The Female King of Colonial Nigeria: Ahebi Ugbabe [Paperback]

Nwando Achebe presents the fascinating history of an Igbo woman, Ahebi Ugbabe, who became king in colonial Nigeria. Ugbabe was exiled from Igboland, became a prostitute, traveled widely, and learned to speak many languages. She became a close companion of Nigerian Igala kings and the British officers who supported her claim to the office of headman, warrant chief, and later, king. In this unique biography, Achebe traces the roots of Ugbabe's rise to fame and fortune. While providing critical perspectives on women, gender, sex and sexuality, and the colonial encounter, she also considers how it was possible for this woman to take on the office and responsibilities of a traditionally male role.

Readers have to praise the publishers and author for a creative title, since Nigeria as a country did not have a colonial king, male or female. The title diverts attention to an important topic: the rise of an Igbo woman to the status of warrant chief, a position created by the British as part of their 'indirect rule' system of government, and how she later became her town's head chief. Historian Achebe (Michigan State Univ.) aims to use the biography of a successful woman to talk about women/gender history within a colonial framework. In the book's conclusion, the author also wants history to become memory, so that the legacy of Ahebi Ugbabe and her town in eastern Nigeria can be retained and converted into tourism to generate revenues to benefit the community. The narrative is structured around difference and agency. If the majority of women in colonial Africa were marginalized, here was a case of one who had power. The tone and contents fall within nationalist historiography in three strands: first, the recovery of African history pioneered in the 1940s; second, the need to insert gender into nationalist histories as advocated in the 1960s; and third, extending the frontiers of Igbo history. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. Choice

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