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Motion: A Jenta Story
A typical Jenta story is one of limited vision. The stereotype is that a person born in Jenta--a slum area of Jos, Nigeria--is stuck in poverty and drifts naturally to vice, crime, and gang activity, mainly because they lack vision for anything better. The saying has always been, "Nothing good can come from Jenta."
But one young man and several friends started a grassroots public library aiming to #ChangeTheNarrative of their community, and they have succeeded. Now, through books, programs, and community involvement, young people in Jenta can access a higher vision for their lives.
Lengdung Tungchamma tells his story of being born in Jenta and growing up amid poverty, terrible government dysfunction, and terrifying religious violence. He tells how, despite himself, God intervened in ways that set Lengdung in motion, away from stagnation in a survival mentality, and toward vitality by blessing others through the Jenta Reads Community Library.
But one young man and several friends started a grassroots public library aiming to #ChangeTheNarrative of their community, and they have succeeded. Now, through books, programs, and community involvement, young people in Jenta can access a higher vision for their lives.
Lengdung Tungchamma tells his story of being born in Jenta and growing up amid poverty, terrible government dysfunction, and terrifying religious violence. He tells how, despite himself, God intervened in ways that set Lengdung in motion, away from stagnation in a survival mentality, and toward vitality by blessing others through the Jenta Reads Community Library.
220 pages, Paperback
Published July 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
May 9, 2025
REVIEW BY AYUBA DOEKYIL
In Motion: The Jenta Story, Lengdung Tungchamma offers more than just a personal account, he delivers a deeply moving story that captures the struggle, strength, and silent hope of a community often overlooked.
Through this book, Lengdung not only tells his own journey but also gives a voice to Jenta, a place many have misunderstood or written off.
Motion is not just about one person’s rise, it is about breaking barriers.
It is about proving that greatness can emerge from any place, no matter how neglected or judged.
Lengdung writes with honesty, emotion, and purpose. He confronts the stereotypes that have long weighed down his community, and through his own lived experience, he shows how these beliefs can be challenged and defeated.
One of the most striking elements of this book is its raw humanity. Lengdung doesn’t pretend to be a perfect hero, he shows his battles, his doubts, and the grit it took to stand tall despite limited chances.
His story is both personal and universal. Anyone who has faced rejection or been told they can’t succeed will find something of themselves in this book.
But perhaps the real power of Motion lies in its message: that no community is beyond hope, no individual is beyond greatness, and no dream is too far if you keep moving.
Lengdung has not only told his story, he has started a movement. And in doing so, he gives readers from Jenta and beyond the courage to believe in their own journey.
Having read this book, I can boldly say it is not one to be missed. I recommend Motion: The Jenta Story to every lover of books and to anyone passionate about growth, resilience, and rewriting one’s narrative.
This is more than a story, it’s a spark.
Don’t miss it.
Ayuba Doekyil!
In Motion: The Jenta Story, Lengdung Tungchamma offers more than just a personal account, he delivers a deeply moving story that captures the struggle, strength, and silent hope of a community often overlooked.
Through this book, Lengdung not only tells his own journey but also gives a voice to Jenta, a place many have misunderstood or written off.
Motion is not just about one person’s rise, it is about breaking barriers.
It is about proving that greatness can emerge from any place, no matter how neglected or judged.
Lengdung writes with honesty, emotion, and purpose. He confronts the stereotypes that have long weighed down his community, and through his own lived experience, he shows how these beliefs can be challenged and defeated.
One of the most striking elements of this book is its raw humanity. Lengdung doesn’t pretend to be a perfect hero, he shows his battles, his doubts, and the grit it took to stand tall despite limited chances.
His story is both personal and universal. Anyone who has faced rejection or been told they can’t succeed will find something of themselves in this book.
But perhaps the real power of Motion lies in its message: that no community is beyond hope, no individual is beyond greatness, and no dream is too far if you keep moving.
Lengdung has not only told his story, he has started a movement. And in doing so, he gives readers from Jenta and beyond the courage to believe in their own journey.
Having read this book, I can boldly say it is not one to be missed. I recommend Motion: The Jenta Story to every lover of books and to anyone passionate about growth, resilience, and rewriting one’s narrative.
This is more than a story, it’s a spark.
Don’t miss it.
Ayuba Doekyil!
Read
May 30, 2025Woohoo! Victory!! eureka!!! ( I have found it 🤠 😁)
I can never remain the same after reading ' Motion' A jenta story By lengdung Tungchama.
I did not "Read" Motion I "studied" Motion from:
1 Ghetto Boy , jenta Boy
2 Little lengdung
3 jenta
4 shoe in the River
5 Independence Decisions
6 Moving Away
7 Blessing From All Nations Academy
8 President Lengdung
9 Glimpses of Another world
10 The Church, Churched and Unchurched.
11 New Turns, New leaves
12 Uncle Lewis, Anita, and the café
13 Jenta Reads
14 An Unlikely friendship
15 My Friend is coming to Nigeria
16 The Politician
17 The Relentless Reader
18 Chess, Nathan, and Lives We Are Changing ....... Epilogue: For the love of Books.
This is not a Book to read it is a Book to study every scene captures your imagination to think of how you have lived a similar life as Mr lengdung Tungchama had lived — From inception of this Book 'Motion' I began to learn and
dream— How His father was unjustly cheated when it comes to his Promotion, after His uncle Passed on, though his Dad gave his job his all but the organization Deprived him of his rereward, He also made a point on Nigerian's who are indigent and was treated unlawfully He said " Being a dedicated staff member in Nigeria is divine, But getting promotions is Human" — just the way the ordeal of lengdung's father Mark a sense in his head it did same to me.
Lengdung quoted this " seeing this injustice was the first thing that made me understand the nature of public service and sowed the seeds against government work in my heart" I was brainstorming all night I was " Reading" and "Dreaming" Motion. — should I jump? I think i should. Lengdung Mom was someone I was anticipating to meet before I learnt at the journey of motion that she passed on during child birth I Died as Mr lengdung Had Died as he was telling the story himself in motion, I was in Despair but I know the mom went to lived in a place that is idyllic and pristine that Mr lengdung will someday go and meet his mom after he has finished his caused here on earth.
Now going to Mr lengdung childhood story which was a knockout punch 👊🏿 to any limited mindset I might have or had to make me think my Starting point is my ending point was imminently exterminated and annihilated— The first Motion for Motion was indeed living Jenta.Jenta was a place you mentioned and your chances to get charity or help from others will be Drag all the way down to a decimal point.— The week little Lengdung was supposed to be initiated into the perverted Real men affair of smoking was the same week God used an anonymous man which he quoted " That man, whose name I don't know even today, influenced my life in a way I could not understand"..... The Anonymous man told his mom that the school that offer lengdung scholarship was not the best school for him — I loved Mr lengdung Because he always strives for excellence.... That was how mother 'enrolled' Mr lengdung in ANA (All Nations Academy) in my understanding that school was a cure for Mr lengdung's lengdungian perception from jenta though it took time but it was healing him gradually Indeed " an appropriate diagnosis is half the cure". Now there were a lot of Despicable things he did at ANA but Mr. Lengdung is one of the most selfless people I have read about He jeopardize his prestigious academic excellence and prefectship just for " Press club" He threw all those good names and wore a garment of shame for just trying to implement an easy method to help them with the "news" He was caught and was punished severely and was suspended and as he was going home in despondency and in fear of what he was going to tell his Dad God went ahead of him that was the first time he and his Dad spoke as Father and Son after the father listened keenly to him he said something that moved me " you fought for the right cause in the wrong way" indeed as Mr. Lengdung exclaimed after that speech to his father "wow! That was more than good news to my ears". His Dad understood him.— He Return back to school to face his new fate of mockery but reversed was the case the school pupils were clamouring his name for the SP(SENOR PREFECT)Mr. Lengdung was relieved from his duties but he was happy at some point because he was no longer Bog with work again he focus on his academics and graduated as the Best graduating student of his class and he was reinstated back to his prefectship what an awesome God. So Mr lengdung graduated and went home— And was thinking of what to do when his friend Emmanuel Peter began to help him with some tangible advice and supports with books and the journey Continues and Mr. Lengdung begin to know God intimately not as a historical savior but as a friend and as a comforter. Fast forward— My heroine in Motion still remains those Undaunted Mothers that were interceding for the future of the youth by pressing in prayers daily and crying to God not forsaking not the fellowship of each other and asking for Revival for the youth.
As God will have it one fateful day on July 4th, 2017
Mr. Phillip Dimka had gone to a July 4th event at the American corner in Jos city. It was an event to celebrate independence Day in America. As the program went on, the quote by John F. Kennedy appeared on the screen. " Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country". That quote was what birthed Jenta Reads — what Amazed me was how Mr. Lengdung, Timothy Enenche, Peter kurdor and the likes run with the vision of Mr. Phillip Dimka who has just mentioned online that he was starting a public library in his community to illuminate the younger generation that anyone could offer his Book as support— During when the huddle to find Jenta Read a place was still in place I learnt something Remarkable. Mr. lengdung and his friends had just gone to two influential and affluent community figures now Note the lessons :
* The first man told them about the futility of borrowing to start a library that would not generate revenue
* The second man Mr. Justin told them things were hard and it was difficult to borrow them such an amount of money they required,but he offered a small cubicle he was using for his personal library that if they could start with it, they accepted it and thanked him. Now what have I learnt the first man's name was never and will never be Mentioned but the sincere and supportive Mr. Justin, His name was mentioned not once and for all but 4x Mr. Justin has gotten his name in the sand ⌛ of time and will be remembered in Jenta Reads wall of fame as one of their Heroes 😁💯— Now progressing Jenta Reads Has become a Reality fully. Now God has been in every part of the journey How Mr.lengdung has made a friend who will later make a huge impact in Jenta Reads a person of Thaine Norris who has the same obsession of authors with Mr lengdung, C.S.Lewis was who bind them together by his famous series of Book Chronicles of Narnia.
The beginning to build relationships from Thaine beings his solace during Despair to become his Dad and his biological father was "father". Mr.lengdung began to spend more time in Narnia rather than Jenta just as I was spending more Hours with Motion Than PLASU activities hmmm. The relationship was growing where Mr. Thaine will recommend a book for Mr. lengdung to read and Mr.lengdung will recommend books for Thaine so it becomes a mutual and reciprocating friendship, And That their online friendship Blossom in a beautiful face- to face Friendship. Mr.lengdung said is was though they had known each other for many years.Indeed I believe C.S Lewis quote now " Friendship.... Is born at the moment when one man says to another ' what! You,too? I thought that no one but myself..." Thaine who was old enough to be lengdung father has got himself a young friend who love the same things and believe in the same faith(JESUS)
Indeed Mr lengdung was right when he put up the question online " Do you want to grow fast?
— And the Answer was " Read books and walk with grown-ups"— That was not the end of it it will interest you to know that Thaine came to Nigeria and the impossible was possible. but It was by sacrifice, consistency and prayer.Time will fail me to give a review about Thaine impact in Jenta but his presence catapult Jenta Reads to another phase to a point where God help Mr.lengdung to discern a better phase for Jenta when a politician offer to help when the have outgrew Mr. Justin place, but Mr.lengdung was walking with divine direction he rejected the offer and waited on God provision. He showed faith by protecting Jenta name and showed that he was vulnerable without God. Indeed God came through for Jenta Read they was the 3 final nominees and won the grant of 1.1million naira that shifted Jenta Read—Indeed the extremities of man is God opportunity.No one knows how the opportunity came the had little hope to win but God knows the impact that was embedded in them and God gave them victory. Jenta Reads Begin to touch lives and emancipate a lot of people and rescue a lady I will never forget her name is 'Esther Akus' The library provided a space for dreaming and a safe space for healing.In 2022, Esther AKUS was molested when going for road-walk by some hoodlums and the took her phone she was in Despair and couldn't go home for refuge because her Dad had warned her aforetime about taking her phone out to jog she went to the library as God will have it she met Mr.Lengdung who was persisting to know if her phone was all they took from her she said yes but she went home and messaged him and told him the truth she was raped by both the gang leader and his boys she could not go home and say it, she began to have suicidal ideation she wanted to end it once and for all,there was no need of living what if she took in? Who will hear her? Who will believe she was raped? All this question was her reality but Mr.lengdung shielded her shame and guide her dignity with Miss Meredith Devoe and Bob the were Esther's hope.
