there was a wife who was completely dominant over her husband People could not understand why the man seemed so powerless and many thought that his wife had used a love potion So that set off my initial fascination with the idea I also grew up at a time when it was not uncommon for people in Cameroon to go to a fetish priest when they had problems they couldn’t solve themselves: they had been trying for years to have a baby or they wanted a lightning bolt to strike their enemy dead Stories circulated of people who had turned to a fetish priest (or a “ngambe man,” as we called them) for help but something had gone wrong and madness had ensued so we generally stayed away from such practices; perhaps that was what egged on my curiosity because I always wondered what it would be like to rely on potions and concoctions to give you your heart’s desire I don’t know anyone who actually used a love potion but I know quite a bit about crazy things people have done to make someone love them The story is told as a first-person speech delivered to an offscreen (so to speak) character Why did you choose to tell the story from his point of view I didn’t give much thought to how I should go about telling the story—I simply started writing and let it unfold He thinks highly of himself and his wisdom and he is delighted to impart his knowledge to a younger person I became fascinated with his sort of thoughtless sexism even while talking about a woman he cares about I’ve spent a great deal of time around men like this narrator who think they are entirely justified in speaking carelessly about a woman’s body and what happens to her as she gets older He is also a proponent of the patriarchal order telling the story in a manner that seeks to justify and uphold that order Why has this young woman turned to him for advice She is yearning for love and believes that someone like the narrator can offer her some guidance That is another consequence of growing up in a patriarchal society where age and gender are believed to be tied to wisdom and older people are wiser than younger people because I know I’ve certainly got wiser with age but the young listener may not know that gender and wisdom are not always related In an actual contemporary (or historical) African village or in an imaginary place I spent my early childhood in a couple villages where my mother worked as a community-development assistant though those villages were fairly modern and some homes had electricity and TV in which a woman’s life is considered pointless unless she has “the high honor of being called a wife.” Are love potions a kind of feminist device in this world—a way for a woman to assume some control over her own destiny Or are they just another way of playing into the social order I think the narrator would like to believe that a love potion is a feminist device because it allows a woman to gain some agency because it puts a man (or a husband) at the center of a woman’s life Why doesn’t a fetish priest create a potion to make a woman feel good about herself with or without a man Though I should add that this story is not only about women seeking love but about the human need to love and be loved in return History abounds with stories about the lengths to which some men have gone to win the love of a woman Perhaps it’s a good thing that love potions are not common—otherwise we would miss out on many great stories of unrequited love What do you think the narrator’s belief in love potions says about the world in which he is living It says something about the acceptance of the supernatural in his village I was quite surprised when I came to the U.S and told my new friends about supernatural events in my town and they laughed incredulously I suppose there were logical explanations for why a man suddenly became wealthy after his child’s mysterious death but in my homeland people were quick to believe that it was because he had offered his child’s life to an occult called Nyongo and the occult had given him riches in return It’s interesting to see the lengths to which the parents in the story go to find spouses for their children I believe parents’ wanting their children to get married is universal Both tactics that I had Bulu’s parents try were inspired by people I knew I overheard a neighbor telling some adult relatives of mine that so one day his parents arrived on his doorstep with one his account didn’t seem to shock any of his listeners The part about Bulu’s “caging” was inspired by a friend displeased with the fact that he was still single got a bunch of young women together and put them in a lineup The story actually contains two stories—one involving the failed use of a love potion and one involving a successful case Why did you decide to structure it that way The first draft of the story was very short and yet I gave it the title “The Case for and Against Love Potions.” After several drafts I realized that the title did not exactly fit the story because Wonja’s ordeal was only a case against So I wrote Gita’s story to balance it out and make the title fit I suppose one could say that I had a title I loved and it forced me to structure the story this way Francis Mpata and Rigobert NgambeA woman who found herself 'lost' in Birmingham was abducted and raped by a church helper who then offered her up to his friend but he took advantage of her vulnerability as well as the fact she could not speak English The 39-year-old took her to a friend's house and raped her twice in spite of the fact she was crying and pleaded 'no' Mpata then contacted his other friend Rigobert Ngambe and took the woman to his home for him to rape her as well Both men were jailed for 16 years and declared 'dangerous' at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday Judge Avik Mukherjee stated that a concerning aspect of their actions was that they had been so 'unpredictable' against the background of their normal lives and lack of previous similar offending READ MORE: The four-step body cleansing 'ritual' you should be doing in the bath to look 'noticeably younger' Get the latest court and crime news direct via our WhatsApp community here Judge Mukherjee, summarising the case, said: "She was a lady when you came across her who spoke extremely limited if any English at all. She is not a UK citizen. She was stranded in Birmingham, lost and alone and what happened to her over the next few hours, and it was many hours, was that between you you humiliated her, degraded her and used her vulnerability against her. "She needed help Mr Mpata. She couldn't find her way back to her sister-in-law's. She asked you for help. Why did she ask you? Well, she was desperate, she saw you as an African man who maybe would be sympathetic towards her, maybe feel you could relate to her. "She trusted you to help her and what you did was the utter contrary of that. What you did rather than helping her was to help yourself and ultimately your co-accused." Prosecutors argued there was a 'significant degree of planning' due to the extensive telephone conversations