I finished your book and really enjoyed it, though I must admit it was quite a challenge (the Nigerian names were hard to keep in mind as they were so unusual for me, so I had to regularly backtrack to check).

I knew little about the Agbekoya Uprising, especially the international causal factors—it prompted me to look up more info online.

Your writing style was engaging and perceptive. It must be challenging for a male to write a book where the protagonist is a woman. No doubt Saf was a good sounding board. I look forward to reading your next novel.

Author’s Response:

Tina, thank you very much for your incisive comment and encouraging feedback! I completely understand the hurdle with the traditional names, and I appreciate your persistence in backtracking to capture the rhythm of the story. I am glad it prompted you to look deeper into the history. In the next revision, I will include a character list and summary of their roles. Please, if you have gleaned a lesson or unique knowledge from Moria’s Scar, kindly help to spread the news within your network. It is a story that needed to be told, and it now needs sharing. Yours, Bimbo Bakare.

After having read your book, I was convinced that the story and events were all true. However, you stated at the beginning of the book that it is entirely a ‘work of fiction’. The storyline is very plausible, and I found myself wanting to read the next chapter as soon as possible.

I did have some trouble trying to reconcile the township names as well as the different characters and their names. As these events actually took place when I was at the age of 17-18, I do not remember reading/hearing anything about them in our local newspaper/radio/television. I guess it was of little interest to news outlets—being so far away from Australia.

I will recommend your book to anyone who is interested in the Agbekoya uprising.

Author’s Response:

Allan, thank you very much for your incisive comment and encouraging feedback. It is precisely because global media outlets overlooked these powerful historical events back then that I felt compelled to frame them within a plausible storyline. Please, if you have gleaned historical perspective or knowledge from Moria’s Scar, kindly help to spread the news within your network. Thank you for offering to recommend it; it is a story that needed to be told and now needs sharing. Yours, Bimbo Bakare.

I love your book!

I think your personal connection to the story—your grandfather and your own “near miss”—really adds drama and compassion.

I’m very impressed that a story that could easily have been presented as a colonial/global corporate conspiracy and victim story is written about in a much more layered and nuanced way. There are no simplistic good guys and bad guys; even the ‘villain’ Erik is given context and humanity. That’s not so common these days, but it helps widen interest in the story and make it relevant and accessible to all.

Author’s Response:

Pamela, thank you very much for your incisive comment and encouraging feedback. I am glad you noticed the layers in characters like Erik; preserving structural truth required avoiding simple villain archetypes. My grandfather’s memory heavily guided that compassion. Please, if you have gleaned a lesson or a balanced look at history from Moria’s Scar, kindly help to spread the news within your network. It is a story that needed telling and now needs sharing. Yours, Bimbo Bakare.

I had given my eldest brother a copy of your book and he is currently raving about it. Kudos to you! Where can I get additional copies of the book?

Author’s Response:

Madam, thank you very much for your incisive comment and encouraging feedback! Please extend my warm regards to your brother; I am truly happy to hear he is raving about it. Additional copies can be ordered right here on the main page. If you have gleaned a lesson or shared value from Moria’s Scar, kindly help to spread the news within your network. It is a story that needed to be told and now needs sharing. Yours, Bimbo Bakare.

I have just finished reading your very interesting and engaging book! It’s undoubtedly a product of a great creative mind and talent; the imageries are very captivating and quite entertaining!

I really admire how you skillfully weaved the plots together—from the Swiss chocolatier’s desperate attempts to frustrate the formation of the ICO so as to hamstring the body from raising the price of cocoa beans, to how their push and other international conspiracies had an ultimate deleterious effect on Nigeria and Ghana cocoa farmers.

It’s interesting to see how the ill-informed increase in taxes by the government on the cocoa farmers, at a time that they were hurting badly from the sharp fall in the price of cocoa beans and the attendant drastic fall of their income, led to their justifiable resistance which culminated in the deadly Agbekoya uprising that caused Moria’s permanent scar!

Your knowledge of Ibadan, its landscapes, and environs is quite remarkable! Same goes for your knowledge of the local dishes, delicacies, and other peculiarities of the city. It is indeed a great literary piece

Author’s Response:

Oga, thank you very much for your incisive comment and structural breakdown. I wanted to capture the historical mapping of Ibadan accurately alongside the macro-economic struggles of our cocoa farmers. Please, if you have gleaned deep lessons or unique knowledge from Moria’s Scar, kindly help to spread the news within your network across the US. It is a story that needed telling and now needs your sharing. Yours, Bimbo Bakare.

I am still reading. On the last page – 21, the man died. I am enjoying it l tell Bimbo. Mulika’s episode brings me down to Ibadan memory lane as my family attended the Church Mapo. Family house in Mapo, and until 1986 when I became born again and eventually a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God. I am so happy and blessed l bought your book. I definitely have a lot of feedback. My parents got married in the church and had their burial ceremony in that church.

