Kwaghsende Jimin’s The Opposite Kingdoms: A Review by Paul Liam
Book
Title: The Opposite Kingdoms
Author:
Kwaghsende Jimin
Publisher:
Kwaghsende Ventures, Minna
Pages:
72
Year of
publication: 2017
Price:
Not stated
Reviewer:
Paul Liam
Kwaghsende Jimin has published notable works
including The Pensioner (2006), The Benchmarks
(2004), You Can Be Happy (2008) and Life Line (2004). A seasoned
administrator with the National Examinations Council (NECO), Jimin’s works are
known for their penchant for re-engineering the moral psyche of the people
towards the ideals of a utopian society.
This ideological dimension to his works is evident in The Pensioner and in his latest offering, The Opposite Kingdoms. Clearly his first published work of prose,
Jimin uses a Reconstructionist prism in reassessing the relationship between
Africa and the West, and the attendant effects of post-colonialism, through the
use of a simple parable.
The
question of why Africa continues to grapple with underdevelopment in spite of
her huge potentials for growth and development is a recurring decimal
creatively shrouded in the thematic preoccupation of the text. And as the
author suggests, the dilemma lies in Africa’s inability to rethink her future
and determine her own growth through critical independent thinking as
exemplified by Wise in the text. In The
Opposite Kingdoms, Jimin instructively outlines a fundamental principle for
change and development rooted in our indigenous wisdom and creativity. He presupposes that in order to propel the
black race to modern advancement and breakthroughs in technology and
industrialization, altruism must take a prominent position in the heart of all
men. In order words, people must be willing to sacrifice themselves and their
personal ambitions for the common good of the society; this is what
distinguishes the White man from the African.
Thus the didactic objective of the work is succinctly
outlined in its characterization. The characters are representative of Jimin’s antidotes
against the retrogression of a society. Some
of the characters include: Wise, Peace, Honesty, Work, Courage, Techno,
Discipline, Conscience, Science, etc. The
Opposite Kingdoms is a retrospective work that attempts a renegotiation
between Africa’s colonial past and her future, intrinsically hinged on native
wisdom. Jov race, the fictional race of
the work represents Africa and the black race. To upturn the fangs of
retrogression that has encapsulated the continent, Jimin suggests that, it would
take the exceptional wit of a team of thinkers and courageous men to reposition
the continent on the course positive progress.
Wise, whose name obviously gives him away as the
wise one in the kingdom, proposes a solution to the generational problem of
environmental hazards threatening their habitat and calls for a proactive
action for overcoming the threat. It is at one of such meetings to think out a
solution that Wise sets the precedent for what would become the central idea of
the work; a quest to change the negative fortunes of the land. In an exchange with
Peace, Wise declares, “You see, let us look for other people around and discuss
the possibility of changing our present living condition.” (2)
In conclusion, Jimin’s latest work is a reservoir
of wisdom that could be adopted for use, for the development of the black race
and human kind in general. It is pertinent to observe at this juncture, that
the work, like all works of art is not without its own flaws bordering largely
on language appropriation, typographical errors, structural issues, etc, which
are consequent of editorial lapses. These shortcomings however, do not override
the very profound messages imbedded in the work. It also suffices to say that
Jimin couldn’t have published this work at a better time than now that Nigeria
and indeed Africa, is in dire need of a way-out of its developmental
challenges.
wow, the review makes me salivate to get hold of a copy of the Opposite Kingdoms. Having known the author very well and his ideals, I am not surprise to notice that his personality robs on every word that the reviewer tries to summarise the work
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