Kayode Odumosu

Bringing 15th-century Africa--before the arrival of colonizers--to rich, colorful life, chronicling the exploits of legendary Yoruba king Sango, ruler of the Oyo empire: his ascension to the throne, his battles with the Olowu and his own war generals, his dangerous experimentations with potent charms, and his ultimate deification.

Aramotu is a fictitious, myth-like tale that is set in the tradition-bound Yorubaland of 1909. It spins the story of Aramotu, a wealthy female trader, who dares to stretch the boundaries that ancient myths and traditions place on the life of the women of her time. Aramotu tries to employ the social-engineering aspects of the Gelede Cult to realize her progressive ideas about the rights of women and the need for people-oriented governance in her native Agesi Village.