Dr. BUCHI EMECHETA: YET ANOTHER CREDIT TO NIGERIA






The very first time I came across her name was in 1999. I had to buy one of her books to read for my Literature paper in JAMB. It was entitled SECOND-CLASS CITIZEN. It was a pirated copy and not even complete but a very interesting read; about an Igbo woman who moved to England to join her husband who was studying Law. Being a black immigrant in 60s London was no walk on the beach at all, as she soon found out not to mention married to a tyrant who did nothing to look after her and their children. Things came to a head when she decided to become a writer and wrote her first novel, only for her husband to burn the whole thing up as a way of reminding her who was the head of the household. After that incident and more beatings, she left with their kids(including an unborn one) and later filed for a divorce; which she was granted along with full custody of the children.
Last year,durin the annnual International Book Fair at the University of Lagos, I bought some of her other books; THE SLAVE GIRL, THE JOYS OF MOTHERHOOD and her autobiography, HEAD ABOVE WATER. I also saw one , THE BRIDE PRICE, the same name of the burnt manuscript in SECOND-CLASS CITIZEN! Could it be???
I read part of HEAD ABOVE WATER and realised that the character Adah, was Mrs. Emecheta herself... it was her who'd gone through all that- struggling as a librarian to feed 5 kids, married to a creep, living in a ghetto, having to cope in a racist society, it was her all along! My heart went out to her right there and then.
Today, I found an original copy of 'Second-Class citizen' and 'The Rape of Shavi', a little easier these days because more people have decided to go back to their roots- reading more of our African Literature, not that there's anything wrong with Western Literature, mind. I have a friend who went a far as to buy SECOND CLASS CITIZEN online, her books potray women living in oppression, poverty and male domination; by this, in my opinion,she cuts grim but realistic situations and very real characters, especially her main character,Nnu Ego, in THE JOYS OF MOTHERHOOD(the title by the way is sarcastic, read the book and you'll find out why).

After her divorce, she continued working very hard; librarian, sociology student, social worker,sociologist author/playwright- THE SLAVE GIRL won the Jock Campbell Award, 2 plays on BBC television, children's books, I can just go on.
Today, she's a well travelled lecturer besides being a novelist and was awarded Order Of The British Empire(OBE)in 2005.

She is the epitome of the strength and perseverance God had given her and I salute her for it. Webfetti.com

MAX'S "PAWN"



Well so far so good; Raquel & Tonio seem to always work out their problems each passing day. But die-hard telenovela fans know better than to sit easy- a mistake my family made when we first watched NO ONE BUT YOU several years ago. Raquel and Tonio (thanks to a lot of third party interference) had more and more problems that threatened their marriage greatly and it took a lot of strength from the couple to overcome them. Max had another plan to wrestle Raquel away from his step-brother & sworn enemy and he was going to use an unlikely source, Raquel's sister, Martha.


Maura, Tonio's spiteful ex, also had something else in mind and the funny thing is, it began as a prank but started an unexpected chain reaction. Read on...

The next morning, Maura, smarting over Tonio's words to her, tells her younger sister
Carla about it. Carla has a sudden idea...

Luis(one of the chauffeurs and Max's henchman) and Martha went for a drive and Luis suggested she take the wheel and learn how to drive. Martha eagerly accepted and to her surprise found it easy. Daniel consoled Chucho who was still upset; he wasn't at all sure Tonio would help him again after hearing about the previous night's debacle. Daniel is still confident Raquel would be able to influence Tonio, for his sake.

 At the mansion, Raquel and Tonio are having breakfast. She remarked they've been married for a while  now yet she still didn't even know more about his line of work. He asked if she was interested in the business but she wasn't, she was more interested in him. She suddenly asked what had run through his mind the fateful night he  first saw her.
Tonio looked at her seriously and said he'd thought,' who is this beautiful woman?'
Raquel laughed and asked him to be serious, but he insisted that he was. For a moment he had actually wondered if he had amnesia and if the lady in front of him was his wife or not. He then asked her what she'd thought when looking at his photograph. Embarrassed, she asked how he knew about that.
He replied Ezequiel told him. She explained that she had wanted to see how the real Antonio looked like out of burning curiosity  and had  though he was attractive, though he was a stranger.  Tonio said if what had happened hadn't happened at all, he wouldn't have met her, and he had no regrets.  As they smiled at each other, Ramon appeared with the phone, Raquel had a call from Guadalajara. 

