Olawu by P. J. Leigh

Author:P. J. Leigh
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: strong female protagonist, precolonial, coming of age, sisterhood, fiction for women, enemies to lovers, book club, Africa, bipoc, East Africa, african history, found family
Publisher: Brave Girls Press
Published: 2023-07-01T00:00:00+00:00

THE ENTIRE FORTRESS was on high alert. The kitchen hummed with activity, and a large number of guards patrolled the halls. Dikembe and his personal guard would be the only ones allowed in the banquet hall, aside from the Chiefs themselves, their personal attendants, and the kitchen workers.

Dikembe kept to one end of the dining hall, close to his baba, while Hondo guarded the other. Dikembe noticed that the Chief of Kanakam was not present. It seemed the rumors that Chief Umdaka lay on his deathbed were true. His son Zulu would take his place, but he was not present either.

“InDuna Dike!” Chief Ugogi of Simabwe greeted them. His earrings swung freely from his low-lying lobes. “Simabwe is ready and willing to take on the Oloko. We can pledge thirty men to take the fight to the plains.”

“Thirty?” Chief Kimala of Oraji scoffed. “Oraji is half the size of Simabwe and we plan to pledge one hundred men!”

“Should we really be discussing war so close to masika?” Chief Oaxaco of Shimbu shook his head. Long, red tribal tattoos marked his skin from his head to his bare chest. “The rainy season is nearly upon us, and the eastern plains are prone to flooding and mudslides. InDuna Dike, I do not think it would be wise to take on the Oloko at this time.”

“So what do you propose we do? Wait for them to slaughter us in our sleep?” Chief Kimala banged his fist on the table. “We must drive them out of their lands and push them so far east they fall into the sea!”

Chief Pusaka of Chigami chimed in. “The Oloko all but wiped out my village. My baba, Chief Pugata, was slaughtered in his sleep. I say we strike the Oloko now before they attack another village!”

Chief Zigula of Ingala took that moment to speak up. “What of the plans you spoke of, InDuna Dike? You said you had a solution for driving out the Oloko?”

“Yes.” InDuna Dike nodded. “We’ve established Kanakam as a crucial village for maintaining control over the water supply to the valleys. My son Dikembe can speak more on this matter. Dikembe?”

Dikembe pulled his attention away from the young girl pouring water into cups. He did not recognize her as one of the regular kitchen servants. He motioned for Hondo to keep an eye on her as he addressed the other chiefs.

“As you all know, the Kanak River flows from the Kanagari mountain ranges all the way through the eastern and western valleys, supplying water to both the Dikebe and the Oloko. With the help of our best craftsmen, we have devised a way to reroute the Kanak river so that it flows only towards the western tribes.”

“How will you do that?” Chief Zigula asked, stroking his long beard.

“We’re building a dam at the base of the Kanagari mountain range, which rests just North of Kanakam. We’re also burying conduits and aqueducts that will lead water to reservoirs throughout the Dikebe tribes.”

“You can do that?” Chief Oaxaco looked incredulous.

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