Around the 12th century A.D., the West African kingdom of Ile-Ife lived in terror of the Forest People. These hideous monsters regularly pillaged their great city of food and treasure, taking them away as slaves. Now, Ile-Ife was in their golden era with flourishing industries of art, commerce and agriculture. Some of their bronze and terracotta crafts still adorn museums around the world till this day. They however slept with one eye open for fear of the Moving Forest. Considering them a divine punishment, the Ife people watched helplessly as they were marauded. Until their pretty, young queen- Moremi Ajasoro- decided to do something about it. Troubled by her new people’s cries, she sought out their adversaries’ weakness in order to defeat them. This comic is an adaptation of a popular Yoruba legend about a young amazon who freed her people from terror.
It is the second installment in An African Legend Series (the first being Bayajidda). Moremi: An African Legend comes with a different style from its predecessor- both in narration and art. There are more running gags, parodies and puns here. With a more complex storyline and slightly more mature humour, this installment would resonate with an older audience. However, there is some local parlance used that might leave international readers befuddled at some instances. This does not detract from the plot though rather it contextualizes it. It also encourages more research into the Yoruba culture on display.
The writer adapts the legend in a family-friendly way, introducing humorous characters. Take for example the twin sentries, Kehinde and Taiwo, and the Dahomean amazon, N’nonmiton. These lovable characters are created without affecting the legend’s core. As writer and art director, this allowed for some brilliant graphic allusions and numerous running gags to flow. This was probably inspired by the bande desinee of Goscinny & Uderzo who both pioneered this approach to comics in Asterix. It was refreshing to see this witty style again which has been lost to manga and the superhero genre.
The art, unlike Bayajidda, is not cute or pretty. It has a rawness of form and anatomical exaggeration that is found in traditional Yoruba art and craft. There is a deliberate distortion of physical features sometimes to the point of caricature. Moremi seems to revel in this art style with no apologies.
Moremi captures a well-known African story about a queen still revered by the Yoruba people till today. Like Bayajidda, it adapts the tale subtly, leaving us nuggets along the way to chew on. In short, it was a pleasurable read with an ingenious twist at the end.
Like Bayajidda, Moremi was endorsed by NERDC as a library resource material for primary and secondary schools in Nigeria. The comic has also been converted to a simple children picture book Moremi & The Flames of Freedom (visit our bookshop).
One wonders which African legend would be adapted next.
Both Bayajidda: An African Legend and Moremi: An African Legend are available at our TeamBookshop.
Claude Opara
Claude is a Nigerian author, artist, architect and project manager. An avid movie watcher, history buff and football fan, he also has a penchant for travel and adventure. Claude has authored a few books ...And the Night Hissed being his first novel, a historical thriller about a slave raid gone awry. He has also written and published two lighthearted comics and a children's storybook under his An African Legend series. Claude is also the co-founder of Teambooktu.com.
I love the artwork. Nice inking and coloring. I think it would be engaging to a young reader.