Fiction
Spirit of Danfo
by Ugoji Egbujo
THE SPIRIT OF DANFO is a story of class, power, the legacy of civil war, and maverick gods in Nigeria. In DANFO, Ebulu, a brilliant student, longs to restore his mother, Nkoli, who was ostracised by the village at his father’s death. Ebulu makes a tragic mistake and tempts fate by switching majors from medicine to philosophy. The choice is the first mistake in a chain that imperils his family and promising career. The gods are saboteurs. Ebulu will learn hard lessons on the streets of Lagos, where the pace is set by the city’s pushy, death-defying, and improvisational danfo drivers. DANFO is an intimate portrait of Nigerian city life, illustrating the resilient kindness and humanity of everyday people like Binta and striving to capture the voice of Lagos—most dialogue is in local patois, including Yoruba and Igbo—while aiming a critique at the city’s notorious patronage and corruption
