Okey Ndibe

Barred by prejudice from the corporate world in spite of his strong education, a New York-based Nigerian cab driver is unable to meet his financial demands and embarks on a desperate plan to steal the statue of an ancient war deity from his home village and sell it to a New York gallery.

Foreign Gods, Inc

Both humorous and poignant, Arrows of Rain dramatises the relationship between an individual and the modern African state.

Arrows of Rain

Set in a fictitious post-colonial African nation, the discovery of the body of a drowned prostitute leads to an exploration of the conflict between an individual and the modern African state. A gripping study of truth, silence and the abuse of power.

The author of Foreign Gods, Inc. and Arrows of Rain tells his own immigrant’s tale, where what is lost in translation is often as hilarious as it is harrowing. Okey Ndibe’s funny, charming, and penetrating memoir tells of his move from Nigeria to America, where he came to edit the influential—but forever teetering on the verge of insolvency—African Commentary magazine. It recounts stories of Ndibe’s relationships with Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, and other literary figures; examines the differences between Nigerian and American etiquette and politics; recalls an incident of racial profiling just thirteen days after he arrived in the US, in which he was mistaken for a bank robber; considers American stereotypes about Africa (and vice-versa); and juxtaposes African folk tales with Wall Street trickery. All these stories and more come together in a generous, encompassing book about the making of a writer and a new American.

A Memoir of Flying Turtles, Colonial Ghosts, and the Making of a Nigerian Amiercan

Never Look an American in the Eye

Okey Ndibe's critically-acclaimed debut novel, Arrows of Rain is a vital exploration into the importance of speaking truth to power even when no one is listening. In the country of Madia, the General has declared himself Life-President of the Republic. According to him, ninety-nine percent of Madians voted for it. On the day of his ascendency, however, a young sex worker is found dead on a beach. The last man who spoke to her, the 'madman' Bukuru, is adamant he saw her being attacked by Madian soldiers. His claim quickly lands him in prison, forced to defend himself against the charge of the woman's murder. Armed only with the truth, he must set upon the perilous scheme of releasing his story to the world. A brave and powerful work of fiction, Arrows of Rain continues to resonate as a cautionary tale against corruption and oppression. 'Highly evocative.' Wole Soyinka 'The greatest villain in Okey Ndibe's Arrows of Rain is silence.' Vanity Fair 'A Kafkaesque, imaginative novel of great necessity and power.' Kirkus Reviews

An interview with the Nobel Prize winning author.

Okey Ndibe

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