The Other Side of Truth

Sade remembers her parents looking at photographs of people the police killed outside the library at the university. They were protesting for free elections and a free press. Some newspapers have been shut down, and some are too afraid to publish what is happening. This memory took place two days before the officers took Papa away.

The children meet a social worker named Robert. He finds a woman named Mrs. Graham who is willing to take them in as a temporary foster mother. Mrs. Graham’s building looks dirty from the outside, but the inside of her flat is clean. Femi sleeps in the same room as a boy named Kevin, and Sade sleeps in a room with two other children.

Sade packs her bag when she hears screams. She then hears shots, and when she runs outside, she sees Papa and Mama, and Mama is dead. She hears crying and realizes she woke the little children and has tears on her face from her dream. She covers her head and pretends to be asleep. She covers her mouth so Mrs. Graham will not hear her crying.

Sade realizes that Papa got in trouble for telling the truth. Mrs. Graham lends them some clothes to wear, and Jenny, a social worker, comes to talk to the children. Sade is afraid that the London police will talk to the Brass Buttons back in Nigeria. Sade writes her and Femi’s names on a piece of paper for Jenny. When asked for their last name, she gives their mother’s last name, Adewale. When asked where they live, she gives the name of a city close to where they live.

All Jenny knows is that something happened in Nigeria that was bad enough that the children were sent away. She tells the children that they will have to apply for asylum. Jenny mentions Ken Saro-Wiwa. Sade recognizes the name because he worked at Uncle Tunde’s university, and her father had been writing about him. The children will stay with Mrs. Graham for a few days; in the meantime, the social worker will look for a Nigerian family for them to stay with. Sade thinks back to when her parents learned that Saro-Wiwa was executed; Mama told Papa to be careful. Papa said he had to be able to look himself in the mirror. Back in the present, Sade asks Femi if it is okay to give their real name. He does not answer. They find a phone book and try to call Uncle Dele, but they cannot get the phone to work properly. Later, they ask Mrs. Graham to help them. She tries to make the call, but the line is dead.

Jenny and Mrs. Appiah from the Refugee Council come to speak with the children. Mrs. Appiah is from Ghana, and she tells them that they can call her Mama or Auntie like they do at home. Sade remembers Mama Buki pulling her and Femi to her and starts to cry. Sade explains that they have an uncle in London that they cannot find. After three days, Mama Appiah takes the children to a refugee lawyer, Mr. Nathan. Sade remembers that she was told good lawyers are good detectives. Femi will not talk to Sade to help her come up with a plan on what to say. Mr. Nathan says they will apply for asylum for the children in London. Femi tells him that they came to London with a woman, but they do not know her name. They remember Mrs. Bankole’s threat about not telling anyone her name.

Everything seems gray. The children go with Mr. Nathan and Mama Appiah to the Immigration and Nationality Department, where there is a line outside. This is the only government building where people have to wait outside. Sade notices that Mr. Nathan keeps calm like Uncle Tunde does. They go through a metal detector and head to the Asylum Screening Unit, where they have to be fingerprinted. Femi protests because he is not a criminal, and Mr. Nathan says that many people believe children should not be fingerprinted. When Femi objects, the woman asks Mr. Nathan to speak to Femi in his own language, but Mr. Nathan explains that Femi understands English just fine. The woman says she will not force Femi to be fingerprinted, but he is unlikely to get Temporary Admission without it. Femi complies. Sade feels dirty after being fingerprinted. Afterward, she tries to guess the nationalities of all of the people around them, and she tries to remember Papa’s map. When they are called, Mr. Nathan explains their situation and that the children need more time to supply all of the details. They are approved, and their Temporary Admission form says “CLAIMS TO BE” next to the last name they gave (105). Mr. Nathan tells the children that they can now start school, and this surprises Sade, as she never imagined going to a school other than her own in Nigeria.

The children arrive back at Mrs. Graham’s house. Jenny is there, and Kevin gives them an unfriendly grin. Jenny tells them that she found them another foster home because the Grahams’ place was just an emergency home for them. They will be living with Mr. and Mrs. King. Mama Appiah tells them not to worry, but this seems impossible to Sade when they are in a strange land and do not really know anyone.

Sade can tell that her brother is miserable as they head to the Kings’ home. She considers what Mama would expect of her: “You must help your brother, Sade. Sorrow is like a precious treasure, shown only to friends” (109). Mrs. King is wearing a bright dress, and there are a lot of books and magazines in their home. The Kings tell the children to call them Auntie Gracie and Uncle Roy. Uncle Roy says that they could even be related because their ancestors are from West Africa. He is really interested in learning about the continent. The children’s bedrooms contain a lot of color. Auntie Gracie makes them a familiar meal and explains that schools in England are not as strict as the ones in Nigeria.

Femi goes to the headmistress’s office at Greenslades Elementary School, and Sade is concerned about him. He would not even go with Auntie Gracie to buy them school clothes. Sade goes to the nearby Avon School, which is a concrete building, and there is a crisps wrapper on the ground. A teacher, Miss Harcourt, interviews her. The woman is wearing pants, and Sade thinks about how female teachers in Nigeria would never have worn pants. Miss Harcourt says that Sade’s English is good, and this seems strange to her, as she has known English ever since she could talk. Sade sees the other students and thinks about how in Nigeria they never would have been allowed to break dress code rules like the children do in England. She is also surprised by how much noise the children are allowed to make. Sade goes into Mr. Morris’s room. Before she goes in, Miss Harcourt brings a girl named Mariam out and asks her to help Sade. Mariam is from Somalia. Kevin is also in the class.