Ako-Aya: A Cameroorian Pioneer in Daring Journalism and Social Commentary

3. Ako-Aya Exposes: The Vices of Certain House-Wives

45 Chapter Three Ako-Aya Exposes: The Vices of Certain House-Wives I n the opening article below, ‘WHO is MADAM’, Ako-Aya attempted to define the status of a housewife. Surprisingly, his subsequent articles on this subject mainly revealed indecent practices perpetrated by married women. In one week, it was the story of a house-wife who had committed abortion because the husband was soon to return from England; or the story of a man going out with his friend’s wife. It deteriorated to the stage whereby according to Ako-Aya, even prostitutes could advance criticisms on the flirtatious proclivities of certain married women. He did not forget to narrate the story of the in-fighting that normally goes on in polygamous homes, and openly regretted the fact that housewives too consulted charlatans. In fact, Ako-Aya shocked his readers when he pointed out that some house-wives merely shed crocodile tears when their husbands die. ‘‘He wrote: i) ‘‘FRIDAY FEB. 26 , 1971: WHO IS MADAM? l used to think that every woman married to a husband either by native law and customs or Etat Civile) or these other marriages whereby a priest or a Prefect or even a newspaper Editor officiates can rightly be addressed Madam. Thus if I swindled some money tomorrow and got married to this Ibo girl at the bank she could correctly be addressed Madam Ako-Aya. ‘‘By the way a prominent member of the Bank Workers Union in the peoples Bank has asked me fervently to thank chief Arrey for his pungent letter to the editor of this paper. I hardly agree with the views of this paper on this un-Cameroonisation policy but there are many things which we underline must put up with our superiors. Take for example this girl who used 46 Ako-Aya: A Cameroonian Pioneer in Daring Journalism and Social Commentary to stay in three (3) rooms, this girl who comfortably housed her ageing mother in one of the rooms now moving into one. What of this other one whose mother came down from the village near Oku where I went because the mother saw her picture in the papers. ‘‘So as I was saying we moved to this new place in the municipality. Beach something and there we met a former man’s wife - not in the sense of the man but of the woman. In my usual civic or is it servile way I greeted her ‘Good Evening, Madam.’ Now this former person is now again properly married. ‘‘Then started a strange discussion after we had left Beach. ‘That, woman, no madam sef’, a girl asked me, she been dey madam time whe - he been married he.’ Even when I tried to explain that she was now properly married, my argument fell on deaf ears. ‘‘The truth about it is that us poor men’s wives are never addressed madam except Mas. Madam goes to big people’s wives. Strange that a woman warned in the papers that she should not be addressed Madam ‘dem di spoil my garri’, she said. ii) ‘‘FRIDAY MARCH 5, 1971: I DON MUF BELLE ‘‘I do not care much for children even if you think one callous, I feel it is wrong for a human being to spend over half his life looking after ‘the young.’ Think of it from child birth to University you are still looking after one human being multiply this trouble by the ten children each of us want to raise and the work involved is just gallingi. ‘‘But my woman she thinks differently about them. She would very much want to have children but we just 47 Chapter Three: Ako-Aya - The Vices of Certain House-Wives cannot have any. I do not care because if a friend does not pass me ‘Ngange’ I would not mind so if I cannot be given, what do I care. ‘‘By the way don’t think I should have a job before getting children? My father is doing everything possible for we to get this job at my own term. In short I was 5 million francs a year after all my other two brothers earn the same amount in this our father’s industry. ‘‘Forty years ago we- were joined in wedlock till a few months ago. She told me she was expecting a baby. The Doctor said she must eat rice, pork, chuku...