Soon Esther did not take in as that was her greatest fear and she had promised to end it if she ever took in . But she never took in and she was back in her feet thanks to Jenta, Mr. Lengdung, Meredith Devoe,Bob, Thaine,The crew and my heroines,the woman that prayed for a Revival ambassador. I learn from that page about Esther's situations that " sometimes, all a person needs is someone willing to listen" and Jenta Reads has existed to listen to a community. Time will fail me to talk about Anita Clarkson the woman with a terrible ordeal but filled with grace and hope. And time will fail me to narrate how Lengdung's father broke down in tears 😭 😭 when his wife died and said" mother was also a mother to him". And how Mr.lengdung surrendered to CHRIST JESUS During the sabon Rai Revival in ANA how he remembered his Depravity and broke down in repentance. Time will fail me for more life changing stories to type but my mouth will not fail me to PREACH "Motion" and SPEAK " Motion"
I have fallen in love with Motion and I can't fall out of it again. Thank you Mr.lengdung God bless you Amen!!
I have Title Notion as a healing Balm
# Motion a Healing Balm, And a sermon to meditate on🙏🏿
I can never remain the same after reading ' Motion' A jenta story By lengdung Tungchama.
I did not "Read" Motion I "studied" Motion from:
1 Ghetto Boy , jenta Boy
2 Little lengdung
3 jenta
4 shoe in the River
5 Independence Decisions
6 Moving Away
7 Blessing From All Nations Academy
8 President Lengdung
9 Glimpses of Another world
10 The Church, Churched and Unchurched.
11 New Turns, New leaves
12 Uncle Lewis, Anita, and the café
13 Jenta Reads
14 An Unlikely friendship
15 My Friend is coming to Nigeria
16 The Politician
17 The Relentless Reader
18 Chess, Nathan, and Lives We Are Changing ....... Epilogue: For the love of Books.
This is not a Book to read it is a Book to study every scene captures your imagination to think of how you have lived a similar life as Mr lengdung Tungchama had lived — From inception of this Book 'Motion' I began to learn and
dream— How His father was unjustly cheated when it comes to his Promotion, after His uncle Passed on, though his Dad gave his job his all but the organization Deprived him of his rereward, He also made a point on Nigerian's who are indigent and was treated unlawfully He said " Being a dedicated staff member in Nigeria is divine, But getting promotions is Human" — just the way the ordeal of lengdung's father Mark a sense in his head it did same to me.
Lengdung quoted this " seeing this injustice was the first thing that made me understand the nature of public service and sowed the seeds against government work in my heart" I was brainstorming all night I was " Reading" and "Dreaming" Motion. — should I jump? I think i should. Lengdung Mom was someone I was anticipating to meet before I learnt at the journey of motion that she passed on during child birth I Died as Mr lengdung Had Died as he was telling the story himself in motion, I was in Despair but I know the mom went to lived in a place that is idyllic and pristine that Mr lengdung will someday go and meet his mom after he has finished his caused here on earth.
Now going to Mr lengdung childhood story which was a knockout punch 👊🏿 to any limited mindset I might have or had to make me think my Starting point is my ending point was imminently exterminated and annihilated— The first Motion for Motion was indeed living Jenta.Jenta was a place you mentioned and your chances to get charity or help from others will be Drag all the way down to a decimal point.— The week little Lengdung was supposed to be initiated into the perverted Real men affair of smoking was the same week God used an anonymous man which he quoted " That man, whose name I don't know even today, influenced my life in a way I could not understand"..... The Anonymous man told his mom that the school that offer lengdung scholarship was not the best school for him — I loved Mr lengdung Because he always strives for excellence.... That was how mother 'enrolled' Mr lengdung in ANA (All Nations Academy) in my understanding that school was a cure for Mr lengdung's lengdungian perception from jenta though it took time but it was healing him gradually Indeed " an appropriate diagnosis is half the cure". Now there were a lot of Despicable things he did at ANA but Mr. Lengdung is one of the most selfless people I have read about He jeopardize his prestigious academic excellence and prefectship just for " Press club" He threw all those good names and wore a garment of shame for just trying to implement an easy method to help them with the "news" He was caught and was punished severely and was suspended and as he was going home in despondency and in fear of what he was going to tell his Dad God went ahead of him that was the first time he and his Dad spoke as Father and Son after the father listened keenly to him he said something that moved me " you fought for the right cause in the wrong way" indeed as Mr. Lengdung exclaimed after that speech to his father "wow! That was more than good news to my ears". His Dad understood him.— He Return back to school to face his new fate of mockery but reversed was the case the school pupils were clamouring his name for the SP(SENOR PREFECT)Mr. Lengdung was relieved from his duties but he was happy at some point because he was no longer Bog with work again he focus on his academics and graduated as the Best graduating student of his class and he was reinstated back to his prefectship what an awesome God. So Mr lengdung graduated and went home— And was thinking of what to do when his friend Emmanuel Peter began to help him with some tangible advice and supports with books and the journey Continues and Mr. Lengdung begin to know God intimately not as a historical savior but as a friend and as a comforter. Fast forward— My heroine in Motion still remains those Undaunted Mothers that were interceding for the future of the youth by pressing in prayers daily and crying to God not forsaking not the fellowship of each other and asking for Revival for the youth.
As God will have it one fateful day on July 4th, 2017
Mr. Phillip Dimka had gone to a July 4th event at the American corner in Jos city. It was an event to celebrate independence Day in America. As the program went on, the quote by John F. Kennedy appeared on the screen. " Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country". That quote was what birthed Jenta Reads — what Amazed me was how Mr. Lengdung, Timothy Enenche, Peter kurdor and the likes run with the vision of Mr. Phillip Dimka who has just mentioned online that he was starting a public library in his community to illuminate the younger generation that anyone could offer his Book as support— During when the huddle to find Jenta Read a place was still in place I learnt something Remarkable. Mr. lengdung and his friends had just gone to two influential and affluent community figures now Note the lessons :
* The first man told them about the futility of borrowing to start a library that would not generate revenue
* The second man Mr. Justin told them things were hard and it was difficult to borrow them such an amount of money they required,but he offered a small cubicle he was using for his personal library that if they could start with it, they accepted it and thanked him. Now what have I learnt the first man's name was never and will never be Mentioned but the sincere and supportive Mr. Justin, His name was mentioned not once and for all but 4x Mr. Justin has gotten his name in the sand ⌛ of time and will be remembered in Jenta Reads wall of fame as one of their Heroes 😁💯— Now progressing Jenta Reads Has become a Reality fully. Now God has been in every part of the journey How Mr.lengdung has made a friend who will later make a huge impact in Jenta Reads a person of Thaine Norris who has the same obsession of authors with Mr lengdung, C.S.Lewis was who bind them together by his famous series of Book Chronicles of Narnia.
The beginning to build relationships from Thaine beings his solace during Despair to become his Dad and his biological father was "father". Mr.lengdung began to spend more time in Narnia rather than Jenta just as I was spending more Hours with Motion Than PLASU activities hmmm. The relationship was growing where Mr. Thaine will recommend a book for Mr. lengdung to read and Mr.lengdung will recommend books for Thaine so it becomes a mutual and reciprocating friendship, And That their online friendship Blossom in a beautiful face- to face Friendship. Mr.lengdung said is was though they had known each other for many years.Indeed I believe C.S Lewis quote now " Friendship.... Is born at the moment when one man says to another ' what! You,too? I thought that no one but myself..." Thaine who was old enough to be lengdung father has got himself a young friend who love the same things and believe in the same faith(JESUS)
Indeed Mr lengdung was right when he put up the question online " Do you want to grow fast?
— And the Answer was " Read books and walk with grown-ups"— That was not the end of it it will interest you to know that Thaine came to Nigeria and the impossible was possible. but It was by sacrifice, consistency and prayer.Time will fail me to give a review about Thaine impact in Jenta but his presence catapult Jenta Reads to another phase to a point where God help Mr.lengdung to discern a better phase for Jenta when a politician offer to help when the have outgrew Mr. Justin place, but Mr.lengdung was walking with divine direction he rejected the offer and waited on God provision. He showed faith by protecting Jenta name and showed that he was vulnerable without God. Indeed God came through for Jenta Read they was the 3 final nominees and won the grant of 1.1million naira that shifted Jenta Read—Indeed the extremities of man is God opportunity.No one knows how the opportunity came the had little hope to win but God knows the impact that was embedded in them and God gave them victory. Jenta Reads Begin to touch lives and emancipate a lot of people and rescue a lady I will never forget her name is 'Esther Akus' The library provided a space for dreaming and a safe space for healing.In 2022, Esther AKUS was molested when going for road-walk by some hoodlums and the took her phone she was in Despair and couldn't go home for refuge because her Dad had warned her aforetime about taking her phone out to jog she went to the library as God will have it she met Mr.Lengdung who was persisting to know if her phone was all they took from her she said yes but she went home and messaged him and told him the truth she was raped by both the gang leader and his boys she could not go home and say it, she began to have suicidal ideation she wanted to end it once and for all,there was no need of living what if she took in? Who will hear her? Who will believe she was raped? All this question was her reality but Mr.lengdung shielded her shame and guide her dignity with Miss Meredith Devoe and Bob the were Esther's hope.
Soon Esther did not take in as that was her greatest fear and she had promised to end it if she ever took in . But she never took in and she was back in her feet thanks to Jenta, Mr. Lengdung, Meredith Devoe,Bob, Thaine,The crew and my heroines,the woman that prayed for a Revival ambassador. I learn from that page about Esther's situations that " sometimes, all a person needs is someone willing to listen" and Jenta Reads has existed to listen to a community. Time will fail me to talk about Anita Clarkson the woman with a terrible ordeal but filled with grace and hope. And time will fail me to narrate how Lengdung's father broke down in tears 😭 😭 when his wife died and said" mother was also a mother to him". And how Mr.lengdung surrendered to CHRIST JESUS During the sabon Rai Revival in ANA how he remembered his Depravity and broke down in repentance. Time will fail me for more life changing stories to type but my mouth will not fail me to PREACH "Motion" and SPEAK " Motion"
I have fallen in love with Motion and I can't fall out of it again. Thank you Mr.lengdung God bless you Amen!!
I have Title Notion as a healing Balm
# Motion a Healing Balm, And a sermon to meditate on🙏🏿
May 30, 2025
Life is Like Pneumonia: A Review of Motion - A Jenta Story by Lengdung Tungchamma
In Of This Our Country, the editors, Nancy Adimora and Ore Agbaje-Williams, quoted Aminatta Forna’s words: “If you want to know a country, read its writers.” I am interested in knowing Jenta, so I read Lengdung.
Motion is a memoir by Lengdung Tungchamma, born in the late 90s. He was described by the President of the Plateau State Writers' Society, Bizuum Yadok, as an old man in a youth body. In Lengdung’s philosophy, life is like pneumonia, one of the strange English words you will struggle to pronounce at your first encounter, and later laugh for yourself when someone teaches you. That shows the beauty of learning.
The book focused on three stages of Lengdung’s life: his early years and the discrimination of being a Jenta boy. His secondary school experience, seventy-seven kilometres away from Jenta. Then he returned to Jenta and changed the narration.
The first chapter of the book was my longest read, not because it is the longest chapter, but because of the emotional trapped set between the lines. I had to pause, so many times, for an emotional recovery before I continued. The chapter is about his parents who lose five children — four males, one female. And then there was Lengdung, another male child and other four females. At some point, I wished it was Mommcy’s memoir I was reading — Lengdung's mother.
