The Birds Are Singing
Book review Althea Mark-Romeo
The Birds Are Singing is the third novel by Liberian writer and folklorist, Wilton Sankawulo. The 208 page novel, published by Cotton Tree Press in Washington D.C., USA/ Monrovia, Liberia, in 2010, is set in Liberia. It delves into the life of Sumowor Gbamokorli. The central character, known as Korli throughout the novel, is an indigenous Liberian, who defies all obstacles in his rural and urban environment, occupied by descendants of settlers (“kwii”). He rises to prominence on the national social and political scene. Korli is however murdered by those who regard him as a threat.
There are two themes woven into The Birds Are Singing. The first is Sankawulo’s examination of the lifestyles and the merits and flaws of both the rural and urban(“kwii”) Liberian societies. The second is the need for Liberians and Africans in general to be united, hard working and courageous enough to take their future into their own hands. It is a message that speaks not only to Liberians and Africans, but to most struggling nations in the world. The predominant symbol throughout the novel is that of the bird as healer, foreseer of danger and the forecaster of future events.
Korli, who navigates both the rural and urban Liberian worlds, makes keen observations of their pitfalls (betrayals, fears, dishonesty, jealousy, the dangers of perception, dissent or the appearance of it, abuse of power) and merits (a good education, hard work, honesty, sacrifice and courage).He is warned that “evil is everywhere…Up country they have the Poro, Sande, spirit snake, leopard, gbon, and water societies; down here, we have the Mason, the UBF, and IOGT”. He is told about the “black boys,”… “kidnappers and cutthroats [who] prey on strangers. Korli finds it necessary to join various secret societies in the indigenous world, and is encouraged to join the Masons, UBF and Christian church in Monrovia to guarantee his safety. He, for example, sees parallels in the usage of human sacrifice by the secret societies in both worlds for the purpose of political and social gains and concludes that the secret society in the indigenous is more straightforward. “He’d join the gbon, too, to fight spirits and witches. Seasoned in the ways of the tribe, he’d be free from their harassment and intimidation. He also wanted to count for something in the kwii world.” He is advised that once he is “active in them (church and a secret society)……you enjoy the influence and protection of the government and civilized people world-wide.” Caught between the vicious cultural traps of both worlds, Korli decides that “the country had its problems and plenty of them but the people there were honest and just. Once you conformed to the norms and mores of the place, you were secure. Beneficiaries of ritual killings, for example, sacrificed members of their own families, unlike the kwii world where killings were indiscriminate and widespread. But returning to the coutry without accomplishing his goal would be a disgrace.”
His speech given in the form of a parable is significant. It lays out Liberia’s social and political problems and presents solutions. This road map to Liberia’s future, he informs his audience, would require hard work and courage. He emphasizes to his audience repeatedly “that the root cause of your problems is disunity,” and advices that they ”should look to [themselves] for answers to [their] problems.” He urges his audience to “stop estranging [their] brilliant men and women from participating meaningfully in[their] politics and development efforts.”
Unfortunately his audience flees in the face of truth. And in his wife, Leanya’s own words, “Korli refused to play their wicked game according to the rules, so he had to die.” He also refused to marry a “kwii” woman, which was one of the demands for successful assimilation into the “kwii” social and political world. Korli had seemed to transcend all that.
We learn the significance of the bird as fortuneteller, forecaster, teacher and the carrier of natural medicines. We learn that “Their songs have many meanings….Some of the [sic fruits] and leaves birds eat are medicines. We learn that “If you eat birds regularly, it’s hard for you to be sick”. Leanya informs us that most of the herbs [her] mother knows…..she learned from birds.” We learn that one’s journey “will be safe…for the birds are singing.”
Similarities to Sankawulo’s previous novel, Sundown At Dawn, abound. Both central characters feel that their future lies in a “kwii” education and the “kwii” world. They are caught between the indigenous society and the world of a modern Liberian city and face challenges in both. They are brave, strong, ambitious men, who feel deeply for their people and are betrayed by their antagonists who are jealous and who fear the potential of their powers. In both novels, there are hints that the older generation must make sacrifices in order for the next generation to take its place in a modern Liberian society.
The Birds Are Singing should be listed as a “must read” in the Liberian school curriculum. For others, it gives great insight into Liberian history, culture and politics. Like Sankawulo’s previous novels, The Rain and the Night, and Sundown at Dawn, it confirms his brilliant role as a teacher, historian and preserver of culture. The Birds Are Singing not only imparts to the reader his knowledge of Liberia’s past, but it also lays out, in Korli’s parable, the need to analyze past failures to rectify them and chart a successful future as individuals and as a nation.
© Althea Romeo-Mark 07.02.2010
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