From child marriage and love for education

A review of Omavuohrerhe Adanoritsewo’s book, Bruised Roses, by Adewale Oshodi.

OMAVUOHRERHE Adanoritsewo’s book, Bruised Roses, focuses on the dilemma of a young girl, Munachi, who must choose between her love of education or accepting her father’s cultural belief that girls are made for men and that sending them to school is a waste of time. to send.

However, Munachi’s mother, who also believes in education and wants to see her daughters flourish, takes it upon herself to sponsor her children, Muna and Chinasa, to school.

Munachi, in order to reward her mother and positively change her father’s opinion of education, starts to excel in her studies, which makes her mother very proud.

Her outstanding performance also leads her to develop a special bond with her new English teacher, Aunt Agatha, who finally finds time to visit the family at home.

On the first day when Aunt Agatha visits the family, she only meets Mama Munachi and informs her about her daughter’s achievements and how she will go places if she continues her education.

Thus, this reinforces the mother’s hope that her daughter will do well in education. However, the only problem standing in the way of that success is her husband, who is determined to marry off Munachi once she is 15 years old.

But when papa finally asks Munachi if his daughter will drop out of school so that she can be introduced to her suitor and then get married, her mother tried her best to convince him that she would do better through education than through to get married at such a young age.

Despite all her efforts, Papa Munachi disagrees. During the discussion, Munachi had even overheard what they were discussing and told her teacher, Aunt Agatha, who then took it upon herself to come and discuss it with her father.

However, Aunt Agatha’s visit to Papa Munachi on a Sunday evening did little to convince him.

He even whipped up the young lady by asking why she herself has yet to get married.

After that encounter with Aunt Agatha, Papa Munachi becomes physically abusive to both his wife and daughter when he beats them at the slightest opportunity.

When it is finally time for Munachi to be introduced to her suitor, she discovers that the alleged suitor is an older man who is also a traditional priest.

She is so shocked that her father didn’t even think about her going to church and not practicing the traditional faith.

Another concern is that some of the priest’s children are also in her school, so after the introduction she realizes that to save herself from a life of misery, she must disappear from home.

However, she drops Aunt Agatha’s address for her mother and younger sister before tiptoeing out of the house under cover of darkness.

At Aunt Agatha’s they have to leave for the city in two days, but the next day she is surprised to find her mother and sister with Aunt Agatha. Her mother’s face is swollen, indicating that she was beaten by her husband.

Munachi finally learns that her mother rebelled against her husband’s abusive behavior, and they asked to come with them to the city, to which Aunt Agatha agreed.

The book is definitely for children and it makes the reader understand the value of education and the extent to which Munachi made sure she acquired it, even to the extent that she went against her father’s order to marry an older man .

Although this book is recommended for children, book lovers can also read it for pleasure.

The author holds a degree in business administration from Delta State University and a bachelor’s degree in economics and statistics from the University of Benin.

She is passionate about creative writing and expresses her voice through art.

The book, Bruised Roses, is inspired by her interest and love for the African girl-child and the stereotypes she must navigate in order to thrive.

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