Absurdities of modern time situations

 

Book: A Vase of Shrubs
Author: Victor Bruce
Publisher: Oracle Books Limited, Lagos, Nigeria
Reviewer: Adjekpagbon Blessed Mudiaga

A Vase of Shrubs, Victor Bruce's first collection of short stories is woven around the themes of prostitution, illiteracy, frustration, greed, poverty, fear, corruption and environmental uncleanliness in the Nigerian and African society at large. It is an attempt at exploring the gloomy sides of human nature that calls forth upsetting glimpses into a violent world no further than a twist of the imagination.

It is written in a unique narrative style defying the logicality of analogies, defying systems of thought that tend to force men into intellectual conventionality. The author hopes however, that it could bring a positive change if men could microscopically examine and turn our past and present failures into tomorrow's gains.  The first story in the collection titled When Pearls Are Gone, is a reflection of the sufferings many orphans and widows go through after the demise of their bread winners. Killing fellow human beings for money rituals and its consequences are the central concern of the story. A consanguine who is supposed to take care of his late brother's child, ironically used the child to perform rituals for money making. But at last, nemesis caught up with him as indicated in the following statement by a character in the story; "Chief has been put in jail." Lady Maggi muttered. "And likely to spend the rest of his life there," she concluded as Iya Ibeji rolled over into a lengthy six hour sleep.

Birth Certificate for Visa, is a very interesting story that could make any lover of humour laugh to the extent of cracking his or her ribs. The craze for certificate possession by every Tom, Dick and Harry in the society nowadays is the focal point of the story. A stack illiterate who cannot read and write, let alone express herself in standard simple English, had wanted to travel outside the country for greener pastures, was duped of her hard earned money by a con man who gave her a birth certificate as visa to travel with. Hear Bruce in one of the following paragraphs in the story; "Although having no previous knowledge of it, she had asked about Bolaji's mission. When Mariam said that he had only just stopped by to say hello, she knew she was not telling the truth... With this revelation, Mariam rushed for her box, reached for the envelope and gave it to Mrs. Rebecca to confirm if actually it is a visa... Mrs. Rebecca unfolded the paper and the first underlined statement that made contact with her eyes was, "Birth Certificate."

Another funny but very good lesson-teaching piece for those who are always in the habit of hoarding fuel, is the story titled Nemesis of A fuel Hoarder. It is very saddening that after the multiple petroleum pipes explosion fire outbreaks that has made many people lose their lives in our society, some people are still engaging in the act of hoarding fuel and breaking petroleum pipelines to scoop fuel. The most annoying part of it is that when there is a fire outbreak caused by the activities of the notorious fuel hoarders, many innocent people are made victims of the condemnable act.  And in most cases, those involved in the act of pipelines vandalism are drunkards and irresponsible people who use their frustration to hurt other hard working and law-abiding citizens living in the society, as depicted by Kendo, the central character in the story. The incessant electric power outage is not helping matters too, as people tend to keep fuel in their houses to run their generator sets. 

Death and The Drama of a Night is a metaphorical representation of the hardship facing many Nigerian graduates these days, striving without getting employed to earn a living after all the stressful and frustrating learning conditions and years spent in the Nigerian University system, to earn a degree. It is also a portrayal of the short life span of modern days people compared to the good old days when our predecessors live up to a very ripe age before joining their ancestors.
Other stories in the book that are thought provoking include Just A Nightmare; A Grandless Gift; Sammy; Station View Hotel; A forgiving Woman; Heaven is not Deceived; and Pots of Atonement. The stories each, has one societal ill or the other they condemn, such as robbery, prostitution, infidelity, and environmental uncleanliness among other numerous ills in Africa. The beauty of the stories lies in the fact that, for every evil or corrupt act committed by any character in the stories, there is always a punishment for it at the end of the day. The stories are very engaging and could make any reasonable person involved in any of the condemnable acts, to have a change of attitude, bearing in mind that if he or she does not desist or repent, the nemesis that befell the perpetrators of such acts in the stories, could also one day happen to him or her. With A Vase of Shrubs, Victor Bruce has proven himself as not only a good poet and musician, but also an entertaining story teller for positive change in the society.     

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Christmas Sales Bonanza: Final Divine Assurance invites general public to new sales centre

 

Mr. Frank George, Branch Manager of Final Divine Assurance speaks about the edible items available at his company's sales centre. In this interview with Bulkybon News, he gives insight on his company's services and location:

Qst: Please, could you introduce yourself?

Ans: l am Frank George, the Branch Manager of Final Divine Assurance new sales centre. We deal on various edible products for public good health.

Qst The public would like to know the type of products your company deal on. Could you mention the varieties of products you have in stock?

Ans: Semovita, spaghetti, flour, sugar, noodles, poundo yam flour, vegetable oil and a host of others in very large quantities.

Qst: Who are your target customers?

Ans: The general public is our focus. I am using this opportunity to invite everyone to come and patronize us as we are going nearer to Christmas.

Qst: What edge do you think you have over other sales outlets that are doing similar business with you? 

Ans: Our price is not too expensive. Our products are also fresh supplies from manufacturers, not old stock.

Qst: Where is your location? Is it easily accessible? 

Ans: Our location is easily accessible because it is sited along Ikorodu Road, Kosofe, near Mile 12, Ketu, Lagos. There is parking space for customers to drive in and load their goods without harassment by anybody.

Qst: Do you have the logistics and capacity to supply your stock to high class hotels, especially those in Lagos that buy large quantities?

Ans: We negotiate the customer base and make arrangement for the customer to pay for the transportation cost.

Qst: Apart from hotels, boarding schools also depend on the type of products you sell. Is your company already supplying them? If no, is there any plan to make them patronize you?

Ans: We have some schools and hotels we are already supplying. But that does not mean we cannot expand our supply chain to others.

Qst: Various business outfits use different methods to retain their existing customers. Some give discount to those who buy large quantities. Does your company give discount to big buyers? 

Ans We give discount too.

Qst: Towards Christmas period, some companies give out hamper to customers and include interesting books in them, such as those published by Bulkybon Publications Company, as their own way of promoting reading culture among Nigerians. Is your company among those doing so, or are you going to join the league of those adding books to hampers this season? 

Ans: lt depends on the value we place on any customer. We can give one or two things, but not hamper.

Qst: You have multimillion naira worth of goods in your stock. Many modern sales outlets like yours use blogs and social media to promote their name and  available brands. Have you been using the internet to promote your company's image and services? 

Ans: We already have, but if there is any other platform that can project us like yours (Bulkybon News), we will key into it.

Qst: Can customers order and pay online for products? And do you have the logistics to deliver items ordered by customers such as high class hotels or boarding schools in areas like Victoria Island and Lekki which Bulkybon (Digital Marketing / Publicity Company) could recommend your services to?

Ans: Yes. Customers can pay online. We will get a vehicle and negotiate with the customer to get the goods delivered safely.

Qst: What are the challenges you are facing in your business? 

Ans: No challenges.

Qst: What is your favourite meal, and how do you usually spend your relaxation time.

Ans: "Eba" is my favourite meal with "ofu onugbo" (bitter leaf soup). I use my free time to watch sports, especially football. 

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