Despite the decriminalization he faced outside Jenta, including being denied to act as a Governor in the aftermath of 2001 religious crisis in Jos just because he is a Jenta boy, in Jenta, Lengdung was stigmatized for being surrounded by female siblings has its own stigmatization. Some people, including his friends, thought he was not man (boy) enough despite dribbling his fellow men (boys) on the football field and being the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) in the PlayStation arena. The senior boys in Jenta offered to show them how to be men. Lengdung wanted to be a man, likewise his friends. And the path was to smoke.
Before that day — the day they would taste the real thing, the thing you have to hide from people's sight and take it, and its scent will accompany you home which will sting your parents’ heart and they will start questioning you in a scary tone — motion happened. A miraculous movement that took Lengdung seventy-seven kilometres away from Jenta, to a boarding school in Bokkos.
Motion is the second book I have read this year, after Chukwuebuka Ibeh’s Blessings, which is set in a boarding school. Because I once was in a similar motion, I read those stories with a nostalgic feeling.
Lengdung was there when one day, his guardian summoned him and took him home, where he received the shocking news of his life. Mommcy was dead.
“For a Christian kid, there are five testaments: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and a Christian Mother.” I read these words at the beginning of the book. And the words kept echoing in my mind as the grieving face of Lengdung puzzled me.
“Even as I write this, I am in tears.” Lengdung wrote. So who am I to read without shedding the tears?
After Mommcy's death, Baba, Lengdung’s father, was pinned in my thoughts. I would love to hear Baba’s story, not only because he lost five children and a wife, who was the bedrock of the family. I would love to know about his journey of faith, from traditional religion to Christianity. All I have read, before, about a mixed family of traditionalists and Christians, were fictional stories from south eastern Nigeria; like Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Foreign God’s Inc. by Okey Ndibe, among others.
In the last part of the book, Lengdung tried to go deep to Christianity and connected with God. His goal was to reunite with Mommcy and Jesus in heaven. While along the way, he was questioning some of the will of God on some of the events happening around him until he mates a distant friend, Thaine Norris. His friendships with Thaine, an American based theologian and computer programmer, changed his perspective on so many things, especially on Christ, Books, and religious and ethnic diversity which was, and still is, consuming more lives including Bokkos.
The transformation of Lengdung, which I see as a real Lengdungian, kept reminding me of Abraham Kuyper and Kuyperian. I love people who embrace religious tolerance and respect human diversity. Through books, Lengdung and his friends were determined to transform Jenta. So they gave birth to the Jenta-Reads Community Library.
I was born and grew up in Jos, not far away from Jenta, but I have never stepped foot there until the day I went to collect my copy of Motion at the Jenta-Reads Community Library. Some years ago, with money, I would never go there for the fear of losing my life, likewise anyone from Jenta to where I am. Now, with people like Lengdung and the power of books, light is ousting darkness, humanity is conquering evil, and words creativity is sounding louder than a shot of a gun.
Finally, thank you Lengdung for writing this book. And to Peter Emmanuel, thank you for showing Lengdung the path, like Shams did to Rumi.
In Of This Our Country, the editors, Nancy Adimora and Ore Agbaje-Williams, quoted Aminatta Forna’s words: “If you want to know a country, read its writers.” I am interested in knowing Jenta, so I read Lengdung.
Motion is a memoir by Lengdung Tungchamma, born in the late 90s. He was described by the President of the Plateau State Writers' Society, Bizuum Yadok, as an old man in a youth body. In Lengdung’s philosophy, life is like pneumonia, one of the strange English words you will struggle to pronounce at your first encounter, and later laugh for yourself when someone teaches you. That shows the beauty of learning.
The book focused on three stages of Lengdung’s life: his early years and the discrimination of being a Jenta boy. His secondary school experience, seventy-seven kilometres away from Jenta. Then he returned to Jenta and changed the narration.
The first chapter of the book was my longest read, not because it is the longest chapter, but because of the emotional trapped set between the lines. I had to pause, so many times, for an emotional recovery before I continued. The chapter is about his parents who lose five children — four males, one female. And then there was Lengdung, another male child and other four females. At some point, I wished it was Mommcy’s memoir I was reading — Lengdung's mother.
Despite the decriminalization he faced outside Jenta, including being denied to act as a Governor in the aftermath of 2001 religious crisis in Jos just because he is a Jenta boy, in Jenta, Lengdung was stigmatized for being surrounded by female siblings has its own stigmatization. Some people, including his friends, thought he was not man (boy) enough despite dribbling his fellow men (boys) on the football field and being the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) in the PlayStation arena. The senior boys in Jenta offered to show them how to be men. Lengdung wanted to be a man, likewise his friends. And the path was to smoke.
Before that day — the day they would taste the real thing, the thing you have to hide from people's sight and take it, and its scent will accompany you home which will sting your parents’ heart and they will start questioning you in a scary tone — motion happened. A miraculous movement that took Lengdung seventy-seven kilometres away from Jenta, to a boarding school in Bokkos.
Motion is the second book I have read this year, after Chukwuebuka Ibeh’s Blessings, which is set in a boarding school. Because I once was in a similar motion, I read those stories with a nostalgic feeling.
Lengdung was there when one day, his guardian summoned him and took him home, where he received the shocking news of his life. Mommcy was dead.
“For a Christian kid, there are five testaments: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and a Christian Mother.” I read these words at the beginning of the book. And the words kept echoing in my mind as the grieving face of Lengdung puzzled me.
“Even as I write this, I am in tears.” Lengdung wrote. So who am I to read without shedding the tears?
After Mommcy's death, Baba, Lengdung’s father, was pinned in my thoughts. I would love to hear Baba’s story, not only because he lost five children and a wife, who was the bedrock of the family. I would love to know about his journey of faith, from traditional religion to Christianity. All I have read, before, about a mixed family of traditionalists and Christians, were fictional stories from south eastern Nigeria; like Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Foreign God’s Inc. by Okey Ndibe, among others.
In the last part of the book, Lengdung tried to go deep to Christianity and connected with God. His goal was to reunite with Mommcy and Jesus in heaven. While along the way, he was questioning some of the will of God on some of the events happening around him until he mates a distant friend, Thaine Norris. His friendships with Thaine, an American based theologian and computer programmer, changed his perspective on so many things, especially on Christ, Books, and religious and ethnic diversity which was, and still is, consuming more lives including Bokkos.
The transformation of Lengdung, which I see as a real Lengdungian, kept reminding me of Abraham Kuyper and Kuyperian. I love people who embrace religious tolerance and respect human diversity. Through books, Lengdung and his friends were determined to transform Jenta. So they gave birth to the Jenta-Reads Community Library.
I was born and grew up in Jos, not far away from Jenta, but I have never stepped foot there until the day I went to collect my copy of Motion at the Jenta-Reads Community Library. Some years ago, with money, I would never go there for the fear of losing my life, likewise anyone from Jenta to where I am. Now, with people like Lengdung and the power of books, light is ousting darkness, humanity is conquering evil, and words creativity is sounding louder than a shot of a gun.
Finally, thank you Lengdung for writing this book. And to Peter Emmanuel, thank you for showing Lengdung the path, like Shams did to Rumi.
Read
June 4, 2025So last night I was telling uncle Nen that I've been feeling burned out and he said I'm dramatic😂.
Anyways, that's why I haven't been writing as much. Hopefully I'll get over this soon.
However, burn out or not, I gave my word to write a review of uncle LT's Motion within two weeks.
As much as I don't like doing things last-minute, today makes it fourteen days since I picked up my copy which I was so graciously gifted, so, we're writing.
From the day I found out uncle Lengs was writing a book, I expected a good book. They say readers make good writers, yes?
I was not disappointed.
I read the book in all of 36-ish hours. Two things struck me the most.
You see education? Education can never be a scam. Not in my books. It is why, not even as a joke, will you ever hear me say "school na scam".
Education breaks boundaries. It brings down walls, lights the path, and levels the playing field.
You see, when you're born in a country such as Nigeria, life has given you an automatic 3-0. You're born into the trenches? Life is leading you with 5.
Education is the first opportunity you have to beat the odds.
For a lot of us, education is our ticket to a better life. Education is the reason for the uncle Lengs we know today; it was his first motion. You'll understand better when you read the book.
Education and books go hand-in-hand, so I'm putting them together as the same point.
I love books. I love to read.
I can't particularly mention a specific time when I fell in love with books, but the earliest most memorable event for me was when I, as a seven-year-old, read Francine Rivers' Bridge to Haven, a book of almost five hundred pages, in a week.
It only makes sense, therefore, that it resonated with me on a personal level that a world that was previously closed to him was opened up when he discovered books.
It is also why the project of bringing books to not just Jenta, but to a lot of other less privileged 'angwas' makes my heart happy.
The second is community.
To me, one can never overemphasize the importance of community. And as a Christian, a Christian community is all the more important.
Your community will either fuel or inhibit your motion.
When you're surrounded by people with like minds and parallel visions, things happen. There will be doubters, but when the voices telling you you can drown out the voices telling you you can't, you believe it.
Also, a lot of times, you only need one person with the right influence to believe you for things to begin to happen. The incident of Mama Goma believing in and aiding to the best of her abilities Thaine Norris' visit to Nigeria was a vital step in making it happen.
Motion is a story we can all relate to - trenches or not, boarding school or not.
I laughed, felt a twinge of sadness, and overall enjoyed the read. I highly recommend.
You can get a copy here if you're in Nigeria: https://selar.com/99b354, or here if you're in the abroad: https://tinyurl.com/lengdung
Zaneta🖤
Anyways, that's why I haven't been writing as much. Hopefully I'll get over this soon.
However, burn out or not, I gave my word to write a review of uncle LT's Motion within two weeks.
As much as I don't like doing things last-minute, today makes it fourteen days since I picked up my copy which I was so graciously gifted, so, we're writing.
From the day I found out uncle Lengs was writing a book, I expected a good book. They say readers make good writers, yes?
I was not disappointed.
I read the book in all of 36-ish hours. Two things struck me the most.
You see education? Education can never be a scam. Not in my books. It is why, not even as a joke, will you ever hear me say "school na scam".
Education breaks boundaries. It brings down walls, lights the path, and levels the playing field.
You see, when you're born in a country such as Nigeria, life has given you an automatic 3-0. You're born into the trenches? Life is leading you with 5.
Education is the first opportunity you have to beat the odds.
For a lot of us, education is our ticket to a better life. Education is the reason for the uncle Lengs we know today; it was his first motion. You'll understand better when you read the book.
Education and books go hand-in-hand, so I'm putting them together as the same point.
I love books. I love to read.
I can't particularly mention a specific time when I fell in love with books, but the earliest most memorable event for me was when I, as a seven-year-old, read Francine Rivers' Bridge to Haven, a book of almost five hundred pages, in a week.
It only makes sense, therefore, that it resonated with me on a personal level that a world that was previously closed to him was opened up when he discovered books.
It is also why the project of bringing books to not just Jenta, but to a lot of other less privileged 'angwas' makes my heart happy.
The second is community.
To me, one can never overemphasize the importance of community. And as a Christian, a Christian community is all the more important.
Your community will either fuel or inhibit your motion.
When you're surrounded by people with like minds and parallel visions, things happen. There will be doubters, but when the voices telling you you can drown out the voices telling you you can't, you believe it.
Also, a lot of times, you only need one person with the right influence to believe you for things to begin to happen. The incident of Mama Goma believing in and aiding to the best of her abilities Thaine Norris' visit to Nigeria was a vital step in making it happen.
Motion is a story we can all relate to - trenches or not, boarding school or not.
I laughed, felt a twinge of sadness, and overall enjoyed the read. I highly recommend.
You can get a copy here if you're in Nigeria: https://selar.com/99b354, or here if you're in the abroad: https://tinyurl.com/lengdung
Zaneta🖤
June 7, 2025
Permit me to start by saying thank you for creating this Master piece MOTION.
As read it motion took place in my life.
The heart of your mom is more than gold, a genuine one at it. So sad that she didn't wait to see you make it 🥺
With this story I understand that being rooted in Christ yields to abundant blessings,that God is in charge of everything that concerns a believer, and always looking up to him(God)and doing as it pleases him will always open doors of answers for us.
DUPED IN CHURCH Lol😂
You had the same experience as my younger brother tho he didn't backslide from the boys brigade as you did.
