Author Description

Ewia Ekunyah has three main problems. His first is the traditional wives that powerful, elder relatives have chosen for him to marry; his second is his ambition of winning the election for a parliamentary seat; the third is whether to employ methods dictated to him by reason, education and religion to solve his domestic and public problems or to employ the services of a traditional medicine man. Medicine for Love charts the often-contradictory choices the modern African man has to make. While Ewia is in the thick of the local parliamentary elections, he suddenly finds himself besieged with two women, Berkin Wari and Ibiere Sua, betrothed to him under native custom by various senior relatives and sent to him. Unable to make his mind up, he allows both women to remain in his house. Matters are not helped by the fact that Berkin is accompanied by her father and Ibiere by her mother. Soon each party accuses the other of making love medicine to capture Ewia’s heart. Ewia needs to win the election. He has invested all of his savings and sold his houses to oil the wheels of his election campaign – exorbitant promises have been made to the electorate; the palms of powerful supporters have been greased and opponents bought off. Although he has been brought up steeped in the Christian faith, he begins to entertain the thought of engaging the services of a traditional medicine man. However, his domestic situation is further muddled as Dupeh, his rather pushy aunt and guardian arrives with a third “wife”, Nene Katsina. Auntie Dupeh swings into action to eliminate the rival ‘wives’. At a hastily organised birthday party, she attempts to spike the drinks of all the others. Still, she appears to be beaten at her game when all the others turn up with their own drinks and glasses. But all is not as it seems. Auntie Dupeh feigns her collapse – she knows Ewia will be touched by how the women react to her and one, Nene Katsina, will be most sympathetic. <