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Twenty in 2020
Looking for Bono
A sparkling satire on international aid and celebrity, Looking for Bono charts one man’s accidental quest to bring water his community.
Baba is a semi-literate man living a simple life centred on the local auto repair shop in Palemo, how he will find his next meal and an obsession with his disinterested, Nollywood star-wannabe wife Munira and her voluptuous body. Baba is acutely aware of the water corruption that has left him, on occasion, without so much as a drop to even brush his teeth. One day on the news, a story about international humanitarian Bono flashes onscreen. Bono is in Africa to do good and like a thunderbolt, Baba decides that Bono is the answer to all of his problems. Once Bono hears about the local water issues he will want to step in and convince the president of Nigeria to end the corruption. Once the water is flowing, Baba can clean up and Munira will set her sights a little closer to home. Before he knows it, Baba is a celebrity being feted by the Lagos media and Munira has turned into his virtuous wife.
Will the ensuing media storm engulf Baba as he is launched into a world of high stakes foreign aid dealings and competing interests? Or will he return to his simple life with water for his community and the renewed affections of his Munira?
Baba is a semi-literate man living a simple life centred on the local auto repair shop in Palemo, how he will find his next meal and an obsession with his disinterested, Nollywood star-wannabe wife Munira and her voluptuous body. Baba is acutely aware of the water corruption that has left him, on occasion, without so much as a drop to even brush his teeth. One day on the news, a story about international humanitarian Bono flashes onscreen. Bono is in Africa to do good and like a thunderbolt, Baba decides that Bono is the answer to all of his problems. Once Bono hears about the local water issues he will want to step in and convince the president of Nigeria to end the corruption. Once the water is flowing, Baba can clean up and Munira will set her sights a little closer to home. Before he knows it, Baba is a celebrity being feted by the Lagos media and Munira has turned into his virtuous wife.
Will the ensuing media storm engulf Baba as he is launched into a world of high stakes foreign aid dealings and competing interests? Or will he return to his simple life with water for his community and the renewed affections of his Munira?
228 pages, Paperback
Published October 29, 2020
276 people want to read
About the author
Abidemi Sanusi
11 books40 followersAbidemi Sanusi was born in Nigeria and now lives in the UK. She is a former human rights worker, now writer. Her last book, 'Eyo', was nominated for the 2010 Commonwealth Writers' Prize.
A coffee enthusiast, she can often be found pontificating on the merits of a Sidamo over a Malabar on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/abidemitv
A coffee enthusiast, she can often be found pontificating on the merits of a Sidamo over a Malabar on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/abidemitv
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 18, 2021
Satire is a powerful tool. It can take something serious, stretch it, blow it up until it becomes funny. Such is the case with Abidemi Sanusi’s looking for Bono.
The book begins with Baba who unemployed, illiterate, who lives in Palemo, Nigeria. One day, while hanging around the car repair shop he sees Bono on television. He then decides to ask Bono if he can persuade the Nigerian president to provide Palemo with running water. From there Abidemi Sanusi unleashes a horde of jabs that hit hard. This is no ordinary satire, which pokes fun at one aspect of Nigerian society. There’s a lot of targets and it’s bullseye everytime.
As Baba announces his quest, things spiral out of control: he is hounded by the media, mainly by a BBC reporter. He is then embroiled in a triangle involving the head of an NGO called Water for Nigeria, A ruthless Chinese businessman and his own wife, who desperately wants to be a movie star and sees Baba’s quest as a chance to get into the limelight.
Looking for Bono may seem like a novel full of hijinks : there’s a scene involving a domestic helper which is straight out of a Carry On film, not to mention passages, involving breasts, bodily functions and odors. However it goes much deeper. Other than the theme of media manipulation, the book also focuses on abuse, corruption and social class. There are weighty topics.
I will not say that all the problems that are described in Looking for Bono are only about Nigeria. Media hype is worldwide be it Television, print or the World Wide Web. Governments will focus on other things in their campaigns and class preference will always exist as well. The plot may be about running water but if placed in other situations it could be over development, ignoring the weather – all which are important for our survivial. What I mean is that there are universal needs and some are not always a priority for a government.