Author’s Response:

Pastor Adewale, thank you very much for your encouraging feedback! It is a true blessing that Mulika’s episode brought you down such a precious familial memory lane near Mapo Church. I look forward to your comprehensive feedback once completed. If you find value and historical truth in Moria’s Scar, kindly help to spread the news within your network. It is a story that needed to be told and now needs sharing. Yours, Bimbo Bakare.

I’ve finally finished chapter 1 (sorry, been a very busy week, uni resumed this week). This is better written than a certain JK Rowling’s first effort. The first Harry Potter book is terribly written, poorly constructed paragraphs.

So far, so good. I’m really enjoying it.

Congratulations!

Author’s Response:

Mike, thank you very much for your incisive comment and the high praise regarding Chapter 1! I wish you the best with your university semester. Please, as you read further and if you continue to find lessons or narrative value inside Moria’s Scar, kindly help to spread the word within your network. It is a piece of historical storytelling that needed to be told and now needs sharing. Yours, Bimbo Bakare.

Moria’s Scar captures history in an immersive and compelling way.

The narrative extends beyond the Agbekoya uprising, delving not only into Moria’s personal wounds but also into the scars left by her son, making the story both historical and generational.

For readers who are interested in history but often find historical texts dry or overwhelming, this work of fiction strikes a perfect balance. It keeps readers engaged while subtly enlightening them about significant historical moments and their human consequences.

I particularly appreciated how Mulika was introduced into the story with her own distinct narrative. Her presence added depth, especially as both she and Moria were victims of the uprising, allowing the reader to see the event from multiple, personal perspectives.

The blend of language and the use of indigenous expressions and proverbs enriched the storytelling and gave it cultural authenticity.

The inclusion of characters like Afeez and Ajagbe added a refreshing layer of comic relief, providing balance to the otherwise heavy themes.

Awolowo’s intervention stood out as a major highlight for me. His ability to step in and restore peace to the land was portrayed in a commendable and impactful way, reinforcing the importance of leadership in moments of crisis.

The third-person narrative also serves an important purpose, effectively bridging the gap between the diaspora and the local community. It allows readers, regardless of their proximity to the setting, to connect deeply with the story(their root).

The reunion with her son, Ayomide, was especially touching. Moria’s reconnection with him at the end offered a sense of closure and emotional fulfillment that rounded off the story beautifully.

Like every good story that leaves its mark, I found myself wanting more. I would love to read further about Mulika and even Ajagbe, what became of them after Moria’s return? Did she eventually take Mulika abroad? Was Mulika able to receive treatment for her arthritis?

Overall, Moria’s Scar is an engaging and thought-provoking read that lingers long after the final page.

Author’s Response:

Blessing, thank you very much for your deep, beautifully broken-down review. Your thoughts on the diaspora gap, indigenous proverbs, and leadership elements show you truly understood the book’s core. Regarding your lingering questions about Mulika and Ajagbe—those are secrets I might explore in a follow-up! Please, if you have gleaned such profound understanding from Moria’s Scar, kindly help to spread the news within your network. It is a story that needed telling and now needs sharing. Yours, Bimbo Bakare.

Bimbo Bakare’s new novel is a brilliant tapestry of civil conflict, socioeconomic dichotomy, and the cruel ‘fragility and fickleness of destiny’. This work, in my limited knowledge, is a pioneering work of storytelling of a civil conflict in which the hidden connections between these events are justly revealed.

Every character has a unique role in revealing the nature of our society. The preponderance of good over evil and of charity over self-centeredness is evident. As I dig deep into these excerpts, I am beginning to understand why the people in diaspora are often conflicted in their perspective of our motherland. Moria’s quest to revisit the past and her methodology of reconnecting is refreshingly simple but powerful.

I also notice the ever presence of opportunists even in the villages, where we see greed, impunity, and oppression of a few privileged individuals. The rise of just rebellion against callous policies by ordinary men of Tafa’s extraction is a reminder that we have always been republican-minded people. People of good will do exist, and circumstances have ways of fishing them out. Bakare’s skill in writing this story makes me wondering and eager to know what inspired him to embark on this literary exploit.

Author’s Response:

Dr. Oluyinka, thank you very much for your exceptionally academic and incisive analysis. Your observation regarding the “republican-minded” history of our people and the socioeconomic dichotomies hitting our diaspora community hits the exact core of why I embarked on this literary project. Please, if you have gleaned structural perspective from Moria’s Scar, kindly help to spread the news within your corporate and academic networks. It is a story that needed to be told and now needs sharing. Yours, Bimbo Bakare.