WHO IS ASSINI?
My book, SHE WHOM THE GODS FEARED focuses mainly on the life of Assini and how she went from being the most admired, desired and loved woman in her village to be a being that even the Gods feared.
In the book, Assini is not originally from the village Sayo. She and her parents lived in the neighboring village to Sayo; Wragayo. The Wragayo village was involved in a series of war with a different clan. The village asked the rich and powerful leaders of Sayo for help but they turned them away, in the end the village suffered. Almost all of the habitants were killed and the village itself was burned to the ground. Assini's mother and father took their surviving child of five and ran away in the middle of the night. They came to a road block when they had to cross the Nawa river, likely the most famous in Ivory Coast for its strong currents and dangerous water creatures.
The couple knew their chances were slim to none but they were determined to keep their child alive so they tried crossing at their best. Unfortunately both were attacked by wild hippos and lost their lives. Miraculously their daughter survived the attack and was rescued by a wise woman of the Sayo village.
Having recently lost her husband and children during a flood, Kizu was more than happy to be the adoptive mother to the orphan. Both needed love and indeed both found it in each other. The villagers of Sayo had lived very whealthy lives for the majority and those who were unfortunate to not be the king's favorites or be rich, were treated worse than nothing. It was as if when you were poor you were dead. Assini did come from a poor family but she ended up in the hands of a very admired and respected rich woman that even the king bowed to.
Aside from facing the usual insults and mistreatment from a few people because of her background, she had a great childhood and turned into the most beautiful woman in the village. The people of Wragayo were usually people of many different backgrounds and countries in Africa. When she was little people found her facial features to be unattractive, but by the time she reached the age of 17, Assini's facial features had stretched into perfection making her look as if she was born of a God.
Her physique was also very talked about; so much that even the princes had their eyes on her. Many wanted to know her physcially and the women wanted to look just like her. So how did the most beautiful woman in the world become so ugly in the eyes of the same people who thought she was beautiful in the first place? She couldn't have children with a very powerful man with a family of very strong opinions about such things.
She married a man whose family had disagreed with the union to begin with as they didn't want their son to be associated with an orphan no matter how beautiful people thought was. When Assini couldn't bear children, the family of her husband found a better reason to point out why they shouldn't have been together in the first place and encouraged her persecution as a curse and witch to the village.
This story of course takes place thousands of years ago when ignorance was the ruler in Africa and those who tried to out think it were rapidly executed. It is also the tale of a woman who has endured pain through her life from early childhood until she found true love and happiness, only to have it all taken away by people who pretended to be happy for her when they wanted her dead all along.
Assini in her struggles finds refuge in spirits that because of her beauty are willing to give her the world as long as she gives them love in return. There are many twists in the book, many events that will shock you, make you smile, make you laugh, and make you cry. For myself as a writer, i found the experience in creating the characters very exhausting. I felt like with each word that i typed i was literally giving away a brain cell. Yet the experience as a reader is very rewarding. I must say though, if you get this book, make sure that you've done whatever you need to do before you start reading it. Once you start, i guarantee that you will never want to put it down!
In the book, Assini is not originally from the village Sayo. She and her parents lived in the neighboring village to Sayo; Wragayo. The Wragayo village was involved in a series of war with a different clan. The village asked the rich and powerful leaders of Sayo for help but they turned them away, in the end the village suffered. Almost all of the habitants were killed and the village itself was burned to the ground. Assini's mother and father took their surviving child of five and ran away in the middle of the night. They came to a road block when they had to cross the Nawa river, likely the most famous in Ivory Coast for its strong currents and dangerous water creatures.
The couple knew their chances were slim to none but they were determined to keep their child alive so they tried crossing at their best. Unfortunately both were attacked by wild hippos and lost their lives. Miraculously their daughter survived the attack and was rescued by a wise woman of the Sayo village.
Having recently lost her husband and children during a flood, Kizu was more than happy to be the adoptive mother to the orphan. Both needed love and indeed both found it in each other. The villagers of Sayo had lived very whealthy lives for the majority and those who were unfortunate to not be the king's favorites or be rich, were treated worse than nothing. It was as if when you were poor you were dead. Assini did come from a poor family but she ended up in the hands of a very admired and respected rich woman that even the king bowed to.
Aside from facing the usual insults and mistreatment from a few people because of her background, she had a great childhood and turned into the most beautiful woman in the village. The people of Wragayo were usually people of many different backgrounds and countries in Africa. When she was little people found her facial features to be unattractive, but by the time she reached the age of 17, Assini's facial features had stretched into perfection making her look as if she was born of a God.
Her physique was also very talked about; so much that even the princes had their eyes on her. Many wanted to know her physcially and the women wanted to look just like her. So how did the most beautiful woman in the world become so ugly in the eyes of the same people who thought she was beautiful in the first place? She couldn't have children with a very powerful man with a family of very strong opinions about such things.
She married a man whose family had disagreed with the union to begin with as they didn't want their son to be associated with an orphan no matter how beautiful people thought was. When Assini couldn't bear children, the family of her husband found a better reason to point out why they shouldn't have been together in the first place and encouraged her persecution as a curse and witch to the village.
This story of course takes place thousands of years ago when ignorance was the ruler in Africa and those who tried to out think it were rapidly executed. It is also the tale of a woman who has endured pain through her life from early childhood until she found true love and happiness, only to have it all taken away by people who pretended to be happy for her when they wanted her dead all along.
Assini in her struggles finds refuge in spirits that because of her beauty are willing to give her the world as long as she gives them love in return. There are many twists in the book, many events that will shock you, make you smile, make you laugh, and make you cry. For myself as a writer, i found the experience in creating the characters very exhausting. I felt like with each word that i typed i was literally giving away a brain cell. Yet the experience as a reader is very rewarding. I must say though, if you get this book, make sure that you've done whatever you need to do before you start reading it. Once you start, i guarantee that you will never want to put it down!
posted by Prince Lcharls DeGreat @ 6:02 PM
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