Hello there,

It is yet another book review, and since I am in the spirit of writing about books I have read in the past and relating them to the world of today, here is a novel masterpiece from a Nigerian writer.

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives is a 2010 novel written by Lola Shoneyin, and it focuses on the lives of women living in a world governed by patriarchy, and in this case, Baba Segi. The novel talks about how ironic it is that Baba Segi feels he is the one in charge of the house since he is the man, but frankly, the running of the household is done by the women.

If there is nothing that you fancy in the reading novel, if you are more of a non-fiction person, here is one thing I would like you to know about this particular novel from Lola Shoneyin. The four wives, Iya Segi, Iya Tope, Iya Femi, and Bolanle, all have a symbolic representation.

Iya Segi represents the real power and resilience.
Iya Tope represents long, silent suffering.
Iya Femi represents materialism and survival.
Bolanle represents education.

You notice how I did not use Iya to represent Bolanle because she is not the mother of any child. In the Yoruba culture, Iya is used to refer to mother, and then the name that comes after the word Iya is the name of her child. For example, Iya Segi is the mother of Segi.

Each of these women and what they go through in the book is also a symbol of the struggle women go through in the traditional or cultural setting. Their husband is seen as the one in charge, but he is oblivious to the chaos or trouble that goes on underneath his nose. To the outside world, he is a wealthy man with quite a number of wives, or how big his family is, but within the family, a whole lot is going on that you have no idea about.

Let's look at some lessons from the book.

The Misconception of Power

If there is one thing that can be seen clearly in the book is our misleading it is to thinking that Baba Segi is in charge because he is simply a man, but Lola goes on to disprove that as you continue reading forward into the book. She does this by portraying how Iya Segi is the first wife, and she happens to be the controlling figure in the house, giving the orders and making sure things are done. That is not all, the author also makes use of Baba Segi's too-late realization about the paternity of his children as a means to show he is oblivious to what is going on in his household.

The lesson boils down to power is not always in the surface look of things; it is much deeper than you think, and the person with the true power sometimes might not be the figurehead.

Education as a threat and Enlightenment

Bolanle, the fourth wife, is an educated woman, but this poses a threat to the remaining wives since they happen not to be educated like her, at least not up to a university standard like Bolanle. Although this is where education comes in as a threat but in the aspect of enlightenment, Bolanle's educational understanding of things and pushing for a doctor's check on why she cannot have a baby with Baba Segi brings to light that all along Baba Segi was the problem and not her. This lesson shows that a lack of education could convince you to see yourself as the problem and not the other way another.

The Theme of Shared Suffering

A major premise of the book is built on this lesson through the use of Iya Tope as the character to showcase the kind of struggle and challenge women go through in a polygamous home or setting. Her suffering is subdued and silenced under the canopy of being a submissive wife to her husband, which leads her to accept the option of keeping quiet and accepting what she goes through. This suffering experienced by not only Iya Tope but all Baba Segi's wives brought about a solidarity bond shared among the women when the truth of the infertility came to light. This lesson shows that a shared suffering experience by a group of persons can bring about a unifying bond among them.

These are the 3 life lessons from the secret lives of Baba Segi's wives. You should read the book if you have not already.

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