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Fiction with an African flavour, written by a Scot, translated by a Nigerian.
Chidi is nearly nine, so he is not just a little boy and, when he hears the noise of a thief in the night, he promises his teddy bear that he will investigate. His mum and dad give him one week to solve the crime! Will Chidi be able to do it before the police take over? With school all day, worried grown-ups, a big brother only interested in food and Afropop, a giggling little sister and a small baby, as well as all the confusing things grown-ups say and do, life isn't easy for a boy detective! Luckily, the library lady helps him out with two detective books and he also has his first clue—when the thief entered their house, why didn't Bingo bark?
Chidi don almost reach nine year, so him nobe pikin again. As him hear di noise wey di thief make as him enter dia house for night, Chidi come promise im teddy bear sey him must investigate di mata. Im papa and im mama been give am one week make him use solve di crime! Chidi go fit solve am before police go take over di mata? School sef node gree am breath, all dis adult and dia worry-worry na anoda wahala, im big broda wey be sey na only food and Afropop him dey interested in, im laf-laf small sister and di baby wey dem still de carry for hand, plus some kind ting wey all dis adult dem de say and do wey him node always understand. Life no dey easy for di boy detective at all. Di only luck be sey di woman wey de work for library come help give am two book wey concern detective plus sey him don get im first clue already, wey be—as di thief bin enter dia house, why Bingo no bark?
Mama Grace and Charity greet each other traditionally and have a gentle conversation in Nigerian Pidgin English, Igbo and English about how they feel about men who love men and women who love women. The older lady has some concerns about nature, the Bible and the effect on traditional family life and the younger lady feels we need to be more compassionate but their mutual respect and shared experience—of being women in a man's world—help them to at least agree on something: we shouldn't be nasty to people just because they are different or we don't agree with their way of life.
Gay Rights? Gbamsolutely! is a short trilingual book cutely illustrated with pencil drawings, of these lively ladies and of various African animals, that should appeal to people from all over the world and especially to those who speak, or are learning, these Nigerian languages. It mentions gay-bashing so it's not for the very young but older children should be able to think about the effect of their words and actions on others.
Evangelical churchgoers may read it and think about what their religious sentiments really stand for, and the LGBT community in developed countries may consider how reports of public displays of more extreme behaviour impact on the struggle of lesbians and gay men against the harsh penal code of formerly colonised countries. Both translator and illustrator have had to resort to using nom-de-plumes, for fear of being arrested or lynched, simply for being associated with this project, as Nigeria still criminalises homosexuality.