Raquel took it from him and said 'hello?'
No answer. That was because it was Carla on the other line; she grinned at Maura then hung up.
Very puzzled, Raquel stared at the receiver, saying that the person had hung up without answering. Tonio asked Ramon if the caller had given a name. Ramon replied the person was calling for a Mr. Roberto Aguirre. She said she didn't know him. Tonio is surprised as well but accepted the answer. (trust me folks, that fictional chap caused more trouble than you could ever imagine).

Meanwhile, Max and Luis met in his room; he asked if Martha had been going out with Luis as planned ; he said yes and he's found an actor willing to go with the plan they'd hatched. Max ordered him to make sure Martha agreed to go on a date with him as soon as possible for everything to work. They left the room and went outside; Raquel, alone in the living room, watched them leave. Daniel tentatively joins Raquel to speak with her, from the look on his daughter's face, she still wasn't pleased with the trouble he caused. Daniel is apologetic and Raquel felt it may be best for him and Martha to go home, rather than abusing Tonio's kindness. Daniel asks Raquel to convince Tonio to help Chucho again, not to give him more money; but a job.

Tonio paid another visit to Oscar, who still felt hostile towards Raquel and felt he needed proof before accusing Max of attempted murder. He also felt Tonio was not being objective when it came to Raquel, blinded by his love for her. It was her word against Max's. Tonio  insisted he wasn't a  love struck little boy; he knew what he was doing and he and Raquel loved each other very much. Oscar asked him if he planned on having children with her because he has obviously slept with her already. Just how was that any  of his business? 

 Tonio's  answer was a firm yes. Though they were yet to discuss the topic- Raquel was going to be the mother of his children. With that, he left.
But later in the day, Tonio, unable to concentrate at work, called the house. Ramon gave the
phone to Raquel, she asked if all was well. Tonio said nothing was wrong, he wanted to hear her voice and he couldn't concentrate. When she asked why, he said she knew why  he was distracted. 

 Raquel blushed red, smiling. He asked her what she was doing and she replied she was waiting for him to come home. He then told her to instruct Ramon to start the yacht; they would go on a
boat ride that afternoon. He hung up, after saying he loved her. Raquel put down the phone and went to the kitchen. 

Martha agreed to go on a date with Luis. 

After another talk with Daniel, Chucho decided to approach Tonio himself but hoped Raquel would still put in a good word. 




Raquel and Tonio spend a very romantic and pleasant day on the yacht. Cuddling Tonio after he comes aboard from the water, Raquel asked... what was he like in his youth.  Tonio listed them out (some of them we probably guessed already), an over achiever,  temperamental, and very jealous over keeping  anything he had, adding, 'I still am,' taking the words out of Raquel's mouth. She warned him she was the jealous type too, so he better watch himself. The couple resume kissing and cuddling. 

Meanwhile, Maura told Rodrigo about the prank because she wanted to take it further; she asked Rodrigo to get someone to pose as Roberto Aguirre  over the phone. He agreed to do it.

On getting back to the house, Raquel was informed that some flowers had arrived for her and Mr. Aguirre  had called again. Tonio told Raquel that he had sent the flowers but he wanted to know who this Roberto was. Raquel again said she didn't know any Roberto Aguirre, maybe it was a crank caller. Tonio believed her but by nature (as we already know)  he was rather jealous and possessive, so these strange calls didn't please him at all. In his study, he asked Pablo to find out all he could about Roberto Aguirre.


Later he joined Raquel in her room, where she was admiring the flowers he'd sent her and the loving message on the card, saying she would enjoy them the same way if they and her things were moved into his room. This guy honestly doesn't waste time.  Raquel smiles shyly. She tells him she had a wonderful time at the yacht and he promised to take her out again. Raquel looks forward to it but teasingly warns him not to ignore his work. 


Going downstairs they found Chucho, who pleaded with them to help him again; reminding Tonio how he'd saved him, he was willing to do anything around the house. They decided to give him a servant's job and he thanked them gratefully.


