambes Bakka, half -brothers lost in a web of life that takes them in different directions. Set in northern Nigeria, the story brings to the fore the culture and traditions of the people of Plateau State and the north in general, from the exchange of dishes at Christmas to the presentations of tuwo and miyan kuka as a treat.
The narrative first takes the reader to Plateau High School. It is the Speech and Prize Giving Day after Giwa’s final examination. Here, the author does not trivialise the moment. Giwa is anxious, while the entire students wait in anticipation. Everywhere is charged with the unspoken question of “who gets the coveted prizes?” Competition in the classroom and upholding excellence appear to be the watchwords. The impatience of Giwa and probably everyone is divulged in the fact that Giwa has read through his copy of the guest speaker’s speech, while the latter reads on at a leisurely pace. But in the end, Giwa takes the day by winning all the most important prizes, travels home to his gentle uncle and spiteful aunt in Jos and finally to his mother in Zonkwa where he re-unites with old company.    
Far away in Tambes village, the past of Giwa’s father, Bakka, had led to the birth of a son who was later adopted by a European priest even before the death of his mother, the favourite wife of the king of Tambes. So, separated by distance, both children grew up, both progressing in different ways and totally unaware of each other’s existence, until fate throws them together in the most unexpected manner amidst violence.
The endearing aspect of ‘King of The Jungle’ is its ability to hold the attention of the reader from the beginning to the very end. There is also the author’s captivating play with words, such as “silence was adequately saturated in the whole of Tambes village” on page 15. Its weakness is however, visible in his the inability author to employ the use of imagery at crucial scenes, so much that most times a reader has the uncomfortable feeling of being fed with the author’s view about   a character. In doing this, action is totally relegated to the background, while the writer goes ahead to pronounce final judgement.
A typical example is on page 53-54 where Zainab is said to be beautiful without offering the reader an opportunity to see for himself through a perfect description, and also, the assertion that she is attracted to Giwa. It reads:
“Zainab was tremendously beautiful, but Giwa found her repulsive for two reasons: She had a rich Hausa accent which was superimposed on her English that irked him; secondly, she had a breath-killing odour that repelled Giwa. She, on the other hand, fell for Giwa, hook, line and sinker.”
How did she fall for Giwa? What are the signs? Answers to these questions serve best as replacement to the latter paragraph, thus, allowing the reader o enjoy the unfolding action or dialogue which would have ultimately helped judgment.
Another example is on page 15 when Bakka and Ladi stand before the people of Tambes village after being caught in the act of adultery. Showing without telling, would have been a better way of disclosing that they were standing trial for a crime, and leaving the dialogue between the king and the two accused people to disclose to the reader the crime committed more dramatic:
“Bakka and Ladi, the chief’s third wife, stood at the centre of the circle formed by the elders. Bakka faced the earth wishing it would open up and swallow him. He felt ashamed that he was caught in an adulterous act with Ladi who was not just a woman, but a married woman, and the chief’s favourite wife at that.”     
The ethno-religious violence that has rocked the city of Jos is not unknown to many Nigerians, and when Bizuum Yadok set out to write this debut novel, he obviously took that into consideration. The transition of Giwa from a decent young man to a member of a gang is an example of how a youth without guidance could degenerate into a shadow of himself. Like Jos, Giwa’s once quiet and simple life switches into a nightmare filled with unsavoury adventures that will later lead him to a tragic end.