Arrows of Rain

In the fictional African country of Madia, a homeless man named Bukuru stands in court to accuse the brutal dictator, General Bello, of rape and murder. Twenty years earlier, Bukuru had a love affair with Iyese, a prostitute who was being kept by Bello. Their affair resulted in a horrific act of violence. Though at the time he was a young journalist with an influential platform for his words, Bukuru lacked the courage to tell Iyese's story. Plagued by guilt, he abandoned his career for life on the streets. Now, accused of a crime he did not commit, Bukuru has an opportunity to atone for his past with the help of Femi Adero, a newspaperman who reminds him of his younger, better self. Ndibe appears to use the rape and murder of prostitutes as a metaphor for the despoiling of his homeland, Nigeria, first by colonial powers and later by its own corrupt political and military factions.