When Issa was sent as one of the several thousands to a peacekeeping mission in the Congo, Malika, his newly wedded wife, watched and waited in helpless horror, entangled in someone else’s war. As Issa guarded the UN base, barring rebels from raping children and patrolling the borders of a rich-yet-ruined territory, back home in Segol, Malika has felt the weight of separation, descending to a gradual but forceful emotional abyss. Fatimata, her mother-in-law, pained by the absence of a son, has accused Malika of being a witch and has sent her to Bintou, the marabout. The conflict between Malika and Fatimata escalates, drawing fire from their mutual longing. The Peacekeeper’s Wife deftly captures the human catastrophe of wars and migration in faraway lands, through the excruciating loss and loneliness of estranged families burdened by the separation from loved ones.

Kevin Eze (Author)