With MOTION I learnt that it is not always late to turn back to God and amend our ways.
Giving up shouldn't be an option for anyone whether old or young.
"A CHILD FROM JENTA CANNOT ACT AS GOVERNOR "
This statement got me
I have never been to Jenta tho but I don't think it is too bad for you to be disqualified.
The fact that it is a ghetto a bad one self doesn't has to make the staff to stop you from pursuing your destiny or making you lower your self esteem.
And making independent decisions makes things change for good just the way you didn't go to school rather you went straight to the venue(stubborn you😂).
Your love for reading is really amazing.
I have passion for reading books but people around me make it seem as if it's a waste of time.
Am glad I came across Motion.
I have lots and lots of things to say about this book seriously.
And about Late MUMMY again.
I love the woman that she was.
May her soul rest in peace with the Lord Almighty.
As read it motion took place in my life.
The heart of your mom is more than gold, a genuine one at it. So sad that she didn't wait to see you make it 🥺
With this story I understand that being rooted in Christ yields to abundant blessings,that God is in charge of everything that concerns a believer, and always looking up to him(God)and doing as it pleases him will always open doors of answers for us.
DUPED IN CHURCH Lol😂
You had the same experience as my younger brother tho he didn't backslide from the boys brigade as you did.
With MOTION I learnt that it is not always late to turn back to God and amend our ways.
Giving up shouldn't be an option for anyone whether old or young.
"A CHILD FROM JENTA CANNOT ACT AS GOVERNOR "
This statement got me
I have never been to Jenta tho but I don't think it is too bad for you to be disqualified.
The fact that it is a ghetto a bad one self doesn't has to make the staff to stop you from pursuing your destiny or making you lower your self esteem.
And making independent decisions makes things change for good just the way you didn't go to school rather you went straight to the venue(stubborn you😂).
Your love for reading is really amazing.
I have passion for reading books but people around me make it seem as if it's a waste of time.
Am glad I came across Motion.
I have lots and lots of things to say about this book seriously.
And about Late MUMMY again.
I love the woman that she was.
May her soul rest in peace with the Lord Almighty.
Read
June 7, 2025A Review of Motion
Motion by Lengdung Tungchamma —a memoir unlike any other—conveys a language that resonates with the abandoned, a language that those deemed hopeless and uneducated can comprehend. It is a narrative of a journey, echoing voices of hope to all children from the slums. It is not solely about Jenta; it is not solely about the author; it is a universal story.
Through it all, Motion recounts the story of a young man who, despite overwhelming odds, persevered; defined and driven by purpose and vision. Although a victim of circumstances beyond his control, he deliberately allowed events and people to shape him and keep him moving.
Motion advocate the power of determination, influence, parental guidance, and self-discovery. It highlights the struggles of life, particularly for those from impoverished backgrounds, where survival is a formidable battle and the likelihood of avoiding criminal activity and addiction is low.
The author communicates in a language that is universally understandable, using his personal story to demonstrate that, despite numerous challenges and temptations, one can thrive by remaining committed to their journey. I highly recommend Motion to everyone, including teachers, parents, communities, students, churches, and mosques. It is a must-read for all.
Motion by Lengdung Tungchamma —a memoir unlike any other—conveys a language that resonates with the abandoned, a language that those deemed hopeless and uneducated can comprehend. It is a narrative of a journey, echoing voices of hope to all children from the slums. It is not solely about Jenta; it is not solely about the author; it is a universal story.
Through it all, Motion recounts the story of a young man who, despite overwhelming odds, persevered; defined and driven by purpose and vision. Although a victim of circumstances beyond his control, he deliberately allowed events and people to shape him and keep him moving.
Motion advocate the power of determination, influence, parental guidance, and self-discovery. It highlights the struggles of life, particularly for those from impoverished backgrounds, where survival is a formidable battle and the likelihood of avoiding criminal activity and addiction is low.
The author communicates in a language that is universally understandable, using his personal story to demonstrate that, despite numerous challenges and temptations, one can thrive by remaining committed to their journey. I highly recommend Motion to everyone, including teachers, parents, communities, students, churches, and mosques. It is a must-read for all.
June 20, 2025
MOTION is a testament of an ongoing journey to save the soul of a community. It is more than one man's autobiography, it is a communal resolution to effect change, to be the change. Reading this book, you are taken through life-altering events, life-changing circumstances and the slow and gradual afflatus—puff— that became the Lengdung we see today. Like it was said in the scriptures, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?", in today's questions, we've also heard, "can anything good come out of Jenta? The simple response is "come and see".
In MOTION, you are taken through a wholesome experience, your heart is left palpating at some pages, at others, you feel an inflated hope that could burst with the next page. The beauty of MOTION is that it does not impose on you, it is a truthful account rarely found in most autobiographies—a resignation from a pluperfect view, a submission that one is still learning. I felt inspired, I feel inspired, I believe you'd also be inspired.
In MOTION, you are taken through a wholesome experience, your heart is left palpating at some pages, at others, you feel an inflated hope that could burst with the next page. The beauty of MOTION is that it does not impose on you, it is a truthful account rarely found in most autobiographies—a resignation from a pluperfect view, a submission that one is still learning. I felt inspired, I feel inspired, I believe you'd also be inspired.
Read
May 12, 2025A memoir anyone can read and draw strength from it.
I loved how some stories showed that you come back from anything and still thrive.
The first few chapters felt like I was reading the plateau version of Trevor Noah's "born a crime". You will laugh really hard!
A good read, I recommend.
I loved how some stories showed that you come back from anything and still thrive.
The first few chapters felt like I was reading the plateau version of Trevor Noah's "born a crime". You will laugh really hard!
A good read, I recommend.
September 18, 2025
Lengdung TungchammaMotion: A Jenta Story
From Spoilt Soup to Deep Thinker
Names are powerful, but resolves are more powerful. In the end, whether you're Jabez or Saul or Alexander, your destiny is going to bend in the direction of your decisions.
Whether you're from Jenta or Nazareth or Miango - you'll eventually become your choices. We may blame your environment for presenting you with certain options. In the end, still, YOU make the choice.
We see this outworking in the life of the author quite vividly. Thanks to papa for insisting that he be named Lengdung. I think he would still become a deep thinker should mama name him otherwise. Still, he can become 'Leng Dung', spoilt soup. The decisive factor is decision, not the presence of 'Leng' and 'Dung' in his nomenclature or the tragic Jos crises and reprisals.
But here's the most interesting part: Lengdung goes to All Nations Academy. The first gear is moved, his motion begins. All Nations is that boarding school far removed from Jenta, the slum whose negative currents are almost sweeping him. Lengdung has experimented with smoking, already on the path to becoming a spoilt soup. If anything, thank God for the distance and the stranger who convinces mama to send him there.
At All Nations, Lengdung contacts the world in a way Jenta would never have allowed. He is subjected to totally anti-Jenta rigours. Still, he just wants to do his thing. Though out of Jenta, Jenta is not out of Lengdung. He still wants to cheat his way, commit the crime and take lashes for it. Who cares? He’s a Jenta boy who has grown up learning - right from primary school - that not so much should be expected of Jenta, of him. And now he is suspended from school, forced to slow down. Second motion. Whew!
All Nations is also also a window into all nations. Therein Lengdung is introduced to prayer, Bible Study, reading, and fight-free sports. Then of course he meets Nandom, Abdulrasheed and The Great Ones, his teacher of the year, Mr. Ambok, and the faces & hearts that carry various shades of experiences and lessons.
I don't wonder why the major part of the book is set in All Nations. A lot will happen in this space of six years, as if to make a statement about that split-second decision mama made to bring Lengdung here. It's time for the third motion, but the question is: to where (remember he's already at All Nations)?
All Nations would still water the ground through a campus revival. But sadly, Mama dies, marking a real tragedy for not just Lengdung but the whole family. He picks up more quarrel and gets more serious about his beefs with God. But again in some twist of fate, Lengdung gives his life to Christ and the next gear kicks in. Third motion begins!
Lengdung would come to understand pain, joy, grace, purpose, and ultimately healing. All the while God is behind the scene, even bringing people like Anita Clarkson and friends like Peter Kurdor who would introduce him to authors like C.S Lewis, Rick Warren, G.K Chesterton and so on. Then there is the church too, the Youth Fellowship precisely, working in the way only God knows to produce a champion out of an otherwise spoilt soup.
As soon as these things settle, Lengdung moves from uncertainty to purpose. July 4 would come, the year 2017. And like play, Philip Dimka makes a simply crazy post about starting a community library, then, well - Lengdung (and many others) responds to the call and today we have JentaReads. As if to assert that resolves are powerful again, the next gear kicks in. I call this the fourth motion.
Over the next years, Lengdung would bury himself in this vision until the world outside Nigeria hears. D Thaine Norris would fly down to Jenta for something with such an ordinary beginning. Who would have believed? Later on, Eb Roell comes and teaches us that 'it's in him we move, we live and have our dinner.' JentaReads would be promoting literacy, conducting medical outreaches, promoting academic excellence and playing chess.
Towards the close, we see God, we see men like Lengdung’s parents, teachers, friends, and of course, books. They play a role in the making of a deep thinker. In the end, as it is obvious already: resolve wins. But not without God, and these quality gift of people.
Anyone can make an impact. Anyone. I think that's why Lengdung writes so truthfully about the many places he's failed. You can be born in a place so disadvantaged as Jenta and still choose a brighter path. Like Tara Westover, almost everything seems to depend on that first motion to school. Lengdung also says you can practise “little greatness” - change the world from your little corner without collapsing into a local champion.
I recommend this to African youths - especially those who are born with minuses - background, social status or even a name like Jabez! Your motion is long overdue, I think this book is a good way to begin!
Cheerio!
From Spoilt Soup to Deep Thinker
Names are powerful, but resolves are more powerful. In the end, whether you're Jabez or Saul or Alexander, your destiny is going to bend in the direction of your decisions.
Whether you're from Jenta or Nazareth or Miango - you'll eventually become your choices. We may blame your environment for presenting you with certain options. In the end, still, YOU make the choice.
We see this outworking in the life of the author quite vividly. Thanks to papa for insisting that he be named Lengdung. I think he would still become a deep thinker should mama name him otherwise. Still, he can become 'Leng Dung', spoilt soup. The decisive factor is decision, not the presence of 'Leng' and 'Dung' in his nomenclature or the tragic Jos crises and reprisals.
But here's the most interesting part: Lengdung goes to All Nations Academy. The first gear is moved, his motion begins. All Nations is that boarding school far removed from Jenta, the slum whose negative currents are almost sweeping him. Lengdung has experimented with smoking, already on the path to becoming a spoilt soup. If anything, thank God for the distance and the stranger who convinces mama to send him there.
At All Nations, Lengdung contacts the world in a way Jenta would never have allowed. He is subjected to totally anti-Jenta rigours. Still, he just wants to do his thing. Though out of Jenta, Jenta is not out of Lengdung. He still wants to cheat his way, commit the crime and take lashes for it. Who cares? He’s a Jenta boy who has grown up learning - right from primary school - that not so much should be expected of Jenta, of him. And now he is suspended from school, forced to slow down. Second motion. Whew!
All Nations is also also a window into all nations. Therein Lengdung is introduced to prayer, Bible Study, reading, and fight-free sports. Then of course he meets Nandom, Abdulrasheed and The Great Ones, his teacher of the year, Mr. Ambok, and the faces & hearts that carry various shades of experiences and lessons.
I don't wonder why the major part of the book is set in All Nations. A lot will happen in this space of six years, as if to make a statement about that split-second decision mama made to bring Lengdung here. It's time for the third motion, but the question is: to where (remember he's already at All Nations)?
All Nations would still water the ground through a campus revival. But sadly, Mama dies, marking a real tragedy for not just Lengdung but the whole family. He picks up more quarrel and gets more serious about his beefs with God. But again in some twist of fate, Lengdung gives his life to Christ and the next gear kicks in. Third motion begins!
