A review of Dele Kogbe’s ‘Child of Destiny,’ by Folorunsho Moshood.
Destiny, according to Alexander Lowen, the great psychiatrist, is what human beings eventually become. It is related to the word, ‘DESTINATION’, which means where one is heading to. It is also what human beings do with fate. It is not determined solely by fate but how human beings choose to respond to fate. Part of each person’s fate includes a personal destiny. But whether that destiny is fulfilled or not depends in part on the person and whether he or she is willing to accept responsibility for and courageously pursue that destiny. Finding and fulfilling the destiny is a principal goal of Existential Depth Psychology (EDP).However, fate, according to Stephen Diamond, a psychologist, is the existential givens of life, those aspects of existence that are immutable, inexorable and inevitable, and over which human beings can exert little or no control.
Writing high quality children’s literature in any language, especially on fate and destiny, involves not only the mastery of that language but also the ability to use plots, characters and dialogues to convey the real meaning of some complex words and phrases to the target readers, the children. A writer of children’s literature must return to his formative stage as a child and think and act like a child with his writing materials and ideas.
Dele Kogbe’s ‘Child of Destiny’ is a 75-page children’s storybook published in 2009 by Benevolence Publishers in Peacock Fiction Series. It comprises eight chapters namely ‘Bayo’s Unusual Mood’, ‘Bayo Makes a Choice of Career’, ‘Child’s Rights and the Young Parliament’, ‘Revelation’, ‘Bayo Discusses with his Mother’, ‘A Change of Attitude’, ‘The Missing Name’, and ‘The Headmaster’s Instruction’. The chapters are sequentially arranged to flow from one to another with interesting characters and suspenseful plots that are enhanced by twists and turns.
The book, which is written in third person narrative, tells a wonderful tale of an inter-play of fate and destiny, which is embellished by the themes of Career Choice, Child’s Rights, Child Abuse, HIV and AIDS, Child Trafficking and Prostitution. Kogbe’s Child of Destiny educates the reader on the danger of lack of proper communication between a father and his son, especially when the former is bitterly angry. At that particular insane moment, whatever goes into the thick skull of the child may bring about the fate that will define his destiny. In this children’s storybook, the author presents to the reader several twists and turns of fate leading to the fulfilment of destiny. Bayo, a primary five pupil, has no control over his fate but has clearly defined his destiny by being brilliant and diligent in school, and above all, the best debater in his class.
The story is about Bayo, a brilliant primary five pupil who is bitterly sad by the punishment and warning he received from his father for fighting his cousin in their village, and therefore becomes moody right from the village and after their return to the city. As a result, he decides to be playing alone in school and rebuffing people at home as well. It almost becomes too late for him to regain his composure and brilliance when he finally speaks, first to the housemaid, Tinuke and next to his mother, Barrister Bekola Eli Mantu, about what causes his recent abnormal attitude. He is the best debater in his class, yet he is about to be ignored as one of the five representatives of his class to a public debate that will guarantee his class a spot out of two allotted to his school in the newly inaugurated ‘The Young Parliament’, a strategy that is devised by the government to give the young ones a voice on the issue of Child’s Rights and Child Abuse.
It takes the intervention of the headmaster before his name is finally added on trial, to the list of debaters from primary five by his class teacher, uncle Depo, who also acts on the instruction of the headmaster to invite Bayo’s mother to the school to smoothen the rough edges of his recent noticeable abnormal attitude culminating in a downward trend in his academic performance. Few days before the debate, fate outsmarts Bayo due to his over-joyous mood, he falls off from his bicycle and breaks one of his limbs, which makes him to be hospitalised for days beyond the date of the proposed debate. As destiny would have it, the proposed debate is postponed 30 minutes before its commencement due to a special programme that is scheduled for WASOBIA Stadium, which calls for the presence of all students and teachers in the Local Government. To the fulfilment of his destiny, Bayo gets well before the rescheduled date of the debate, participates in it and emerges the winner. He is awarded one of the tickets to represent his school in The Young Parliament.
The element of suspense in the story occurs on two occasions – when Bayo keeps to himself the factor that causes his recent abnormal behaviour and when his mother delays her lecture on Professor Wole Soyinka to him. The twists of fate that play pranks on his destiny occur when against all expectations, Bayo’s name is found missing in the list of debaters from his class and when he breaks his limb. The turns of fate that lead to the fulfilment of his destiny happen when the headmaster instruct his class teacher to add his name to the list and when the debate is postponed to his advantage.
With this high-quality children’s storybook, Dele Kogbe has shown his mastery of English language and his ability to use plots, characters and dialogues to bring about the needed simplicity in understanding some complex words and phrases that his target readers will appreciate. Really, the world can never be tired or bored of a creation such as this, which the wonderful creator, Dele Kogbe bequeaths to the reading public, especially the children.
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