How Beautiful We Were tells the story of a people living in fear after an American oil company moved to the fictional African village of Kosawa. The arrival of the oil company has brought pipeline spills, toxic drinking water, air pollution and severe illness. The complaints of the villagers have been ignored by the oil company and the country’s government causing the villagers to stand up and fight for themselves. The book explores the consequences of the thoughtless drive for profit by international organizations.
After reading Imbolo Mbue’s first novel Behold the Dreamers, I made a silent promise to myself to look out for all her other or upcoming work. I am happy I got a copy of this book.
This story must be told, it might not feel good to all ears, it gives our mouths no joy to say it, but our story cannot be left untold
The book opens with a town hall meeting with Pexton – the American oil company. In my heart, I was happy that the people of Kosawa led by the village mad man Konga was finally taking a big step in fighting back. The series of unfortunate events after that big step broke my heart. The people of Kosawa were powerless in the fight against the oil company and the government. This story of international corporations exploiting and depleting the natural resources of the African people is not new.
Over here, governments also sit back and do nothing while corporations chain people and throw them in bondage
It’s an old pattern, I must admit, I admire Mbue for highlighting critical issues with this book. Just like in Kosawa, this story of a corrupt government opening its doors to irresponsible international corporations can be found in several cities and villages in Africa.
You can clearly see that the interest of the oil company always precedes the plight and concerns of the people in the village. Konga says
Someday, when you’re old, you’ll see that the ones who came to kill us and the ones who came to save us are the same. No matter their pretenses, they all arrive here believing they have the power to take from us or give to us whatever will satisfy their endless wants.
In my opinion, Konga is the wisest man in this book.
The villagers will try for years to get Pexton off their land.
No one has the right to make us prisoners on our land. No one has the right to take from us that which the Spirit gave our ancestors
I admire the people of Kosawa for pushing back even though it came at a high price.
In the book we meet Thula Nangi and her family. The story is mainly told through the perspective of the Nangi family – her mother Sahel, her Grandmother Yaya, her uncle Bongo, and the children of the village. In the years to come, Thula and the children will become the resistance movement.
If we are to be conquered, let it not be because we never fought
The fight against Pexton is intensified after Thula leaves Kosawa to study in the US. There, she meets other human right and climate change activists and reignites the fight to get Pexton off the Kosawa land. Though several miles away, Thula encourages and funds the children of Kosawa to engage in a nonviolent fight until she returns home.
But perhaps the point isn’t for us to hurt them…the point is merely to let them know that we’re here. And we’re angry.
However, the children do not heed to Thula’s advice and engage in some violent actions. Thula returns home and organizes massive nationwide protests against a corrupt government who opens their door wide for irresponsible international corporations. There are no happy endings in this book.
Mbue is a master storyteller. She beautifully weaves this story of despair and environmental justice with the effect of colonialism, imperialism, affirmative action, and the struggles of women and clash of cultures. Mbue writing is heavy with emotions. I felt all sorts of emotions reading this book – mainly sadness and grief. This novel is a brilliant novel.
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