Amina (a novel), by Mohammed Umar, First French edition (2014)

This dramatic story chronicles heroin's struggle to emancipate women in Nigeria and raises pressing political questions rarely addressed in works of fiction.

Cleverly conceived and skillfully written, Amina immerses us in the lives of Nigerien Muslim women, victims of traditional and religious conventions, economic restrictions, a corrupt patriarchal system and the humiliations they suffer in the name of unquestioned male power.

Amina, an endearing and credible young woman, can only move the reader in this compelling and touching story which, however, brings hope for change in Nigeria.

This book, written through the eyes of a woman by a northern Nigerian man, has been welcomed by thousands of women and men as a book that "tells it how it is".

About the Author: Mohammed Umar

Mohammed Umar was born in Azare, Bauchi State in Nigeria. He graduated from Mouscou State University in 1991 where he studied journalism. He studied political economy at the University of Middlesex in Great Britain and lives in London. Mohammed Umar was on the jury for the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2009 and he won the Muslim News Award for Excellence in Arts in 2010. The Marathi edition of the novel won Best Translated Book in 2010. Amina is his first novel. He is the author of The Adventures of Jamil (2012), The Illegal Immigrant (2015) and Samad en the Forest (2015)