Looking for Bono is a wake up call of sorts, like all good satires it makes the reader aware of the problems that occur in other countries but they can be relative.
If you’re curious about Baba meeting Bono, well that’s another reason why politics is the filthiest business ever.
The book begins with Baba who unemployed, illiterate, who lives in Palemo, Nigeria. One day, while hanging around the car repair shop he sees Bono on television. He then decides to ask Bono if he can persuade the Nigerian president to provide Palemo with running water. From there Abidemi Sanusi unleashes a horde of jabs that hit hard. This is no ordinary satire, which pokes fun at one aspect of Nigerian society. There’s a lot of targets and it’s bullseye everytime.
As Baba announces his quest, things spiral out of control: he is hounded by the media, mainly by a BBC reporter. He is then embroiled in a triangle involving the head of an NGO called Water for Nigeria, A ruthless Chinese businessman and his own wife, who desperately wants to be a movie star and sees Baba’s quest as a chance to get into the limelight.
Looking for Bono may seem like a novel full of hijinks : there’s a scene involving a domestic helper which is straight out of a Carry On film, not to mention passages, involving breasts, bodily functions and odors. However it goes much deeper. Other than the theme of media manipulation, the book also focuses on abuse, corruption and social class. There are weighty topics.
I will not say that all the problems that are described in Looking for Bono are only about Nigeria. Media hype is worldwide be it Television, print or the World Wide Web. Governments will focus on other things in their campaigns and class preference will always exist as well. The plot may be about running water but if placed in other situations it could be over development, ignoring the weather – all which are important for our survivial. What I mean is that there are universal needs and some are not always a priority for a government.
Looking for Bono is a wake up call of sorts, like all good satires it makes the reader aware of the problems that occur in other countries but they can be relative.
If you’re curious about Baba meeting Bono, well that’s another reason why politics is the filthiest business ever.
December 3, 2020
This is the first African Satire novel I have read and I absolutely loved it. Please take note that I am a friend of the author and I can honestly say that I am writing a review independent of my personal relations with Abidemi. This is one of the funniest books I have read.
One of the things I love most about the book is the way Abidemi deals serious and thought-provoking issues with such intelligent humour. I love the main protagonist Baba, he could be seen as a useless good for nothing and so, but as the story goes on he becomes in my opinion a most lovable character. His intention and mission to meet to get clean water for his neighborhood is totally selfless. Unfortunately, his lack of education and naivety means that on his quest to look for Bono, he meets people whose intentions are not so honorable. This results in all sorts of hilarity and comical events. Baba’s wife Munira is a force of nature, she is fierce and determined to get what the world owes to her and she will not stop until she gets it- throughout the whole book I was rooting for to achieve her dream of making it Nollywood. The challenges she has faced all her life would have broken anybody else but she does not let her dream die. Baba and Munira make an odd couple but for some reason they make it work.
Abidemi is a gifted and skilful writer, her style of writing enables the story to flow at ease and lets the reader become immersed in the lives of the characters. Abidemi’s description of Baba’s hygiene challenge is so vivid, I would find myself unconsciously wrinkling my nose anytime Baba’s hygiene was described. And Munira’s breast- oh my goodness...the interaction between these two are some of the funniest parts of the book.
Although Looking for Bono is satirical, it deals with serious issues, shown through the lives of various residents of Palemo. Water is Life and all Baba wants is water for his neighborhood but he does not bargain for the baggage that comes along with his search for the mosquito man.
One of the things I love most about the book is the way Abidemi deals serious and thought-provoking issues with such intelligent humour. I love the main protagonist Baba, he could be seen as a useless good for nothing and so, but as the story goes on he becomes in my opinion a most lovable character. His intention and mission to meet to get clean water for his neighborhood is totally selfless. Unfortunately, his lack of education and naivety means that on his quest to look for Bono, he meets people whose intentions are not so honorable. This results in all sorts of hilarity and comical events. Baba’s wife Munira is a force of nature, she is fierce and determined to get what the world owes to her and she will not stop until she gets it- throughout the whole book I was rooting for to achieve her dream of making it Nollywood. The challenges she has faced all her life would have broken anybody else but she does not let her dream die. Baba and Munira make an odd couple but for some reason they make it work.
