Book 143: Liberia (English) – Guayna Pau: a story of an African princess (Joseph J. WALTERS)

            The girls were not affected by the lovely scenery as one would suppose; for having lived amid similar scenes so long, it was natural that they should be the least appreciative of it.

            I have seen men and women in that country, when all nature was thrilling in transports, to pass along with downcast eyes and crestfallen brows, unable to catch one bright suggestion from the lark’s whistle or the waterfall’s dash. The rose has for them no lesson, the flowers no word of warning, the grass no voice of hope.

This was a fascinating discovery, billed as “the first novel by an African in English”.

It turned out to be totally different from my choice from neighbouring Sierra Leone (except that polygamy looms large in both); although the authors of both were writing from the West (Walters from the US, Forna from the UK), Forna seems to be writing for her countrymen and women, and goes to little trouble to explicitly explain indigenous words and culture; Walters is writing only for an American audience and goes to great trouble to explain everything for them (and us) to an almost anthropological degree.

Liberia itself is a unique case in Africa. Unlike every other African colony (excepting Ethiopia, if you ignore the brief Italian occupation), it has never been colonised by an overseas power. And yet it was deliberately colonised, by freed American slaves, from the 1820s in what was meant to be a humanitarian gesture, which had the ugly side that these Afro-Americans colonised and effectively enslaved the native inhabitants, who were also excluded from any power until late in the twentieth century. Ugly civil wars involving child soldiers followed. Finally an inspiring democracy emerged. The author would no doubt have been pleased to learn that Liberia was to become the first African country to choose a female president.

Guayna is a princess betrothed at four to a 20-years-older man who already has six other wives, is rich and (you guessed it) ugly. Inevitably she falls in love with another boy. She escapes with a girl friend. During their flight they encounter a series of scenes of the suffering of child brides and other mistreatments of women. The plot is actually quite exciting.

In some ways it seems a typical 1800s novel with its occasional purple prose and sermonising from the author. The lack of respect for ‘heathens’ is obvious (civilisation can only come from outside). It covers the important themes of polygamy, child betrothal, womens’ education and evangelisation – and the beauty of nature. So while some of the attitudes it espouses seem to us outdated, others were ahead of their time.

This slim novel was such a surprise! If not for this world tour, I wouldn’t have even heard of it. It deserves to be far better known and more read. It was a fascinating discovery of early African written literature.

Walters, Joseph J. (186? – 1894), Guayna Pau: a story of an African princess, Lincoln & London, 1994 (first published 1891), University of Nebraska press, ISBN 0-8032-9755-6