The Fire Within

written by Emmanuel Fru Doh

In Africa, there is unrest, and possibly tragedy, when new trends clash with traditional values. With a curmudgeonly stepmother who harasses her even as she spoils her own biological daughter, Mungeu’, the protagonist, blazes a path for herself in the face of many odds. But things go terribly wrong when she falls pregnant. The dilemma of whether or not to keep the pregnancy, given society’s expectations, flings this young woman into direct confrontation with a life that is beyond her years. She is bent on succeeding: she will keep her baby, and with her training at a girls’ craft center, start a business and bring up her illegitimate child. But Mungeu’ can only make plans as she realises before long that the authority to dispose of them does not rest with her alone; there are other powerful forces out there.

Emmanuel Fru Doh

Emmanuel Fru Doh holds a PhD in English (Literature emphasis) from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Between 1990 and 1997 he taught African Literature at the University of Yaounde I (ENS Bambili), Cameroon, during which time he established himself as a major voice in Cameroon’s literary arena. An accomplished teacher, poet, and critic, Emmanuel Fru Doh currently teaches in the Department of English at Century College, Minnesota, U.S.A. where he is also Associate Editor of Phantasmagora.