Lengdung would come to understand pain, joy, grace, purpose, and ultimately healing. All the while God is behind the scene, even bringing people like Anita Clarkson and friends like Peter Kurdor who would introduce him to authors like C.S Lewis, Rick Warren, G.K Chesterton and so on. Then there is the church too, the Youth Fellowship precisely, working in the way only God knows to produce a champion out of an otherwise spoilt soup.
As soon as these things settle, Lengdung moves from uncertainty to purpose. July 4 would come, the year 2017. And like play, Philip Dimka makes a simply crazy post about starting a community library, then, well - Lengdung (and many others) responds to the call and today we have JentaReads. As if to assert that resolves are powerful again, the next gear kicks in. I call this the fourth motion.
Over the next years, Lengdung would bury himself in this vision until the world outside Nigeria hears. D Thaine Norris would fly down to Jenta for something with such an ordinary beginning. Who would have believed? Later on, Eb Roell comes and teaches us that 'it's in him we move, we live and have our dinner.' JentaReads would be promoting literacy, conducting medical outreaches, promoting academic excellence and playing chess.
Towards the close, we see God, we see men like Lengdung’s parents, teachers, friends, and of course, books. They play a role in the making of a deep thinker. In the end, as it is obvious already: resolve wins. But not without God, and these quality gift of people.
Anyone can make an impact. Anyone. I think that's why Lengdung writes so truthfully about the many places he's failed. You can be born in a place so disadvantaged as Jenta and still choose a brighter path. Like Tara Westover, almost everything seems to depend on that first motion to school. Lengdung also says you can practise “little greatness” - change the world from your little corner without collapsing into a local champion.
I recommend this to African youths - especially those who are born with minuses - background, social status or even a name like Jabez! Your motion is long overdue, I think this book is a good way to begin!
Cheerio!
Read
May 25, 2025MOTION: A Jenta Story
It was on Saturday 24th May, 2025 at exactly 5:00PM (Nigeria's time) when I bought a copy of the Motion: A Jenta Story by Lengdung Tungchamma.
As I sat there for a pose, two pages were ravenously devoured like a hungry lion.
I left home, did some house chores and by 6:30PM, I resumed reading afresh from the cover page, paying attention, as I have always done, to the details and message the artist is trying to convey in this book before I even open it. Let's cut some slack for Jacoba Looije who designed this book. His exceptional skills and ARTtitude to the combined story of this promising young man with a burning desire to change the negative narrative of a community of youth swallowed in the underbelly of Jenta, is almost equal to Leonardo Da Vinci himself. Or should we say, The Jacoba Code? By 7AM today Sunday 25th, I was done reading the entire book-188 pages in less than 24 hours!
Right from the cover of the book, you can see broken pieces of tiles fitted together in different colours, sizes, and shapes that tells a compelling story of a young man staring at those broken tiles in front of him and a flame of fire that rose glowingly between him and the broken tiles, apparently asking, "how can we fit these broken pieces of Jenta together, especially in a community bedeviled with a lack of portable water, widespread teenage pregnancy, cultisms, stealing, and many more?" This fire sloped downwards to the right to form a perfect letter "L". Lengdung is a fire personified. He is on fire. At the center of these colorful broken tiles is a logo of Jenta Reads standing erect at the right cover of the book, signifying the accomplishment of a long time struggle to change the narratives, that the only way to break the vices that had bedeviled the community for long is through education.
Lengdung is a broken piece that time and circumstances packed and fitted together- the scars he got from his disciplinarian mother and teachers, the starked poverty starring him on the face, the seed of enmity sowed between the two dominant religions that had coexisted together for decades before the 2001 tragedy, his mother's sudden exit from his life as a result of her death, the stereotype, all put together to shaped and mould him into who he's today.
When you have a chance of visiting Jenta, you will notice that quite a number of shops and houses have the entrance to their doors decorated with broken tiles of different colours, size and shapes that give it the captivating beauty it desires. I don't know if that is where the artist derived his inspiration. I cannot speculate. I don't even know him.
Lengdung's story is not a story of a gangster who finds grace, rather, it's a story of a restless soul in search of knowledge, who, in the process of finding and obtaining such profound knowledge, often finds himself rebelling against an established institution that almost led to his expulsion from school. Like Nazareth, Jenta represented a disturbing image of an imprisoned world that whenever and wherever he introduced himself as "Lengdudung Tungchama from Jenta", the immediate reaction he got was something that went like this: "Jenta, hmmm! Can anything good come out of Jenta?"
The book contains some humorous section that could force you to laugh hard as the author takes you to his childhood experience of trying to break an established law. At anytime, you may be force to go emotional or even draw some tears of pains and joy as the author recount stories of lives impacted and the tragedies that befell some of his childhood friends.
According to the Newton laws of motion, an object will remain in a state of rest or uniformed motion unless an external force acts upon it. Three forces were instrumental in setting him in motion.
What is your external force that will set you in perpetual motion? Only you can tell the story better.
Get your copy today.
© Satzen Boniface
It was on Saturday 24th May, 2025 at exactly 5:00PM (Nigeria's time) when I bought a copy of the Motion: A Jenta Story by Lengdung Tungchamma.
As I sat there for a pose, two pages were ravenously devoured like a hungry lion.
I left home, did some house chores and by 6:30PM, I resumed reading afresh from the cover page, paying attention, as I have always done, to the details and message the artist is trying to convey in this book before I even open it. Let's cut some slack for Jacoba Looije who designed this book. His exceptional skills and ARTtitude to the combined story of this promising young man with a burning desire to change the negative narrative of a community of youth swallowed in the underbelly of Jenta, is almost equal to Leonardo Da Vinci himself. Or should we say, The Jacoba Code? By 7AM today Sunday 25th, I was done reading the entire book-188 pages in less than 24 hours!
Right from the cover of the book, you can see broken pieces of tiles fitted together in different colours, sizes, and shapes that tells a compelling story of a young man staring at those broken tiles in front of him and a flame of fire that rose glowingly between him and the broken tiles, apparently asking, "how can we fit these broken pieces of Jenta together, especially in a community bedeviled with a lack of portable water, widespread teenage pregnancy, cultisms, stealing, and many more?" This fire sloped downwards to the right to form a perfect letter "L". Lengdung is a fire personified. He is on fire. At the center of these colorful broken tiles is a logo of Jenta Reads standing erect at the right cover of the book, signifying the accomplishment of a long time struggle to change the narratives, that the only way to break the vices that had bedeviled the community for long is through education.
Lengdung is a broken piece that time and circumstances packed and fitted together- the scars he got from his disciplinarian mother and teachers, the starked poverty starring him on the face, the seed of enmity sowed between the two dominant religions that had coexisted together for decades before the 2001 tragedy, his mother's sudden exit from his life as a result of her death, the stereotype, all put together to shaped and mould him into who he's today.
When you have a chance of visiting Jenta, you will notice that quite a number of shops and houses have the entrance to their doors decorated with broken tiles of different colours, size and shapes that give it the captivating beauty it desires. I don't know if that is where the artist derived his inspiration. I cannot speculate. I don't even know him.
Lengdung's story is not a story of a gangster who finds grace, rather, it's a story of a restless soul in search of knowledge, who, in the process of finding and obtaining such profound knowledge, often finds himself rebelling against an established institution that almost led to his expulsion from school. Like Nazareth, Jenta represented a disturbing image of an imprisoned world that whenever and wherever he introduced himself as "Lengdudung Tungchama from Jenta", the immediate reaction he got was something that went like this: "Jenta, hmmm! Can anything good come out of Jenta?"
The book contains some humorous section that could force you to laugh hard as the author takes you to his childhood experience of trying to break an established law. At anytime, you may be force to go emotional or even draw some tears of pains and joy as the author recount stories of lives impacted and the tragedies that befell some of his childhood friends.
According to the Newton laws of motion, an object will remain in a state of rest or uniformed motion unless an external force acts upon it. Three forces were instrumental in setting him in motion.
What is your external force that will set you in perpetual motion? Only you can tell the story better.
Get your copy today.
© Satzen Boniface
May 7, 2025
The biggest lesson I've learned from Lengdung's memoir is that I too, can write a memoir, and I'm working on mine.
It's hard to move on from powerful stories. It's hard to move on from this book in particular
The book is a mix of pandemonium and serenity. A combination of chaos and order. From the cover design—which has been my lock screen wallpaper for the past six months—to the spine, everything speaks volumes to me: the detail and authenticity of this story is splendid.
I empathize with a lot that little Lengdung had to go through because of the street he lives–Jenta. The utter discrimination and and silenced criticism would have been too heavy for a boy under thirteen. What must have been going through his mind amidst all these stereotypes of a person from Jenta? Today, we would have been thinking of how to carry out rehab for this traumatized kid. But in the Jenta Lengdung grew up in, there's nothing like trauma. They had community rivers to swim in. They had inter 'angwa' strolls on Sundays, and like every ghetto kid, they all wanted to be Ronaldinhos and Kakas. In Jenta, everyone was limited to the kind of life they were born into—mediocrity.
But when Lengdung went to boarding school far away from Jenta, the course of his life, like a redirected missile, took a significant detour.
Although in his natural proclivity he did everything to fight the system, God was working in the background, setting people and events that would serve as catalysts to propagate a positive move in Lengdung's life.
His encounters with people outside Jenta, people with differing unpleasant but true remarks, would cause a spark of inquisition in his heart. And this inquisition would birth the curiosity that would cause him to pick up C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. That singular event–reading the seven book series, would drive his passion for reading and quest for knowledge to a level of no return.
In his memoir, When Breath Becomes Air, Paul Kalanithi writes, "you can't ever reach perfection, but you can believe in an asymptote toward which you are ceaselessly striving." In other words, You can never be perfect, but you can keep getting better and better, always moving closer to it, even if you never fully get there.
An analogy – Imagine you're walking toward the horizon. No matter how far you walk, the horizon always stays ahead of you. You never reach it—but the journey keeps you moving forward, and you get to see and experience more as you go.
This is exactly what Lengdung portrays in A JENTA STORY—progress instead of perfection (that we can never reach).
Like the Nathanaelean question, people have asked, "can anything good come out of Jenta?" Many have gone ahead even, to make a bold claim, that "nothing good can ever come from Jenta." But what does it take to defy the odds?
The Lengdung we see in MOTION is a different version from the one we know today—a testament to Newton's law of motion, that propelled this motion: an object will remain in a state of rest or uniform motion unless an external force acts upon it. In Tungchamma's case, there were a plethora of external forces that caused a tingle from the inside.
In MOTION: A JENTA STORY, Lengdung shares the story of Jenta Mangoro, a slum community in Jos, Nigeria, known for peverty [to the extreme], cultist activities, lack of education, religious violence etc. He reflects on his own personal experiences and the challenges growing up in a place like Jenta. He shares the power of what Austin Kleon calls a 'sinus'— a group of change makers bent on #changingthenarrative of the Jenta stereotype.
It's been eight years since Jenta Reads Community was founded by Lengdung and his friends, and it's been a journey. They have provided access to literature and learning for the average teenager in Jenta and neighbouring communities. And there's even a lot more to see. Maybe you should visit some time.
Right now, I'm just about to spoil the whole book for you, but before that, why don't you grab a copy for yourself and be set in motion? You've been in in one place for too long 😅.
It's hard to move on from powerful stories. It's hard to move on from this book in particular
The book is a mix of pandemonium and serenity. A combination of chaos and order. From the cover design—which has been my lock screen wallpaper for the past six months—to the spine, everything speaks volumes to me: the detail and authenticity of this story is splendid.
I empathize with a lot that little Lengdung had to go through because of the street he lives–Jenta. The utter discrimination and and silenced criticism would have been too heavy for a boy under thirteen. What must have been going through his mind amidst all these stereotypes of a person from Jenta? Today, we would have been thinking of how to carry out rehab for this traumatized kid. But in the Jenta Lengdung grew up in, there's nothing like trauma. They had community rivers to swim in. They had inter 'angwa' strolls on Sundays, and like every ghetto kid, they all wanted to be Ronaldinhos and Kakas. In Jenta, everyone was limited to the kind of life they were born into—mediocrity.
