A Nigerian author, Bayo Adebowale, in his novel “Lonely Days” addressed the plights of widows and masculine superiority within the African culture. He indirectly fought for the womenfolks via Yaremi’s characterization. According to wikipedia, Bayo Adebowale was born into the family of a farmer named Akangbe Adebowale in the year 1944. Among many other subjects addressed in the novel is the subject of loneliness.
One of the conditions that result in deep feeling of deprivation, emotional deterioration, and ill-health is loneliness. Even the psychologists have proven that loneliness easily give rise to high blood pressure. There are many factors that can result to loneliness; such as betrayal, lack of trust, lack of confidence, sickness, confinement, death of loved one, etc.
In the novel “Lonely DAYS”, all those symptoms were found in the victims of widowhood not excluding Yaremi, the brave protagonist in the novel. the author revealed the effects of loneliness on Fayoyin, Dedewe, and Radeke who in their black garments of mourning, trekking on the widow’s road expressed their longing for happiness and companion as opposed to their long state of sadness when they heard a distant drumming and songs of merriment.
In the case of Yaremi, she girt up her loin and tried to combat loneliness with hard-work, tireless cooking in the kitchen, telling stories to Woye (her grandson), philanthropic acts, etc. She also proved brave and immune to loneliness by publicly rejecting selfish men seeking to marry her on the cap-picking day.
