SIERRA Leonean author Mohamed Dauda Kamara has joined forces with his Zimbabwean counterpart Godknows Maremera to pen a book titled Seven Days, Seven Nights on The Riverside, which is a dedication to victims of child marriages.
The book, which was inspired by the high prevalence of child marriages in Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe, is about an underage girl Rugie, who is being forced into a marriage by her father Pa Qamar to an old man Pa Sarah.
The fight to continue her schooling and rejecting the bride price from Pa Sarah and her father become a tussle in the book.
Maremera told Standard Style that the book was a unique novel of literary work, which tackles some of the contemporary contextual women’s empowerment issues.
“The authors make it clear that the machinery for women’s empowerment has no favoured social, cultural, economic or political predestined highways in patriarchal communities,” he said.
“People of just vision will see how the book reveals how some communities are working on the women’s empowerment work within and through the world’s people regardless of colour, race or creed.”
Maremera said the book demonstrates how affected people must play an active role in their own emancipation.
“They seek to vindicate the fact that women are participatory masters of their own destiny. The book tries to show how within different communities, there are facets commensurate with recognised women’s empowerment norms,” he said.
“Every male lion, whatever size and courage, was bred by a lioness, meaning world over the norm is the same.
“Life begins with a mother, relationships etc. Though we preach the sacred value of human life, if we sit on our hands and watch oppression of our own mothers, sisters, aunts, grannies, we will be hypocrites."
He said the book was dedicated to victims of forced early marriages and those against the act.
“We saw a common trend in Zimbabwe and Sierra Leone such that I sat down with Mohamed Dauda Kamara to pen the book based on a true story,” Maremera said.
He said plans were afoot to launch the book before they raise about US$12 750 to print 3 000 copies to be donated to schools and other institutions.