But when Lengdung went to boarding school far away from Jenta, the course of his life, like a redirected missile, took a significant detour.
Although in his natural proclivity he did everything to fight the system, God was working in the background, setting people and events that would serve as catalysts to propagate a positive move in Lengdung's life.
His encounters with people outside Jenta, people with differing unpleasant but true remarks, would cause a spark of inquisition in his heart. And this inquisition would birth the curiosity that would cause him to pick up C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. That singular event–reading the seven book series, would drive his passion for reading and quest for knowledge to a level of no return.
In his memoir, When Breath Becomes Air, Paul Kalanithi writes, "you can't ever reach perfection, but you can believe in an asymptote toward which you are ceaselessly striving." In other words, You can never be perfect, but you can keep getting better and better, always moving closer to it, even if you never fully get there.
An analogy – Imagine you're walking toward the horizon. No matter how far you walk, the horizon always stays ahead of you. You never reach it—but the journey keeps you moving forward, and you get to see and experience more as you go.
This is exactly what Lengdung portrays in A JENTA STORY—progress instead of perfection (that we can never reach).
Like the Nathanaelean question, people have asked, "can anything good come out of Jenta?" Many have gone ahead even, to make a bold claim, that "nothing good can ever come from Jenta." But what does it take to defy the odds?
The Lengdung we see in MOTION is a different version from the one we know today—a testament to Newton's law of motion, that propelled this motion: an object will remain in a state of rest or uniform motion unless an external force acts upon it. In Tungchamma's case, there were a plethora of external forces that caused a tingle from the inside.
In MOTION: A JENTA STORY, Lengdung shares the story of Jenta Mangoro, a slum community in Jos, Nigeria, known for peverty [to the extreme], cultist activities, lack of education, religious violence etc. He reflects on his own personal experiences and the challenges growing up in a place like Jenta. He shares the power of what Austin Kleon calls a 'sinus'— a group of change makers bent on #changingthenarrative of the Jenta stereotype.
It's been eight years since Jenta Reads Community was founded by Lengdung and his friends, and it's been a journey. They have provided access to literature and learning for the average teenager in Jenta and neighbouring communities. And there's even a lot more to see. Maybe you should visit some time.
Right now, I'm just about to spoil the whole book for you, but before that, why don't you grab a copy for yourself and be set in motion? You've been in in one place for too long 😅.
Read
January 12, 2026I have a very unusual angle for writing this book's review.
Let's start here:
Spoiled Soup!
Lengdung referred to this phrase a lot in the book, MOTION. It’s actually not just a phrase; it is the meaning of his name, the unintended meaning a girl helped his peers discover. When the name was given, I am sure that meaning never crossed his parents' minds. I mean, they are not from a part of Nigeria that is known for naming their kids with such weird names (That place is Kaduna). I would have argued with all that is me that that meaning was the actual meaning if they were from Kaduna. The southern part. And that maybe he just chose to continue the fake life and rebranded the meaning. Like Abrakson, Nyamson, and the many fake sons we have in Kaduna names today.
But let me tell you the real effect the book had on me
When you read, you could feel the honesty in this book—the humaneness, the imperfections that all of us can relate to, and then a bit of a spoiled-soup factor that haunted him regularly. Most importantly, you can see that Lengdung has accepted the grace of God. He was found by the grace, which is still on the lookout in his life, and many of us, too—maybe all of us.
Lengdung is an interesting storyteller. He tells his story so effortlessly that you will think you are having a conversation with him, not reading a book. Not long after I picked up the book, I got to a very interesting story: bathrooms. I could hear him narrating this story to me. My oh my. I laughed out loud.
So, the story goes that in his primary school, they had bathrooms for boys and for girls next to each other. The rule was, as it commonly is, that boys are not allowed into girls' bathrooms, and girls are not allowed into boys' bathrooms either. But the challenge was that the boys would pass through the girls' bathrooms before getting to theirs. So they did what any young primary school pupil would do. Stop at the girls' bathrooms and do their thing. There was another thing: the bathrooms were almost always messy. The girls' bathrooms were like that mostly because boys stop there to do their thing. Bathrooms are bathrooms, right? Besides, there is this Joy in breaking the rules. And who enjoys this ecstasy more than a kid with a reputation like Lengdung?
On this faithful day, when Lengdung went out to do his thing, he stopped by as usual to just do his thing in the girls' bathrooms. Unfortunately for him, the school janitor was inside cleaning.
You are never to be caught in the girls' bathrooms. It was a strict rule, and Lengdung just broke it. In an attempt to run, guys, our BSA fell on that mess.
I paused here and laughed out myself first. I couldn't imagine what the girls in the class will think.
This Ngas girl may be right after all.
My favourite person in the book is Aunty Paula. She is at the same level as the Ancestors, the people who hold us together. I related to this story well because I have an aunt like her. We call her Aunty B. Aunty B, like Aunty Paula, was there when everything was happening in the family. She is the custodian of the story. The good ones and the not-so-good ones.
Aunty Paula ran from the house with just a primary education. He eventually went to school, married a university lecturer. She is a rebel, just like Lengdung is, but you will see in this book that Lengdung is a different kind of rebel; he is a similar kind of rebel to my Aunty B and his Aunty Paula. He is the kind of rebel we all should aspire to be.
This book took me back to moments I love and made me reflect on moments I hated. It brings all kinds of feelings. You get sad, you get happy. and it blends this effect beautifully.
You should read it
Let's start here:
Spoiled Soup!
Lengdung referred to this phrase a lot in the book, MOTION. It’s actually not just a phrase; it is the meaning of his name, the unintended meaning a girl helped his peers discover. When the name was given, I am sure that meaning never crossed his parents' minds. I mean, they are not from a part of Nigeria that is known for naming their kids with such weird names (That place is Kaduna). I would have argued with all that is me that that meaning was the actual meaning if they were from Kaduna. The southern part. And that maybe he just chose to continue the fake life and rebranded the meaning. Like Abrakson, Nyamson, and the many fake sons we have in Kaduna names today.
But let me tell you the real effect the book had on me
When you read, you could feel the honesty in this book—the humaneness, the imperfections that all of us can relate to, and then a bit of a spoiled-soup factor that haunted him regularly. Most importantly, you can see that Lengdung has accepted the grace of God. He was found by the grace, which is still on the lookout in his life, and many of us, too—maybe all of us.
Lengdung is an interesting storyteller. He tells his story so effortlessly that you will think you are having a conversation with him, not reading a book. Not long after I picked up the book, I got to a very interesting story: bathrooms. I could hear him narrating this story to me. My oh my. I laughed out loud.
So, the story goes that in his primary school, they had bathrooms for boys and for girls next to each other. The rule was, as it commonly is, that boys are not allowed into girls' bathrooms, and girls are not allowed into boys' bathrooms either. But the challenge was that the boys would pass through the girls' bathrooms before getting to theirs. So they did what any young primary school pupil would do. Stop at the girls' bathrooms and do their thing. There was another thing: the bathrooms were almost always messy. The girls' bathrooms were like that mostly because boys stop there to do their thing. Bathrooms are bathrooms, right? Besides, there is this Joy in breaking the rules. And who enjoys this ecstasy more than a kid with a reputation like Lengdung?
On this faithful day, when Lengdung went out to do his thing, he stopped by as usual to just do his thing in the girls' bathrooms. Unfortunately for him, the school janitor was inside cleaning.
You are never to be caught in the girls' bathrooms. It was a strict rule, and Lengdung just broke it. In an attempt to run, guys, our BSA fell on that mess.
I paused here and laughed out myself first. I couldn't imagine what the girls in the class will think.
This Ngas girl may be right after all.
My favourite person in the book is Aunty Paula. She is at the same level as the Ancestors, the people who hold us together. I related to this story well because I have an aunt like her. We call her Aunty B. Aunty B, like Aunty Paula, was there when everything was happening in the family. She is the custodian of the story. The good ones and the not-so-good ones.
Aunty Paula ran from the house with just a primary education. He eventually went to school, married a university lecturer. She is a rebel, just like Lengdung is, but you will see in this book that Lengdung is a different kind of rebel; he is a similar kind of rebel to my Aunty B and his Aunty Paula. He is the kind of rebel we all should aspire to be.
This book took me back to moments I love and made me reflect on moments I hated. It brings all kinds of feelings. You get sad, you get happy. and it blends this effect beautifully.
You should read it
July 25, 2026
Motion is set in Jos and follows the real-life experiences of the author, beginning from childhood and continuing well into adulthood.
Most memoirs are written at the peak of one’s life. Motion isn’t your typical memoir with the familiar grass-to-grace narrative. Instead, it gives you a front-row seat to a life shaped by diverse experiences, a life that is still very much a work in progress. And that’s the beauty of it.
This isn’t a story about arrival or grand inspiration. It’s an invitation to inhabit another person’s heart, to see the world through the eyes of someone experiencing it for the first time. Someone who makes mistakes and retraces his steps. Someone who seeks and finds. Someone who finds and still questions.
Lengdung begins life with a clean slate, but it is soon marked by the many influences of the world around him. The first and perhaps the most profound is his immediate environment. It isn’t a place that leaves much room for dreams. More often than not, it hands people a predictable fate.
Yet his story becomes a paradox. The very environment that could have been his undoing becomes the force that propels him towards his destiny. This happens through a series of defining moments he calls ‘Motions’, moments that alter the trajectory of his life.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and, admittedly, connected with it on a deeply personal level because I, too, am a product of this kind of environment.
And this is where we must talk about Jenta, the place that raised the boy in this story.
Jenta is a slum, a difficult one, both literally and figuratively. Yet, despite everything, it holds immense potential for beauty. Realising that beauty, however, requires intentional effort from both within and outside the community.
As the author paraphrases Newton’s First Law, an object remains at rest unless acted upon by an external force. That idea becomes an apt metaphor for Jenta itself. Places like this have a way of pulling people towards a familiar path; think drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, crime, and countless other cycles that seem almost impossible to escape.
What set Lengdung apart were the motions that interrupted that pattern. Those defining moments became the forces that continually redirected his life away from the path that claimed so many others.
One thing I particularly loved was the atmosphere of the book. The language is simple, engaging, and as honest as memoirs come. Every encounter, milestone, and lesson is told in a way that makes you appreciate not just the destination, but the process of becoming. You leave with a deeper appreciation for how ordinary moments can quietly shape an extraordinary life.
If you enjoy stories that are honest, timely, and deeply reflective - stories that make you pause and consider your own journey, wondering what motions have quietly brought you to where you are today, then this book is for you.
I highly recommend it.
Most memoirs are written at the peak of one’s life. Motion isn’t your typical memoir with the familiar grass-to-grace narrative. Instead, it gives you a front-row seat to a life shaped by diverse experiences, a life that is still very much a work in progress. And that’s the beauty of it.
This isn’t a story about arrival or grand inspiration. It’s an invitation to inhabit another person’s heart, to see the world through the eyes of someone experiencing it for the first time. Someone who makes mistakes and retraces his steps. Someone who seeks and finds. Someone who finds and still questions.
Lengdung begins life with a clean slate, but it is soon marked by the many influences of the world around him. The first and perhaps the most profound is his immediate environment. It isn’t a place that leaves much room for dreams. More often than not, it hands people a predictable fate.
Yet his story becomes a paradox. The very environment that could have been his undoing becomes the force that propels him towards his destiny. This happens through a series of defining moments he calls ‘Motions’, moments that alter the trajectory of his life.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and, admittedly, connected with it on a deeply personal level because I, too, am a product of this kind of environment.
And this is where we must talk about Jenta, the place that raised the boy in this story.
Jenta is a slum, a difficult one, both literally and figuratively. Yet, despite everything, it holds immense potential for beauty. Realising that beauty, however, requires intentional effort from both within and outside the community.
As the author paraphrases Newton’s First Law, an object remains at rest unless acted upon by an external force. That idea becomes an apt metaphor for Jenta itself. Places like this have a way of pulling people towards a familiar path; think drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, crime, and countless other cycles that seem almost impossible to escape.
