The Other Side of Truth

“Well, air power has sure helped make the world a smaller place. Just one big global village, ma’am.”

These words are spoken by a Black American man who went to visit Africa so that he could find his heritage. They are important to Sade, however, because they represent her biggest fear and the motivator for many of her actions: The English police may be corrupt like the Nigerian police, and anything she says in London could end up hurting her father in Nigeria. This is one of the biggest conflicts she faces throughout the novel.

“With Uncle Dele missing, they were now completely and utterly alone. If anyone asked where they came from and what they were doing, whatever should they say?”

Because of the distinct ways in which Femi and Sade approach their situation, she is forced to make all the decisions by herself. Her difficulty with this reveals that she internalized many of the lessons her parents taught her. Her desire to constantly seek her parents’ advice shows that she still wants to rely on them to help her make decisions.

“Refugees? They were those winding lines of starving people, with stick-thin children. People who carried their few possessions in dusty cotton bundles, struggling across deserts and mountains. Refugees were people trying to escape famine and war. You saw them on television. Were she and Femi really refugees?”

Sade and Femi find themselves in a situation that previously they only heard or read about. It is hard for them to understand that they are in this situation, and it will be even more difficult for them later in the novel to see their father as a prisoner.

“It was so difficult to know what was right and wrong anymore. And doing the right thing could lead to awful things happening.”

Sade grows from a somewhat naive child in the novel to a more mature young woman. At one point, even she realizes that she has grown up a lot in just six weeks. The values that formerly seemed absolute to her are becoming blurry as she understands that her actions have consequences that are not always predictable. She will not be able to come to peace with this, however, until the end of the novel.

“You are causing the child unnecessary distress. These children are in the care of social services and Mrs. Appiah from the Refugee Council is also working with them. They are not going to run away. I cannot see the point of putting them through this.”

Fingerprinting in the novel symbolizes the ways that immigrants are treated as criminals. This process causes great distress to Femi, and Mr. Nathan explains that numerous people have spoken out against fingerprinting children. Femi complies only when he realizes he may not be granted temporary asylum without doing so.

“The adults were all smiling. How could Mama Appiah say ‘don’t worry’? They were surrounded by strangers in a strange land in which Uncle Dele—the only person who really knew them—had disappeared.”

This quote shows that the adults in the novel, no matter how well-meaning they are, do not understand how the children truly feel. This is partly a side effect of Sade’s lies and silence. Had she told the truth, the adults would have been in a better position to help her, but she is also a child who has had no opportunity to grieve her mother’s murder and cannot be comforted by empty words.

“You must help your brother, Sade. Sorrow is like a precious treasure, shown only to friends.”

Sade’s frequent flashbacks to wisdom provided by her mother and her father help her make decisions, as she wishes to follow their values. They also prove insufficient at times, however, as they do not always take into account competing values or priorities.

“The walls were painted a light ochre, like ripe corn, and the curtains and bedcover were patterned with the yellows and greens of pineapples. Femi’s room was an emerald sea-green.”

Bright colors symbolize home in the novel. These words describe the Kings’ home, and the bright colors in the home show that the children will ultimately feel comfortable there.

“Ever since she had learned to talk, she had been speaking in English as well as Yoruba! There was even a family story that when she was very little, she would start a sentence in one language and end in the other. Papa used to joke that it meant she would always take the best of both worlds.”

English ignorance of African countries and people is implicitly criticized throughout the novel. Sade and her classmates in Africa had to memorize information about Europe, but most of the English people in the novel know almost nothing about Africa, including that many African children speak English from a very young age.

“Don’t need to spell in the bush.”

While much of the misunderstandings about Nigeria are born out of ignorance of African customs, some of them demonstrate overt racism and bigotry. These words spoken between Marcia and Donna reflect the overt racism Sade and her brother experience in school at the hands of other children.

“In a strange way, the darkness reminded her of the forest she had intended writing about. The patches of light reminded her that other human beings were out there too.”

For her English class, Sade plans to write about the forest behind her home in Nigeria. Sade feels alone in her room, and she is reminded that there are other people out there, even if she does not know them. The next day, the bullies will destroy the description she writes.