Luis met with the man who was to carry out the plan Max had hatched, which would involve Martha.
Raquel and Tonio finally started sharing the same room instead of going back and forth all the time. Raquel also decided to pay him a visit at his office and see how he worked. Chucho eagerly started work as a steward,very proud of his clean white uniform.




As they arranged , Raquel arrived at Tonio's office, where he warmly welcomed her.  Pablo watched Raquel  admiringly as Tonio showed her some blue prints of a hotel being built for a client, and takes her arm to show her around. 

That evening, Martha borrows one of Raquel's purses for her date, lying to her sister that she was going out with Claudio and some of his friends.  She and Luis had an uneventful time at the restaurant and nightclub and drove home afterwards. Half way there, Luis suggested she tried her budding driving skills again, which she happily agreed to and took the wheel. As she drove slowly along the road, the hired actor came out of the bushes and pretended to trip, falling against the front of the car and onto the ground.

Martha screamed and pulled over. Luis got out, pretended to examine the man and ran back into the car, saying the stranger was dead, she had killed him. Martha is very frightened at what she'd done. Luis takes over the wheel and they drive off.

 However, someone saw the whole thing! As the man began to get up, who should hurry over to him but Chucho, who was returning from his visit to Mercedes (or Meche as he preferred calling her) and Gabriel. He hurried to the man, asking if he was alright. The man ran away instead of answering him, much to his surprise. Martha was consoled by Luis, who led her into the house then told Max everything had worked according to plan. 
Meanwhile Chucho, getting back, is very puzzled to find the runaway car parked in the mansion's garage.

Raquel's embarassment: it gets worse


Tonio is told the whole story by Raquel. Evil Max told him what he'd already done, clearly pleased at his ex- girlfriend's discomfort. Raquel and Tonio go to the guest bungalow to ask Daniel what really happened. Tonio is very angry with Raquel for keeping such a thing from him and asked her to go back to the mansion; which she did quietly. Back in the Big House, Raquel scolded Max for mentioning the incident in front of Tonio in the first place,  angrily brushes  his hand off her cheek and  stormed into her room. Daniel narrated the whole story, filled with remorse he'd embarrassed his daughter and pleaded with Tonio to arrange for Chucho and Mercedes' bail. Getting back to the house, Tonio called Pablo and sent him to the police station to pay the bail. He then went up to Raquel's room; she asked if he was still angry with her, he replied yes.

What really made him cross was that his wife had felt too scared to confide in him after his promise of always looking after her; why had she lied to him, of all people? She humbly apologised to him- she had felt too ashamed to tell him as it was scandalous to the family she'd just joined and was still trying to adjust in. Besides, she felt more like a mistress than a wife, his family don't treat her as such. If only they had met first  and had a normal courtship. Tonio understands what she meant but assured her of her status; she IS his wife. They will get to know each other everyday. He forgave her but made her promise never to be too scared to confide in him, he was her husband after all. She eagerly promised, filled with relief. Tonio decided they would go out for lunch, refusing to let Raquel change her dress. To Max's anger, they leave the house hand in hand- Raquel throwing a brief look of triumph at Max.

As the couple were having a cosy time at the restaurant- Raquel blushing under Tonio's loving words and compliments- Maura and Rod stopped by their table. Raquel abruptly walks out on them when Maura (deliberately tactless) mentions the unfortunate incident; she'd read about it in the papers. Tonio of course had to go after his wife.
Back home, Raquel is furious; she told Tonio she couldn't stand Maura at all, it was bad enough

she flirted shamelessly with him but now she'd started humiliating her in public. Vicki appeared with the day's newspaper in her hand and showed the couple the article; she couldn't understand how the press got wind of it since Max had assured her he'd fended them off at the station. Raquel is very upset at the whole thing and her husband consoled her, telling her to think of more positive things, like himself- making her smile. He kissed her and surprised her by saying he was going to Maura's house. When she asked why, he replied it was time he straightened things out and left. Camilla came in to confirm what she'd heard but neither her brother nor her sister-in-law deigned to discuss it with her, Tonio walked out. Camilla however asked Vicki and was disgusted at the smear Raquel's father had caused. Raquel had to leave the room.

