MOREMI THE COURAGEOUS QUEEN: Does she Represent Today's Girl Child?

For story lovers as well as history lovers, the name MOREMI will ring more than a bell to your itchy ears. So, beyond the history, there is a play about Moremi. Do you think she was a hero or an opportunistic Queen?

 The Book MOREMI THE COURAGEOUS QUEEN was the focus at the Abuja Children's Book Club on November 4th 2007.  For a few of you who may remember only vaguely or not at all, Moremi is a story based on a yoruba legend in ile ife. 

She was the wife of the king and the youngest of all d wives. At this time, Ile ife was being attacked by invaders who came to steal, kill and destroy...we didnt say the devil oh.

Women were raped and men were captured and taken as slaves. This made the king very worried. His worry also affected moremi. The king and his elders consulted the oracle who told them the solution to their problem was a woman . When moremi heard this, she consulted a god and offered herself as a woman who would save her people. One faithful day, moremi was coming back from the market when suddenly the invaders attacked and kidnapped moremi and took her to their leader and the leader loved her at first sight and always granted her wish. So one day moremi asked him that what was the major thing that could kill his invaders and he said that it was fire. Moremi then feigned to be sick and after a while said she was getting better nd so as a way to celebrate her recovery,she needed 100 oranges to make orange juice which she added a sleeping portion to.she gave everybody the juice and they soon fell asleep and moremi immediately escaped back to Ile ife.she told her people the story and they attacked the invaders and that was the end of moremi.

This story gave the children all kinds of feelings, expectations and hopes. 

Apart from the realisation that more of the kids prefer plays to prose because of the clarity of dialogue, it was also interesting to note that some other kids feel prose has better descriptions which makes for clearer imagination...so...prose or plays?

Is it not beautiful to have children strive to see the world from the eyes of writers?

We explored different opinions on the heavy Yoruba greetings in the book, and the majority didn't like it. They however came to understand and respect the Yoruba culture. We further discussed the difference in cultures and how the Yorubas prostrate in greeting.

With an amusing distraction by Angel's vehement promise to never marry a Yoruba man...oh well...what do we know?

So Does this Moremi represent today's Girl Child?...


The younger class had an explosive session as well. Lesoda's book {An Assignment from school} was reviewed and the younger children said they loved it.

We moved on to learn about Solar Energy with Christine Kay from the Henrich Boell Foundation.

The children realised that they had a role to play in helping to save the world. They learnt the alternative sources of energy, effect of global warming and how they can conserve energy even as children.

 Christine Kay's meeting with the children was brief, engaging and eventful, so we also listened to a captivating poem titled WORDS from a budding poet, Oche.

Aunty Chichi Ebeh, with her young protegees who turned out to be artistes, footballers, poets and writers.

And then It was refreshment time!

Thank you for making Abuja Children's Book Club rock. #ThoughtArtPyramid #Kayspastry #HenrichBoellFoundation #AuntyChychyEbeh

Our next read is TALES OUT OF SCHOOL by Nkem Nwankwo. We look forward to enlightening day out and an alternative knowledge sharing from a CSO. Keep a date with us.