A mouth sweeter than salt : an African memoir / by Toyin Falola.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Falola, Toyin.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Falola, Toyin--Childhood and youth.

Falola, Toyin.

Nigerian Americans--Biography.

Nigerian Americans.

College teachers.

Nigeria--Biography.

Nigeria.

Texas--Austin.

Nigeria--History--1960-.

History.

Nigeria--Social conditions--1960-.

Social conditions.

College teachers--Texas--Austin--Biography.

Genre:

Biographies.

Autobiographies.

Physical Description:

271 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press, [2004]

Summary:

A Mouth Sweeter Than Salt gathers the stories and reflections of the early years of Toyin Falola, the grand historian of Africa and one of the greatest sons of Ibadan, the notable Yoruba city-state in Nigeria. Redefining the autobiographical genre altogether, Falola miraculously weaves together personal, historical, and communal stories, along with political and cultural developments in the period immediately preceding and following Nigeria's independence, to give us a unique and enduring picture of the Yoruba in the mid-twentieth century. This is truly a literary memoir, told in language rich with proverbs, poetry, song, and humor. Falola's memoir is far more than the story of one man's childhood experiences; rather, he presents us with the riches of an entire culture and community -- its history, traditions, pleasures, mysteries, household arrangements, forms of power, struggles, and transformations.

Contents:

1 Time and Season 1

2 Blood and Mouth 29

3 Snake and Bible 59

4 Mamas and Money 87

5 Big Daddy in the Jungle 111

6 Becoming Yoruba 137

7 Herbs and Charms 167

8 Village Politics 195

9 Seasonal Pleasures 221

10 The Pastor's Ordeal 247.

ISBN:

0472114018

OCLC:

53901463