Pablo got to the station and bailed Chucho, Mercedes and her friend out. Chucho asked him if Tonio had sent him money; was coldly told no. Chucho escorted Mercedes to her little house and was introduced to her bed ridden brother, Gabriel. Gabriel  had lost the use of his legs in an accident  some months back.

At Maura's house, Tonio is blunt with her; he was tired of her deliberately offending Raquel all the time . What he and Maura once had was over and from now on she must treat his wife with the respect she deserved and stop causing mischief. He took his leave, Maura sullen and angry at what he'd said.
Back at the mansion, Tonio finds Raquel outside waiting for him despite it drizzling. She asks him what he told Maura. His reply, 'that I love you.'

 An exchange of smiles between the couple before the commencement of  a passionate exchange of kisses. 


Tonio and Raquel are  so busy making out,  neither of them notice Evil Max watching them, sheer bitterness and rage written all over his face.

 Who wants to bet he would have shot them both on the spot if he'd had his gun with him?


Daniel was delighted to see Chucho was  out of jail. Chucho was still very  upset about the loss of his precious money. Daniel promised to talk to Raquel in the morning.

Mientras Haya Vida final episode snippets




This was what I was able to dig up, I'm very sorry it's rather short but I had to translate it first. By the way, the actual meaning of this telenovela is 'When there's life, there's hope.' To continue....




Gael is shot at when he's in the park with his wife. At the hospital, Romina gave Ophelia tea to soothe her nerves, having added a few drops of a strange potion into it to make her lose her baby. Minutes later, Ophelia is very ill and is take to Intensive Care...


Gael and Ophelia suspect that the loss of their baby was Romina's handy work. Gael later went to the department store and found Romina with Rosaura excahging a package of drugs, after a loud argument was shot by Gael. Romina was later taken to a psychaitric ward. Alejandro confessed that Gael was a murderer and he had proof of everthing he'd done. Gael later went to a warehouse where Elisa supposedly was and fires...


Hector and Jimenez hurry to the cellar where Elisa was reported to be but only find Gael's body, who had been struck with a pistol and left unconcious. Ophelia had died and Gael had wanted some one to blame for her death.

Six months later...


Elisa was now walking about again and getting set to marry the man she loved. Hector had distanced himself from Maria; but she paid an unexpected visit to tell him she still loved him which made him break down and admit he wanted another opportunity with her. They embrace and kiss, tears in Maria's eyes.


The telenovela ends with the younger couple; Elisa & Sergio walking along hand in hand and a final kiss between them under a tree- after a loving exchange of promises. FIN


Yet another CUANDO SEAS MIA: The 3RD VERSION





Before I give you the gist of this next telenovela, I must add something I left out in my last post. Margarita Rosa De Francisco who played the original 'Paloma' in Cafe, Con Aroma de Mujer also played Maria Montero , Hector's beloved in the 2007 telenovela currently airing on AIT, UNTIL MY LAST BREATH(Mientras Haya Vida).





In 2007, Televisa produced a 2nd remake of Cafe, (the 1st remake being Cuando Seas Mia produced by TV AZTECA) this one is called Destilando Amor(Distilling Love), also known as 'Essence of Love'. The story line is very much the same except instead of coffee being produced it is (yuck!) tequilla; the collectors gathered blue agave (a cactus-like plant) instead of coffee beans. The protagonists are Teresa 'Gaviota' Hernandez (Angelica Rivera) and Rodrigo Montalvo (Eduardo Yanez). I don't have to narrate the story line all over again except for a few differences. She and Rodrigo first saw each other face to face at Don Amador Montalvo's funeral when they both knelt down at the altar in front to pray for him- their eyes immediately met. After Gaviota escaped from the brothel in Paris, she fainted in front of a restaurant where its kindly Italian chef/owner, Benvenutto(who later married her mum Clarita), gave her food and money for her fare to London after hearing her story. She did see Rodrigo in London, at a distance, and very excited she ran across the street towards him but ALAS!!! she was knocked down by a car! Rod saw the the whole thing but did'nt know it was her; he was about to hurry over to the scene but then his cellphone rang and he got the terrible news of his parents' untimely death in a plane crash. By then other people had gathered round poor Gaviota and he had no idea the victim was his fiancee or that at that moment she'd lost their baby. On getting back to Mexico and finding Gaviota gone, he married a friend of his cousin's(Aaron) wife Minerva- a woman called Isadora who never succeded in seducing him as he was obssessed with finding Gaviota. When he did find her, she was Aaron's right hand woman in the family company and had legally changed her name to Mariana Franco and unlike Paloma who had given Diego a wide berth on seeing him, Gaviota allowed Rodrigo to embrace her joyfully (in private of course). After everything was at last settled, they got married of course.