between the two defendants after Mpata had abducted and attacked her. The judge continued: "What you (Mpata) did was to satisfy your sexual needs to rape her and what you did was exploit her vulnerability. You promised to take her home. You didn't take her home, you took her to a friend's house where you raped her. She was crying and she repeatedly asked you not to and was saying 'no' while you were raping her. "Then you took her to another friend's house, Mr Ngambe's, who I'm satisfied knew that you had raped her and knew you were taking her to his house so he could rape her, and indeed Mr Ngambe you did." Judge Mukherjee concluded Mpata 'facilitated' the victim's rape by Ngambe, which took place in his absence. He said: "You Mr Ngambe, she was stripped naked, crying and you raped her despite her pleas not do so. You didn't wear protection and that would prove to be your undoing because you left your DNA." The two men 'negotiated' the woman's release in the early hours of the morning when she was allowed to turn her phone back on and make contact with her family. They then 'vanished into thin air' while the victim was left stranded again only to come across a taxi driver who took her to the hospital. Judge Mukherjee commended the public servant for showing the 'decency she had been looking for earlier the previous day'. After being caught Mpata and Ngambe lied and claimed the victim had instigated consensual sex. Donal McGuire, defending Mpata, said he had a 'very troubled background' due to is mother being murdered. He told the court that since his client had arrived in the UK he had worked hard, obtained qualifications, supported his local African French speaking community as well as his church. Mr McGuire said: "This was one day in a life that has otherwise benefitted his community. It is difficult to imagine more positive references. It is not his character and his past behaviour." Tom Kenning, defending father-of-two Ngambe, also described his client as hard-working and supportive to those around him. Samuel Eto’o laid to rest the mortal remains of David Eto'o According to Kick442, the FECAFOOT President and Cameroon football icon solemnly laid his father the Military Hospital mortuary in Bonanjo, Douala, ahead of his final journey this weekend. David Eto'o, who passed away in April 2023 aged 69, after bravely battling illness, will see his funeral rites performed in his ancestral village of Ngambe in the Sanaga Maritime division of the Littoral Region. Samuel Eto'o has skipped the new coach signing in protest, highlighting deep tensions within Cameroon's football federation and government interference issues. David Eto'o's passing in April last year drew an outpouring of sympathy for the family of Samuel Eto’o. During the burial which took place on Friday, a diverse array of mourners, including former CAF president Ahmad Ahmad, DR Congo's Constant Omari, state ministers, and regional authorities, congregated in Douala to pay their respects during the emotional ceremony. The funeral which left Eto’o in tears, was attended by Eto'o's former colleagues and dignitaries, reflecting the profound impact of David Eto'o, whose was instrumental in his son's illustrious football career. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Beta Tinz (@betatinz) Eto’o’s father solidly supported him in his prime years as a footballer having watched him win trophies and swoop several individual accolades during the course of his career Cameroonian football icon Samuel Eto'o continues to inspire players long after the end of his career Tension is simmering in Cameroon after the country’s football federation rejected the newly-appointed Indomitable Lions coach Former champion has hailed Evra ahead of his MMA debut Paris Saint-Germain's top scoring forward is a doubt for the Champions League semi-final second leg clash against Arsenal FIFA has relegated one African club over match-fixing allegations Time and where to watch Nigeria's Efe Ajagba take on Congo's Martin Bakole in a fight for African boxing king Time and where to watch Flying Eagles of Nigeria's 2nd U20 AFCON group game against Young Atlas Lions of Morocco Former England player who rejected the chance to represent the Nigerian national team now wants to replace Eric Chelle See what fans are saying about the robbery of Nigerian boxer Efe Ajagba against Congolese star Martin Bakole as Battle of Africa ends in a draw Artificial intelligence weighs in on the speculations surrounding Victor Osimhen's future Bruno Fernandes is attracting interest from the Saudi Pro League with Al Hilal said to have him in their summer plans Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen is reportedly mulling over possibly staying at Galatasaray for one more season Lamine Yamal earned high praise from Inter Milan defender Alessandro Former Super Eagles defender Taye Taiwo has advised Inter Milan on what they need to do to defeat Barcelona on Tuesday Ex-Besiktas midfielder Sinan Engin claims that Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk has treated Victor Osimhen unfairly Arsenal Wenger previewed Arsenal's upcoming UCL second leg clash against Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes Ahmed Musa will captain the Nigeria Super Eagles at the Unity Cup in London later this month leading the team against Ghana and other nations Arsenal celebrate 26 years since Super Eagles legend Nwankwo Kanu’s unforgettable solo goal against Tottenham in the 1999 North London Derby A former Fenerbahce player has urged the team to sack Jose Mourinho Athletics great Usain Bolt arranged a front three of GOATS here is everything to know about Trent Alexander-Arnold's life and career After serving an entertaining goal-fest in the first leg Inter and Barcelona will go head-to-head at San Siro to book a place in the Champions League final With Trent Alexander-Arnold departing Liverpool is he the Premier League's greatest full-back of all time Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold announced his departure from the Reds today which has led to a lot of reactions on social media Moises Caicedo has expressed his pride and gratitude after being named Chelsea's Player of the Season by his teammates and the supporters Breastfeeding comes naturally to women but not everyone has the capacity to produce breast milk after birth some mothers produce so little that can barely cater for the nutritional demands of the infant lies in supplementary feeding in spite of the fact that for ages scientists have maintained that breast milk is the perfect food for newly-born babies limited or no production of breast milk continues to break the hearts of mothers a gynecologist at La Croix du Sud Hospital in Remera explains that lack of breast milk production is more pronounced in first-time mothers because of anxiety adding that absence of breast milk for the first few days after birth is common You have selected an article from the AllAfrica archive, which requires a subscription. 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