Taboo Love
A Novel
by
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“No one knocks my door so hard. Whoever you are, wait until my fire is lit to receive you. I never receive people in the darkness.” It was the lady queen speaking, royal airs barely concealed in her husky morning voice. “O Nain, is it you? Come in.” She opened the door quickly. “You are supposed to be carrying His Highness in your arms now. I hope you do not bring me another Iyafi problem,” she said. “No, I am not the problem. His Highness is the problem,” she said. “From the time we went to bed he has been coughing and his body is as hot as fire. His heart is beating as loud as a drum. When I lay beside him he tried to make love to me but had no energy to do so. He soon started coughing and coughing and coughing. The guards in his outer chamber are all asleep. I thought I better tell you. I don’t want him to die in my hands alone.” . . .
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About the Book
It is the early twentieth century within the northwestern savannahs of Cameroon as the infiltration of white colonialism lurks in the shadows. As the Mukomangoc tribe’s age-old customs battle to survive, no one has any idea that a rebellious virgin is about to challenge everything they have ever known. Iyafi is the only one in her family who does not consider it an honor to be chosen as a wintoc. When the king of the Mukomangocs selects her to be one of his wives, Iyafi dreads the deflowering ceremony with His Highness. What no one knows is that she shares a forbidden love with her childhood friend, Jam. But when cruel chance locks Iyafi and Jam in isolated intimacies, their doom is boldly traced. While they courageously attempt to defy the outcome, their love clashes with a nation’s destiny as times and generations transform and a king is left to negotiate with the colonial intruders. Taboo Love shares a fascinating tale set in the early twentieth century Africa as tribal rituals intertwine with young love and leave the fate of a nation hanging in the balance.
About the Author
Joseph Anchangnayuoh Ngongwikuo was born to Kom parents in the Njinikom Valley of Cameroon. He held a bachelor’s degree in English, a master’s degree in African literature, and a PhD in Linguistics. Joseph was an educator for many years before his death in 1996. His widow resides in Bamenda, Cameroon, with their eight children and many grandchildren.