A few similarites:

-Rodrigo's sister, Sofia(this version's Diana) dated a British (or is it Irish?) man called James O' Brien before marrying a gold digger who was sleeping with Isadora, Fransisco de la Vega (Miguel) and the younger one, Daniela dated and later married a black man, (this one wore his hair in braids but looked handsome all the same).
-Aaron(Fabian) has a mistress as his 'baby bearing backup', her name is Pamela.
-Gaviota's boss at her second place of work, this time called the 'Consejo Regulador del Tequila', is also called Roberto Avellaneda.
-Isadora also tried to pass off a child that was'nt her husband's as his own. When he later found out, he still wanted to keep the little boy.
-Aaron of course tried to frame Rodrigo & Gaviota in shady exportations deals he was involved with.




MARIANA(Gaviota) & Rodrigo exchaging secret
love messages over the phone in the office.












                                     Rodrigo surprises Gaviota in Manzanillo








On their wedding day. Rodrigo showed up on a horse, looking so handsome and dashing in his suit & sombrero, family and friends cheering. A few minutes later, Gaviota showed up in a white carriage, looking so lovely in a breathtaking white wedding dress. During the service, she made the Padre call her Gaviota instead of Mariana and the couple exchanged kisses before they were instructed to do so! (Ha! Ha!)











                                                  Rodrigo & little Gaviota 8 years later.









I'm just so psyched about this post; I'll always regard it as the best I ever put together. Although all three guys were absolutely great actors I can't help but compare them- each guy has his own version of good looks and charm. Diego(Sergio Basanez) is very handsome, the image of the quintessential hero with his curly hair and macho yet sensitive features.
Sebastian(Guy Ecker) is what I can say classically handsome with his blond hair(and I'm not usually into blond guys except for a few exceptions) and his stance, stately.
Rodrigo is much bigger in stature than the others, handsome as well but there's something about him that reminds me of a lovable teddy bear- he's so sweet and sensitive and you'd just want him around you all the time. Some women just have all the luck, (sigh...)

IMPORTANT TRIVIA...
 

Angelica Rivera (Gaviota) is the protégée &  former sister-in-law of Veronica Castro- “Marianna” of THE RICH ALSO CRY fame and is currently married to the 57th president of Mexico; President Enrique Pena Nieto. She's retired from the world of acting.

CUANDO SEAS MIA: ITS ORIGIN...



Just when we thought we've heard enough about the telenovela that will forever remain in our hearts, there a few more things to know about CUANDO SEAS MIA. It was a remake of a 1994 Columbian telenovela CAFE,CON AROMA DE MUJER [Coffee, with the scent of a woman], produced by RCN TV. Margarita Rosa De Francisco and Guy Ecker played Teresa 'Gaviota' Suarez and Sebastian Vallejo who met after the death of Sebastian's grandfather. Cuando Seas Mia fans know the rest- they fell in love and he promised to return and marry her. But Gaviota took advantage of a modelling job in London to find him so she could  tell him she was having his baby only to discover she'd been sold to a brothel. During her long absence, Sebastian listened to false rumours about her and married a woman he wasn't in love with nor even slept with. After escaping the place thanks to a kind Italian,(who later became her stepfather) she however lost her baby and returned to face heartbreaking disappointment before deciding to move to the city with her mother, Carmenza and later worked at the Vallejo company, CAFE EXPORT- legally changing her name to Carolina Olivares(in Cuando Seas Mia , Paloma changed her name to Elena Olivares) moving up the corporate ladder and running into Sebastian, who stubbornly refused to listen to her angry statement that it was over between them. After many trials and endurance they finally came together as husband and wife.By the way, about the pet names 'Gaviota' and 'Paloma'... Gaviota in English means 'sea gull' while Paloma means 'dove'.






