Title: Brother Man
Author: Bill Marshall
Number of pages: 179
Publication Details:
First Published in 1981 under the title "Permit for Survival"; Reprinted 1987.
Current Edition published in 2007 by
Sedco Publishing Ltd.

Tag: Reader Review

Review by Martin Egblewogbe

This is one of my favorite Ghanaian books, which I first read many years ago. First published under the title Permit for Survival in 1981, Brother Man is a fast-paced piece heavily laden with Bill Marshall's especially rich humour.

I am happy that the book has seen a re-print, though I must admit to liking the original title 'Permit for Survival' much better than the present title, 'Brother Man'. 'Permit for Survival' better connotes the sarcastic urgency which permeates the first half of the novel, which part I believe is the most entertaining part of the book. By strange coincidence, it is easy to associate the title Brother Man with the second half of the novel, which is slower and more philosophical - and which I liked less than the first part.

In Brother Man, Joseph Jonathan Kofi Kuma a.k.a Jojo, must reach his hometown in time to prevent his own funeral. Yes - in those happy old days when there were no mobile telephones and so on, Jojo had the grim misfortune of reading his own obituary in the newspaper, and had to reach his hometown to prevent being buried, well, alive. He is able to survive this particular crisis, but cannot survive falling in love with the 'marble' Mina, whom he later marries.

The writer leads us through the wild lifestyle of a young man in his hey day, not sparing the beer, the cigarettes, and the women. We are also given a snapshot of what life was like in Ghana in the late seventies, with the ever-present shadow of military coups and arbitrary detentions. In addition, we follow Jojo and his German friend Karl to Kumasi and Annoati, Jojo's hometown, where Karl has the dubious distinction of being caught in an animal trap.

The book is alive with colourful characters - the braggadocios army Captain Ben Tuo and his girlfriend Laura, who manages to have an affair with Jojo while maintaining the mutual friendship; George, Jojo's irreverent friend; Mina, who whacks Jojo on the head with a slipper at the end of the book; and others.

The writer uses the curious technique of switching points of view in consecutive chapters. This somewhat confusing style, however, offers a broader perspective of Jojo's life and times.

Finally, the printer's devil may have been having a siesta while the presses churned out this book: the number of typos in the book are refreshingly few, making for smooth reading.

Brother Man is an entertaining read - yes, yes - go grab a copy of Brother Man. Now.

Martin Egblewogbe.