Jaguar: A Story of Africans in America
July 2, 2009 at 12:10 p.m.
Jaguar: A Story of Africans in America
By Jill Williams
Issa and Khadija were young people in love. They marry and on their wedding night vow to forgo the typical custom, and have a monogamous or "modern" marriage. Khadija's family members were traders, and Khadija had goals of owning her own shop. Issa's family was formerly royalty in Nigeria, and they still expected to be waited on. Issa carried the burden of providing the financial support for his extended family, which all lived together in a family compound in Nigeria. Being stuck in their prominent past, Issa's family never accepted Khadija, and accused her of stealing the money Issa sent home for their care. Traders were beneath them, they thought, and they drove Khadija away, much to her benefit.
Separated for years, Issa found partners wherever he traveled, though it took him some time to succumb to his lust. Khadija remained faithful to her absent husband for many years before taking another man. In the meantime, each grew in their own way, each seeking fortune and respect. Issa felt he could not return to Africa unless he was very successful: a Jaguar. Khadija did open her own shop and was a very successful storekeeper. Though their marriage could not be deemed fulfilling, they found their work enjoyable and sought new experiences separately.
Even though Issa was in the "land of opportunity" he experienced a lot of discrimination. Whites thought his body odor was offensive, Koreans thought him lazy, African Americans (as opposed to other Africans) didn't understand him even though they embraced him as "brother." No, Issa was only able to find comfort in the camaraderie of his fellow Nigerian Jaguars, seeking to share familiar customs, foods, and native language with them.
This book is about Issa and Khadija's struggles and triumphs but isn't really a story with an ending. Instead, it is a glimpse of their lives through their eyes, and their experiences trying to find happiness and fulfillment half a world apart. It is an interesting read, and I recommend it for anyone who would be interested in seeing Nigeria or America from their point of view.