                                       GAVIOTA &  SEBASTIAN IN THE BEGINNING 








                                GAVIOTA IN HER NEW IDENTITY, CAROLINA OLIVARES








                               WHEN SEBASTIAN SURPRISED GAVIOTA IN MANZANILLO







             GAVIOTA &  SEBASTIAN ON THE HAPPY DAY THEIR WEDDING TOOK PLACE




                                     GAVIOTA & LITTLE GAVIOTA 7 yrs LATER





RAQUEL'S EMBARASSMENT


















Vicky is instantly worried about the scandal this mishap would cause. She couldn't imagine what Daniel was doing at such a place in the first place & they would have to make such the matter isn't circulated all over Acapulco. Max is given the responsibility of bailing Daniel out and put off any journalists sniffing around. 
After he left, Vicky went upstairs and gently gave Raquel the bad news. Distressed, Raquel wanted to go to the station to see if her father was alright but Vicky immediately objected, they had to avoid scandal. Raquel snappishly said Daniel was her father after all. Vicky agreed but reminded the young woman she was a Lombardo now, and as Tonio's wife, she owed her husband the courtesy of not drawing negative attention to herself, which she would do if she went to the police station. Any journalist around would recognise her and hound the whole matter out of her before she knew it and it would be in all of the papers. She mustn't worry; Max had already gone to the station to bail him out.

Daniel & Chucho are of course very upset at being locked up; Chucho especially. Evil Max gave his name at the front desk and told the officer he wished to set bail. While he was waiting, a journalist approached him and asked some questions & the son-of -a-bitch answered them TRUTHFULLY! The officer came back and directed him to where the bail was to be paid.

Mercedes too was locked up and tried to persuade one of the guards she hadn't meant to disturb the peace.

At the office, Tonio's trusted personal assistant, Pablo (fans would recognise him as Alberto's chauffeur in THE RICH ALSO CRY) reported the results of his investigations; they still needed the judge who had conducted the civil wedding as a valuable witness against Max. Raquel called the office to speak with her husband but Tonio had already stepped out of the office.

The officers release Daniel to Max and Daniel begged Max to bail out Chucho and Mercedes but Max coldly told him they weren't his business and they left the station, Daniel still begging him.

At the mansion, Raquel anxiously waited for her father & asked Ramon where her sister was. Ramon told her Martha had gone out for a drive with Luis. During the drive, Luis suggested Martha take a hand at the wheel - as her first lesson, which she does.

Back at the mansion ,Maura paid Raquel an unwelcome visit. She remarks how  Tonio didn't like women who smoked after Raquel lights a cigarette. Raquel more of less tells her to cut the bullshit; she didn't like Maura and Maura didnt like her, hence no friendship can really exist between them. 

Tonio walks in and greeted Maura before moving to kiss Raquel. Maura got up, boldly kissed him on the mouth, much to Raquel's fury- who didn't seem to notice that Tonio subtly wiped his mouth. As Maura rose to go, she kissed him again and said goodbye to Raquel. After the door closed, Raquel angrily asked Tonio  whether it was necessary for Maura to kiss him on the lips all the time. How would he like it if she allowed men to do that with her, or is being a man give him certain liberties? Tonio teased her over her jealousy, assuring her Maura was just a family friend. He  grins when Raquel gives an angry snort.

Max returned with Daniel (who was looking very sorry for himself). Raquel immediately got up to embrace her father, asking if he was alright and bade him to go and shower & rest. Max gave a snide remark about the favour he'd done. Raquel glared at him, guessing correctly that he was enjoying her embarrassment. Tonio of course, was baffled at the whole thing, no one had said anything to him after all.

 After Daniel went back to the guest bungalow, Tonio asked Raquel what happened. Thoroughly ashamed and embarrassed, Raquel replied she didn't exactly know what had happened, it seemed her father went out to gamble or something...
Vicky came in and greeted Tonio before soberly turning to Raquel; she had seen Daniel outside and asked if Max had succeeded in avoiding the journalists. As Raquel stammeringly tried to reply, Tonio snappishly asked, what on earth was going on!


Tu O Nadie: The fifth version

Did you know that the beloved 1985 telenovela " Tu No Nadie" (No One But You)   has a 5th version? I recently discovered this by ...

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