What set Lengdung apart were the motions that interrupted that pattern. Those defining moments became the forces that continually redirected his life away from the path that claimed so many others.
One thing I particularly loved was the atmosphere of the book. The language is simple, engaging, and as honest as memoirs come. Every encounter, milestone, and lesson is told in a way that makes you appreciate not just the destination, but the process of becoming. You leave with a deeper appreciation for how ordinary moments can quietly shape an extraordinary life.
If you enjoy stories that are honest, timely, and deeply reflective - stories that make you pause and consider your own journey, wondering what motions have quietly brought you to where you are today, then this book is for you.
I highly recommend it.
July 26, 2026
A Review of Motion: A Jenta Story by Lengdung Tungchamma
They ask, "Can anything good come out of Jenta?"
Lengdung Tungchamma answers with a resounding, undeniable come and see.
In Motion: A Jenta Story, Tungchamma delivers far more than a standard memoir or a tidy personal success story. He pens an unvarnished, emotionally resonant testament to the grit, heartbreak, and silent hope of a community too often written off by the wider world. Through eighteen chapters of raw storytelling, traversing the dusty alleys of Jenta, the disciplined halls of All Nations Academy in Bokkos, and the transformative creation of the Jenta Reads Community Library, this book operates less as a narrative to consume and more as a mirror to study.
The Anatomy of a Community in Motion
Newton's first law tells us that an object remains at rest unless acted upon by an external force. For Tungchamma, born into the underbelly of a stigmatized neighborhood and burdened by the weight of early family tragedies, the forces that set him in motion were unmistakable:
The Power of Education: Long before it became a community movement, education was Lengdung's first true motion. It served as the great equalizer, punching holes through the glass ceiling of circumstance and dismantling the automatic disadvantages of the trenches.
The Grace of Community and Mentorship: From anonymous strangers who altered the trajectory of his schooling, to the unwavering prayers of devoted mothers, to the profound intellectual and spiritual bond forged across oceans with his friend Thaine Norris, the book highlights how human connection can pull a person back from the edge of despair.
The Sanctuary of Books: Books became the architectural blueprints for a new life. Within the pages of literature and later within the safe walls of Jenta Reads—a community found a space not just to read, but to heal, dream, and rescue vulnerable lives like Esther Akus from the depths of trauma.
What makes Motion uniquely powerful is its refusal to offer a pluperfect view. Tungchamma does not hide his adolescent rebellions, his deep-seated doubts, or the profound grief of losing his mother. He writes with a rare, disarming honesty that forces readers to pause, reflect, and confront their own starting points.
Whether you read it with the emotional weight of a heavy heart or the nostalgic smile of someone remembering their own turbulent youth, Motion leaves you with a lingering, undeniable truth: no community is beyond hope, no individual is beyond greatness, and no dream is too far if you keep moving.
This is not merely a book to read on a Sunday afternoon; it is a sermon to meditate on, a healing balm, and a spark that demands to be shared. If you are passionate about growth, resilience, community transformation, and the art of rewriting your own narrative, Motion is an absolute must-read.
They ask, "Can anything good come out of Jenta?"
Lengdung Tungchamma answers with a resounding, undeniable come and see.
In Motion: A Jenta Story, Tungchamma delivers far more than a standard memoir or a tidy personal success story. He pens an unvarnished, emotionally resonant testament to the grit, heartbreak, and silent hope of a community too often written off by the wider world. Through eighteen chapters of raw storytelling, traversing the dusty alleys of Jenta, the disciplined halls of All Nations Academy in Bokkos, and the transformative creation of the Jenta Reads Community Library, this book operates less as a narrative to consume and more as a mirror to study.
The Anatomy of a Community in Motion
Newton's first law tells us that an object remains at rest unless acted upon by an external force. For Tungchamma, born into the underbelly of a stigmatized neighborhood and burdened by the weight of early family tragedies, the forces that set him in motion were unmistakable:
The Power of Education: Long before it became a community movement, education was Lengdung's first true motion. It served as the great equalizer, punching holes through the glass ceiling of circumstance and dismantling the automatic disadvantages of the trenches.
The Grace of Community and Mentorship: From anonymous strangers who altered the trajectory of his schooling, to the unwavering prayers of devoted mothers, to the profound intellectual and spiritual bond forged across oceans with his friend Thaine Norris, the book highlights how human connection can pull a person back from the edge of despair.
The Sanctuary of Books: Books became the architectural blueprints for a new life. Within the pages of literature and later within the safe walls of Jenta Reads—a community found a space not just to read, but to heal, dream, and rescue vulnerable lives like Esther Akus from the depths of trauma.
What makes Motion uniquely powerful is its refusal to offer a pluperfect view. Tungchamma does not hide his adolescent rebellions, his deep-seated doubts, or the profound grief of losing his mother. He writes with a rare, disarming honesty that forces readers to pause, reflect, and confront their own starting points.
Whether you read it with the emotional weight of a heavy heart or the nostalgic smile of someone remembering their own turbulent youth, Motion leaves you with a lingering, undeniable truth: no community is beyond hope, no individual is beyond greatness, and no dream is too far if you keep moving.
This is not merely a book to read on a Sunday afternoon; it is a sermon to meditate on, a healing balm, and a spark that demands to be shared. If you are passionate about growth, resilience, community transformation, and the art of rewriting your own narrative, Motion is an absolute must-read.
July 15, 2025
"MOTION:A JENTA STORY" BY LENGDUNG TUNGCHAMMA
A Review by Elechi Onodioma
In "Motion: a Jenta Story" the author, Lengdung Tungchamma, shared a deeply reflective and insightful account of his experiences growing up in a community—Jenta—amidst poverty, social vices, and religious crisis. He tells of how the course of his life was altered or ordered by divine intervention through a series of events he described as motions.
Some key aspects of his story were the early influences of his family on his childhood. He tells of their love and sacrifice and how they built him. He x-rayed his engagement with societal institutions such as the church, school; cultures such as food and discipline; and lifestyle such as sports and games. He also led us through his introduction to some of the vices in his community.
Lengdung shared his journey that led up to his encounter with God's grace and his eminent surrender. Also, he found a new community of people who shaped him and introduced him to the power of books. Together with his new friends, they nurtured a vision to impact their community.
Lengdung shared the initial struggles of clarity and direction, resources and support, they faced when they started Jenta Reads Community Library. But through God's help, perseverance and commitment to the vision, they were able to overcome.
Now through the initiative, they have changed the narrative and offered better options to the members of their community; younger generations are told new stories and are inspired. They have built a different environment that support positivity and transforming lives. Their influence have spread beyond Jenta to other people and communities.
The themes I came in contact with while reading the book are family, friendship, literacy and community impact. The language is clear and vividly descriptive. If you've had experience growing up in Nigeria, expect to have an "Aha!" moment while reading the book. The author's voice is sincere and immersive.
I have learnt from this book to always seek ways to contribute to my society, instead of complaining or engaging in vices as rebellion against the system and government authorities. This is particularly true for communities in Southern Nigeria where youths in the Niger Delta are bitter because they feel exploited and those in the eastern states are often resentful because they feel marginalised.
If you have a vision for change in your family or society, if you want to breakforth from the negative labels, biases, stereotypes based on your background and history, and if you are passionate about changing any narrative you find unpalatable, I wholeheartedly recommend Motion: a Jenta Story to you.
—Elechi Onodioma.
A Review by Elechi Onodioma
In "Motion: a Jenta Story" the author, Lengdung Tungchamma, shared a deeply reflective and insightful account of his experiences growing up in a community—Jenta—amidst poverty, social vices, and religious crisis. He tells of how the course of his life was altered or ordered by divine intervention through a series of events he described as motions.
Some key aspects of his story were the early influences of his family on his childhood. He tells of their love and sacrifice and how they built him. He x-rayed his engagement with societal institutions such as the church, school; cultures such as food and discipline; and lifestyle such as sports and games. He also led us through his introduction to some of the vices in his community.
Lengdung shared his journey that led up to his encounter with God's grace and his eminent surrender. Also, he found a new community of people who shaped him and introduced him to the power of books. Together with his new friends, they nurtured a vision to impact their community.
Lengdung shared the initial struggles of clarity and direction, resources and support, they faced when they started Jenta Reads Community Library. But through God's help, perseverance and commitment to the vision, they were able to overcome.
Now through the initiative, they have changed the narrative and offered better options to the members of their community; younger generations are told new stories and are inspired. They have built a different environment that support positivity and transforming lives. Their influence have spread beyond Jenta to other people and communities.
The themes I came in contact with while reading the book are family, friendship, literacy and community impact. The language is clear and vividly descriptive. If you've had experience growing up in Nigeria, expect to have an "Aha!" moment while reading the book. The author's voice is sincere and immersive.
I have learnt from this book to always seek ways to contribute to my society, instead of complaining or engaging in vices as rebellion against the system and government authorities. This is particularly true for communities in Southern Nigeria where youths in the Niger Delta are bitter because they feel exploited and those in the eastern states are often resentful because they feel marginalised.
If you have a vision for change in your family or society, if you want to breakforth from the negative labels, biases, stereotypes based on your background and history, and if you are passionate about changing any narrative you find unpalatable, I wholeheartedly recommend Motion: a Jenta Story to you.
—Elechi Onodioma.
July 27, 2026
Most communities in Nigeria wear the ghetto tag like a life sentence, and Jenta was never spared that verdict in Plateau State. You don't expect greatness to walk out of Jenta. But Lengdung said no, he broke the rule, in a place where survival barely left room for dreaming. Books became his escape route, opening up a wider future than the one Jenta had assigned him. That personal transformation grew into Jenta Reads
MOTION will have you doubled over laughing one moment, as the author drags you back into his mischievous childhood, breaking rules he had no business breaking, and then, without warning, it will pull tears from a place you didn't know was still tender, as he recounts the friend's life taken too soon and the wounds that never fully closed.
According to Newton's laws of motion, an object will remain in a state of rest or uniform motion unless an external force acts upon it. Three forces were instrumental in setting him in motion. The first was an anonymous man, a total stranger at a hospital, who saw something in little Lengdung that even his own people had stopped seeing. One comment to his mother, and the direction of his schooling changed forever. The second force was Lengdung himself, his refusal to accept the "Jenta story" everyone had already written for him, his hunger to keep reading and keep asking questions when it would have been easier to settle. The third force was community, friends, mentors, an online stranger who became a father figure, and a company of praying mothers interceding for a generation they had not even met yet.
What stays with me most is that Lengdung does not tell this story to celebrate how far he has come. He tells it to hand the ladder back down. Jenta Reads did not start with much: a borrowed cubicle and a rejected shortcut, but it became a place that could hold someone like Esther in her darkest moment. That is the real weight of the book, proof that one person's motion can put a whole community in motion.
Motion is for anyone who has ever been written off because of where they started. That your beginning was never meant to be your ending.
MOTION will have you doubled over laughing one moment, as the author drags you back into his mischievous childhood, breaking rules he had no business breaking, and then, without warning, it will pull tears from a place you didn't know was still tender, as he recounts the friend's life taken too soon and the wounds that never fully closed.
According to Newton's laws of motion, an object will remain in a state of rest or uniform motion unless an external force acts upon it. Three forces were instrumental in setting him in motion. The first was an anonymous man, a total stranger at a hospital, who saw something in little Lengdung that even his own people had stopped seeing. One comment to his mother, and the direction of his schooling changed forever. The second force was Lengdung himself, his refusal to accept the "Jenta story" everyone had already written for him, his hunger to keep reading and keep asking questions when it would have been easier to settle. The third force was community, friends, mentors, an online stranger who became a father figure, and a company of praying mothers interceding for a generation they had not even met yet.
What stays with me most is that Lengdung does not tell this story to celebrate how far he has come. He tells it to hand the ladder back down. Jenta Reads did not start with much: a borrowed cubicle and a rejected shortcut, but it became a place that could hold someone like Esther in her darkest moment. That is the real weight of the book, proof that one person's motion can put a whole community in motion.
Motion is for anyone who has ever been written off because of where they started. That your beginning was never meant to be your ending.
