A Stranger From Lagos by Cyprian Ekwensi

 

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Ekwensi was born in Nigeria in 1921. He wrote about the country and people of Nigeria-city life and life in the rural areas. Loko Towns and Other Stories was published in 1966. A Stranger From Lagos was one of the nine stories in that collection.

 

The writer explores the place of women in society. Lilian is trapped by social conventions. Her fiance treats her like a possession as if he owns her. It is written in third person to allow the writer's thoughts to merge with Lilian's. The protagonist is unable to speak to the stranger in public although it is obvious that there is a strong physical attraction between the two. If Lilian asserts herself she will go against social conventions (for females) and her reputation will be damaged through rife and unhealthy gossip. She will therefore be stigmatised as a loose woman. The story explores her inner conflicts in accepting these "conventions" or flaunting them as well as her status within the family. She choses to flaunt them naturally. It makes for more of an interesting tale.

 

The question in Ekwensi's mind when writing this was whether Lilian would succumb to the pressures of her family and community and pursue what should be her natural right-a loving relationship based on equality, more characteristic of western socities that have had the benefit of education? You as a reader must decide on the writer's purpose in exposing individual and family loyalties and whether he felt that there was any solution for the future.

 

The opening sentence is quite dramatic. It introduces Lilian and the stranger who looked at her when she was dancing the Um-Ogbo dance. She "knew" it states. Knew what? That only a stranger would dare to watch her and "linger on movements" and a man "who had fallen." Did Lilian know that he liked her or that he had fallen in love with her or perhaps just lusted after her?

 

Lilian lived in a compound and it seemed that she was brought up to do practical things like sewing. She was making a dress for herself. When she discovered that the stranger was asking questions about her, such as who she was  and whether she was married she became critical when she comments on how he looked transparently silly and pitiable. She does seem to want to help him but her mother and her fiance's mother are there and Lilian therefore felt conflict of interests.

" Should she go to his help there?" If she had, the women would have gossiped. A bad move.

 

She must have been close enough to hear what he was talking about and of course, interested like any woman. When she had decided that she would help him she saw a look "of the agony of desire." Already the writer has made us aware of Lilian's culture. She was engaged and had discovered that another man desired her. What should she do? It doesn't take long for her to decide.

 

In the third paragraph we are told about the eyes in the small town with the "mind "of a small town-narrow minded. Lilian was born here. We are then told that she could go to her lover's house daily without being seen; even her mother didn't suspect anything; she thought she had gone to the market! This is how she carried out her clandestine affair.

 

I suppose the main problem for Lilian was that once people knew a girl (like her) and respected her they would not expect her talking to a "glamorous looking stranger" or just talking to a man in broad daylight especially when she as engaged to another man :"the eyes would roll and the tongues would wag." The consequences would be for the girl "to leave town" or she would be "branded" a slut.

Lilian's mother said that she didn't understand the stranger's language as if he is foreign. He might as well have been to the people of Onitsha. Lilian seems very certain of the reasons why he was there:"he had come for her" but she also thought "his courage had failed him." It is interesting if Lilian is right about this why his courage failed him? Or why she had been singled out!

 

We are told that Lilian was different to her mother who cared for "families she knew." Lilian seems to be a different breed, her judgement was based on her instincts. She then describes her instincts towards the stranger's feelings as a "conquest" which was "full of strange enchantment." We also know that her mother disapproved of her clothes. The writer uses resentment. There are possibly two interpretations of this. The mother wanted the freedom of the girl (for herself perhaps?) who seemed to want to liberate herself, or perhaps she resented the fact that the women might talk about her non-conformity and she would be "branded." This would have serious repercussions for her family. Girls were supposed to cover themselves up not expose themselves. We are assuming that they were Muslims rather than Christians. Islam is very strict on covering up their females.

 

"Well above the knees" and "tight" are words used to describe the dress that she made. Her mother, a traditional woman called it "mad people's clothes." Lilian uses her sexuality to liberate herself.........................................................................to be continued in part 2.

 

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