“We have to stand up to bullies, Sade girl! Otherwise they get inside your head. That’s how they succeed in controlling us. The Bully-Boy soldiers rule us today because most people let them. They frighten us into believing they are all-powerful. Without their brass buttons they are nothing.”

Sade frequently understands that the bullies in her school are similar to the bullies in the Nigerian government. Thus, she considers all that her father has said about bullies when she has to make decisions. Folarin understands that bullies rule by fear, and he refuses to give in to it.

“Her lie was like a dirty spoon sinking into honey.”

Sade has many kind people who help her in England, and she feels guilty when she lies to them to protect her father. With this simile, she shows the kindness of the Kings being corrupted by her lies. That she considers herself to be a dirty spoon shows how low her self-esteem has fallen.

“Suddenly she understood Femi’s blankness. It was his way of cutting himself off from all the useless thoughts and questions that cluttered her brain.”

Throughout the novel, Sade is unable to reach Femi as he withdraws more and more into himself. Finally, she understands his behavior as a coping mechanism for all the challenges they face.

“Papa, I am ashamed of how I behaved. I know it wasn’t your fault we had to go. I am sorry. I always make things worse. Like not giving our proper name.”

These words written from Sade to her father demonstrate her willingness to take responsibility for her actions. She apologized to Mariam and her family for stealing, and now she apologizes to her father for the choices she made. All these choices were made to protect those she loves.

“No child should have to go through what you two have. But the dishonesty and rottenness of those who have power in our country have now gone very deep.”

Folarin understands that his children have gone through an impossible situation. Still, he does not directly take responsibility for what happened to them. This is because he sees his actions as the only viable options to take in the face of corruption.

“Now Mama was dead and Uncle Tunde was far away, whom could Papa talk to? So he was explaining to her, his daughter.”

The relationship between Sade and Folarin has evolved since the last time she had seen him in person. Back in Africa, she was a child, and her parents and adult relatives made the decisions. Now that her father does not have her mother, and Sade has learned to face many hardships on her own, her father is more willing to speak to her about adult issues.

“I am serious! You are the one with the crazy ideas! […] Like Papa.”

Throughout the novel, Sade believes that she is letting her father down. Here, she sees herself through Femi’s eyes and understands how similar she and her father are in some ways, a realization that speaks to The Centrality of Family Bonds.

“As long as we have our pens we can talk.”

These words help position Folarin as the writer that he is. They also demonstrate the value he places on language and on maintaining open lines of communication. This is central to who he is as a person.

“My dear children, do not worry. I do not intend to be eaten up by any leopard! But like Tortoise, I believe in the power of the stories we tell. If we keep quiet about injustice, then injustice wins. We must dare to tell. Across the oceans of time, words are mightier than swords.”

In this letter, Folarin specifically writes out the ethos that he lives by, which stresses the importance of Speaking Out Against Injustice. He has chosen a career as a journalist, which demonstrates his enduring belief in the power of words to effect change. Here, he extends that and writes about the importance of stories.

“Evil enters like a needle and spreads like an oak tree. If Mama could see her now, that is what she would say. You are letting evil enter your heart. How can you think of blaming your own father!”

These words demonstrate the extent to which Sade’s opinion of herself has fallen. She is unable to see that she made her decisions to be dishonest out of a sincere desire to help those she loves. Instead, she sees her actions as evil. She further feels evil when she momentarily blames her father for all that happened to them.

“My brother came to Britain seeking help. At school we used to hear a lot about the British sense of justice. But we are desperate for deeds as well as words!”

The need to speak up in the face of injustice is relayed throughout the novel. Here, Uncle Dele also says that it is important to do something to make the world better. He speaks these words to news reporters when Folarin is in jail.

“Our students need to hear you. We need more people like you who are prepared to tell those hidden stories. We might not have assassination squads here but there are many other ways of making a journalist keep quiet.”

These words written by an American professor point out that governmental coercion and censorship happen all over the world. These acts are violent and blatant in Nigeria and some other countries, but less violent means can still have the effect of silencing people.