July 27, 2026
A Review of Motion: A Jenta Story by Lengdung Tungchamma
by Nanlep Edward
There's a saying Lengdung grew up hearing before he understood what it meant to fight it: "Nothing good can come from Jenta." Not spoken cruelly, just... assumed. The way people talk about weather, or traffic. A fact of life in that corner of Jos.
Motion is his answer to that sentence, and it doesn't answer with anger. It answers with a story.
What struck me first is the title itself. Newton's first law — an object at rest stays at rest unless acted upon by a force. Lengdung takes that idea and makes it personal: he was a boy in Jenta, shaped by every low expectation society had already written for him, until something moved him. Not one dramatic moment, but a series of them — a stranger's advice, a boarding school seventy-seven kilometers from home, survival through the 2001 Jos crisis, and books that kept finding their way into his hands when nothing else offered a way out.
I think what makes this book land isn't the poverty or the violence, though both are there and neither is softened. It's that he refuses to let Jenta be only a backdrop for tragedy. He remembers the humor too — the boyhood antics, the small rebellions, the way children make jokes out of hard places because that's how they survive them. That mix is what people mean when they compare his voice to Trevor Noah's — grief and laughter sitting in the same sentence, neither canceling the other out.
And then there's what he did with it. He didn't just leave Jenta and write about leaving. He went back and built something — the Jenta Reads Community Library, started with friends who'd grown up hearing the same sentence he had. That's the part of the book that stayed with me longest. Not the escape. The return.
If you're the kind of person who's ever been told, directly or in a thousand small ways, that where you're from is your ceiling — this book is a rebuttal to that. Quiet, specific, lived-in. Read it slowly. Let it sit with you.
by Nanlep Edward
There's a saying Lengdung grew up hearing before he understood what it meant to fight it: "Nothing good can come from Jenta." Not spoken cruelly, just... assumed. The way people talk about weather, or traffic. A fact of life in that corner of Jos.
Motion is his answer to that sentence, and it doesn't answer with anger. It answers with a story.
What struck me first is the title itself. Newton's first law — an object at rest stays at rest unless acted upon by a force. Lengdung takes that idea and makes it personal: he was a boy in Jenta, shaped by every low expectation society had already written for him, until something moved him. Not one dramatic moment, but a series of them — a stranger's advice, a boarding school seventy-seven kilometers from home, survival through the 2001 Jos crisis, and books that kept finding their way into his hands when nothing else offered a way out.
I think what makes this book land isn't the poverty or the violence, though both are there and neither is softened. It's that he refuses to let Jenta be only a backdrop for tragedy. He remembers the humor too — the boyhood antics, the small rebellions, the way children make jokes out of hard places because that's how they survive them. That mix is what people mean when they compare his voice to Trevor Noah's — grief and laughter sitting in the same sentence, neither canceling the other out.
And then there's what he did with it. He didn't just leave Jenta and write about leaving. He went back and built something — the Jenta Reads Community Library, started with friends who'd grown up hearing the same sentence he had. That's the part of the book that stayed with me longest. Not the escape. The return.
If you're the kind of person who's ever been told, directly or in a thousand small ways, that where you're from is your ceiling — this book is a rebuttal to that. Quiet, specific, lived-in. Read it slowly. Let it sit with you.
July 26, 2026
Lengdung Tungchamma's memoir about growing up in Jenta, a slum in Jos, Nigeria, hit closer to home than I expected. I didn't grow up there, my own background was more military-style boarding school than slum, but the underlying texture felt familiar, poverty shaping what you think is even possible, corruption sitting quietly in the background of everything, and a low ceiling society sets on you before you've had a real chance to decide anything for yourself.
He writes honestly about childhood chaos sitting right next to real danger, government dysfunction, religious violence, without dramatizing any of it. I stopped reading at the point his life starts turning outward, right as the idea for what becomes the Jenta Reads Community Library begins taking shape, and paused there on purpose before watching him turn his own story into something for others.
What stayed with me, he never pretends the odds weren't real. He just refuses to let them be the whole story. It motivated me quietly, not with hype, but in a way that made me think differently about my own next move.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Honest, specific, and more universal than the setting suggests at first.
He writes honestly about childhood chaos sitting right next to real danger, government dysfunction, religious violence, without dramatizing any of it. I stopped reading at the point his life starts turning outward, right as the idea for what becomes the Jenta Reads Community Library begins taking shape, and paused there on purpose before watching him turn his own story into something for others.
What stayed with me, he never pretends the odds weren't real. He just refuses to let them be the whole story. It motivated me quietly, not with hype, but in a way that made me think differently about my own next move.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Honest, specific, and more universal than the setting suggests at first.
July 4, 2026
Motion: A Jenta Story is one of the most inspiring books I have read in recent times. It overwhelmed me with different shades of emotions: from laughter to anger, to fear, to sadness, to gratitude, to admiration, and on top of it all, the massive feeling of nostalgia.
The book tells the classic tale of the African slum: poverty, drugs, crime, gang violence, and limited opportunities, all compounded by years of gross government neglect. At its heart, however, it is the story of a young boy who rose above these circumstances and changed the narrative of his community.
Through Lengdung's journey, we see how someone who was almost consumed by the harsh realities of his environment found direction, hope, and purpose through books. His story is a powerful reminder that where you begin does not have to determine where you end.
This is a book every young person should read. It encourages readers to keep dreaming, keep believing, and understand that no matter where they come from, their circumstances do not have to define their future.
The book tells the classic tale of the African slum: poverty, drugs, crime, gang violence, and limited opportunities, all compounded by years of gross government neglect. At its heart, however, it is the story of a young boy who rose above these circumstances and changed the narrative of his community.
Through Lengdung's journey, we see how someone who was almost consumed by the harsh realities of his environment found direction, hope, and purpose through books. His story is a powerful reminder that where you begin does not have to determine where you end.
This is a book every young person should read. It encourages readers to keep dreaming, keep believing, and understand that no matter where they come from, their circumstances do not have to define their future.
June 20, 2026
Motion: A Jenta Story was more than a memoir for me; it was a reminder not to give up on my own desire to help others. What stayed with me most was not just the challenges Lengdung faced, but his determination to keep moving forward despite them. His faith, perseverance, and the support of people who believed in him showed me the importance of both trusting the process and allowing others to walk alongside you.
The book also reminded me that change does not happen by staying hidden. Lengdung put himself out there, shared his vision, and took action even when the outcome was uncertain. Reading his story encouraged me to keep pursuing my own goals of serving others and making a positive impact, no matter how small the beginning may seem.
This is a story about hope, about community, and about the quiet courage it takes to take the first step.
The book also reminded me that change does not happen by staying hidden. Lengdung put himself out there, shared his vision, and took action even when the outcome was uncertain. Reading his story encouraged me to keep pursuing my own goals of serving others and making a positive impact, no matter how small the beginning may seem.
This is a story about hope, about community, and about the quiet courage it takes to take the first step.
July 26, 2026
This inspiring memoir is a powerful testament to the life-changing power of education and the profound impact books can have on both individuals and entire communities. Through a deeply personal and honest account, Lengdung Tungchamma shows that education is more than earning a degree—it is about gaining hope, discovering purpose, and breaking free from the limitations of one’s circumstances.
Motion reminds readers that books are not merely objects to be read; they are tools that expand perspectives, ignite ambition, and inspire meaningful change. As the author’s journey unfolds, it becomes clear that one person, equipped with knowledge and determination, can spark transformation far beyond their own life.
Motion reminds readers that books are not merely objects to be read; they are tools that expand perspectives, ignite ambition, and inspire meaningful change. As the author’s journey unfolds, it becomes clear that one person, equipped with knowledge and determination, can spark transformation far beyond their own life.
Read
July 24, 2026I met this book before I met the pages through a bike man I met in Jenta community who told me about it. He was proud of the book before he'd even read a line.
Motion is a memoir, but it feels like a testament. It's the story of a young man who turned the rough streets of Jenta into stepping stones. It's not just Lengdung's story either. It's that of every bike man, every undergraduate, every no-choice breadwinner in Jenta who's ever felt stuck and kept moving anyway.
This book doesn't just say greatness is possible. It shows you what it costs, and what it's worth. Simple, honest, and deeply rooted in home.
If you've ever doubted your own odds, Motion will argue with you.
July 27, 2026
For me, reading Motion wasn't just turning pages, it was re-living a story I watched unfold firsthand. Growing up in Jenta alongside Lengdung, I saw the raw grit, the loss, and the quiet resilience that shaped our neighborhood long before it ever hit paper.
What makes this memoir so powerful isn't just how accurately he captures the Jenta story, but how he turns our shared realities into a blueprint for hope and community change. It’s an honest, deeply moving reminder of where we came from and proof that a neighborhood's narrative can always be rewritten.
Beyond proud of my brother on this one, if you want to understand what true resilience looks like, this is the book to read.
What makes this memoir so powerful isn't just how accurately he captures the Jenta story, but how he turns our shared realities into a blueprint for hope and community change. It’s an honest, deeply moving reminder of where we came from and proof that a neighborhood's narrative can always be rewritten.
Beyond proud of my brother on this one, if you want to understand what true resilience looks like, this is the book to read.
July 23, 2026
I guess the movements, or in this case, the motion, make the difference.
From living in a community that almost determines your outcome in life to junctions that define you as more than that.
My favourite part of the book has to be the fact that the author didn't wait until he was old to write his story or, in the case of our politicians, rewrite history.
Motion is a book you read in one sitting.
It is also a book you read slowly, taking a ride with the author.
"A must-read" is an understatement for such a book.
From living in a community that almost determines your outcome in life to junctions that define you as more than that.
My favourite part of the book has to be the fact that the author didn't wait until he was old to write his story or, in the case of our politicians, rewrite history.
Motion is a book you read in one sitting.
It is also a book you read slowly, taking a ride with the author.
"A must-read" is an understatement for such a book.
August 9, 2025
Motion: A Jenta Story by Lengdung Tungchamma is a story that you can relate to, no matter the walk of life you come from. High class, low class, this book provides valuable lessons on life and spurs us on connecting with our roots (if I may use this word).
He told his story. Now it's time for us to learn the lessons and tell ours too. It's already a favourite.
You have to read this masterpiece!
PS: This isn't the complete review. 😊
He told his story. Now it's time for us to learn the lessons and tell ours too. It's already a favourite.
You have to read this masterpiece!
PS: This isn't the complete review. 😊
Read
July 18, 2026It was a nostalgic moments for me seeing that I grew up in Jos and spent a good number of years in Jenta. I love the approach used in the sharing of this experience. It's a mixture of laughter, pain, empathy, anger, and a lot of hope. Sometimes I just sigh at some of the author's experiences. I could easily picture myself walking in his shoes along the paths of his experience. Thank God someone shared.
July 26, 2026
I really enjoyed Motion. More than anything, it gave me hope.
Reading about Lengdung Tungchamma's journey reminded me that your background does not have to determine your future. Despite growing up in a difficult environment, he chose a different path and went on to make a real difference in his community.
It's an inspiring, honest read that left me feeling encouraged to keep believing that with determination, purpose, and consistency, better is always possible. I definitely recommend it.
Reading about Lengdung Tungchamma's journey reminded me that your background does not have to determine your future. Despite growing up in a difficult environment, he chose a different path and went on to make a real difference in his community.
It's an inspiring, honest read that left me feeling encouraged to keep believing that with determination, purpose, and consistency, better is always possible. I definitely recommend it.
July 6, 2025
I think the people—and especially the youth—of Jenta, and perhaps every impressionable youth the world over, will find the story of Motion inspiring and aspirational.
The story of Motion offers a sense of hope in morality. In these precarious times, when everything seems dangerously close to meaning nothing, this book is needed.
The story of Motion offers a sense of hope in morality. In these precarious times, when everything seems dangerously close to meaning nothing, this book is needed.
July 26, 2026
This book is something else. You see the perspective of a man who came from hardship to being an icon to many. The spirit he carried all this while is something to admire. Hoping to read more of your work, Captain.
May 12, 2025
This is the most relatable book I have ever read.
I absolutely loved it!
I absolutely loved it!
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