Adamma was unlike others

She found solitude in the colossal arms of the udara tree

While most ran to play amongst themselves,

Adamma sat in the scorching sand daydreaming

 

On a hot summer Day

With flies buzzing around

And the air humid

Adamma reread the words on the pages of ‘Purple Hibiscus’

Like an escape from Reality

 

Adamma found her life akin to Fifteen-year-old Kambili

Two Parallels

Two Females

In a world aching to diminish their identities

 

As Adamma grew

Her curiosity followed alongside

She questioned why she was told to be Quiet

Why she was prohibited from being too inquisitive

Why her knowledge was intentionally stunted

Why she “belonged” in the kitchen

When she ached to be out playing with her brothers

Why she wasn’t allowed to go to school

Why she was meant to be seen and not heard

When she longed to tell others about her interests and new found knowledge

 

As Adamma grew

It was then she realized

That she was a girl

A female

In a world dominated by males

 

With a predetermined future,

It was then Adamma realized

That her comfort and freedom,

Were all but luxuries

Ones she couldn’t afford

 

With an itch to discover her true potential

Like a certain hunger

Adamma continuously reached out

like the branches of her favorite udara tree

It was there,

Underneath the Udara tree

That she declared

To be more than Society deemed for her

 

Photo Credits- Damola Ayegbayo

Unknown Word(s)

• Adamma is an igbo word meaning beautiful girl. The igbo people are commonly found in the southeastern part of Nigeria, a West African Country.
• Udara Tree: a fruit tree found in Nigeria bearing the Udara Fruit, otherwise known as the African Cherry or African Star Apple.