Abidemi is a gifted and skilful writer, her style of writing enables the story to flow at ease and lets the reader become immersed in the lives of the characters. Abidemi’s description of Baba’s hygiene challenge is so vivid, I would find myself unconsciously wrinkling my nose anytime Baba’s hygiene was described. And Munira’s breast- oh my goodness...the interaction between these two are some of the funniest parts of the book.
Although Looking for Bono is satirical, it deals with serious issues, shown through the lives of various residents of Palemo. Water is Life and all Baba wants is water for his neighborhood but he does not bargain for the baggage that comes along with his search for the mosquito man.
April 19, 2022
Perfect satire in every respect, so funny yet so revealing of the dark side of Nigerian/African culture. This book does so well to explore the duality of good intentions vs selfishness that for a lot of the story you’re torn as to who to support and who to be frustrated by but in a entertaining and gripping way.
The characters are all quite simple, basically archetypes of brash Yoruba people however you learn enough about each of them to understand and appreciate their vulnerabilities and their wishes enough to be right there with them as things begin to spiral. The ends justifies the means, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, before helping others one should help oneself… really a multitude of lessons to be learned from this story- and ultimately taking a hard look at the performative nature of philanthropy with the entanglement of media and the commodification of attention.
4.5* however happy to round up to 5 as I’ve not read a book yet that transported me as vividly to an African town with sights and smells as this one, however it lost a few points just with the almost abrupt ending and several unanswered questions in my opinion.
The characters are all quite simple, basically archetypes of brash Yoruba people however you learn enough about each of them to understand and appreciate their vulnerabilities and their wishes enough to be right there with them as things begin to spiral. The ends justifies the means, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, before helping others one should help oneself… really a multitude of lessons to be learned from this story- and ultimately taking a hard look at the performative nature of philanthropy with the entanglement of media and the commodification of attention.
4.5* however happy to round up to 5 as I’ve not read a book yet that transported me as vividly to an African town with sights and smells as this one, however it lost a few points just with the almost abrupt ending and several unanswered questions in my opinion.
May 15, 2022
Superb and hilarious social commentary. Wonderful cast of characters and great narrative that held interest all the way to the end. The narrator did a good job evoking the different characters - my only gripe is that he mispronounced pretty much all the Yoruba words and names (e.g dun dun is NOT pronounced "done done", it should sound more like "dune dune"). The other point (this was probably something the publisher insisted on to pander to Western readers) was the translation or explanation for Yoruba words in the main text, ie the sentence would run like this "he wore an agbada (traditional outfit for men)". Why not just have a glossary of Yoruba words at the back of the book? Including it in the main text felt clunky and threw off the rhythm. Other than that, a thoroughly entertaining, yet thought provoking read. Can't wait to see what the author tackles next.
Read
March 12, 2021Dnf the book at over 50%. Absolutely was disgusted and horrified by Baba. All of the characters are infuriating and it give me a headache just a thought of getting back to the book. even after not reading it for over a month. I will say that it's well-written just not a great read for me.
February 1, 2023
(3.5/5 stars) A funny and heartwrenching exploration of how people use each other. The ways that someone trying to do something good tends to go off the rails in our contemporary world. I especially like the fast pace of the writing mirroring how fast things go wrong. Recommended.
May 1, 2022
Corruption and advantage of the innocent about raps up this story.
July 15, 2022
Amusing, filled with hugely flawed but incredibly likeable characters and a big dollop of irony.
March 26, 2022
The author succeeded in telling a story that is actually sad and disappointing, in a way that makes your heart smile. The character development was superb. I listened to this book on Audible. The narrator really brought the story to life.
October 3, 2022
Not one redeeming character in this book
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews