Toyosi Fashola, a writer and content creator, has launched her e-book ‘Àbẹ̀ní’.
Àbẹ̀ní, a science fiction about a young Yoruba female warrior, was launched on March 8, in commemoration of International Women’s Day.
The play was initially written in 2022 for the Atẹ́lẹwọ́ Yorùbá Prize for Literature. It won the drama category.
Fashola, who has always had a special interest in Yoruba language and history, said she wrote the story to put more light on female characters in Yoruba literature.
“Basically, there has been a decline in Yorùbá Literature with our generation, so we are trying to revive the reading culture of Yorùbá texts among young people by giving them new texts that they can relate to,” Fashola said.
“There has always been a dearth of popular female Yorùbá authors with popular female characters in their literature. Àbẹ̀ní was written as an attempt to do my little to bridge that gap and that’s why it was dedicated to all women and launched on International Women’s Day.”
Fashola has written many articles, poems, posts, and short stories in Yoruba. Àbẹ̀ní is her first book fully written in the language.
She was previously the content creator for Atẹ́lẹwọ́, an organisation that promotes the Yoruba language and culture.
Fashola also does Yoruba street vox pop for Akọ́mọlédè, a platform that takes Yoruba knowledge, culture and tradition to the street.
Her TikTok channel Gbàgede Èdè is designed to increase awareness about the beauty of the Yoruba language and encourage the reading of books in the language.
SYNOPSIS OF ÀBẸ̀NÍ
In a land on the brink of war, Àbẹ̀ní, a young female warrior with a terminal illness, makes a daring choice — she surrenders herself to the enemy, determined to uncover their darkest secrets before her time runs out. Behind enemy lines, she plays a dangerous game of deception, gaining their trust while unraveling the hidden rot within. But the true threat isn’t just outside — it lurks among her own people. As her body weakens, her mind sharpens, piecing together a betrayal far worse than she imagined. With time slipping away, Àbẹ̀ní must act swiftly, turning the enemy’s own weapons against them. Will she triumph before death claims her, or is she merely a pawn in a game bigger than she ever knew?
Fashola also disclosed that hard copies of the book would be available soon.
You can get a copy of Àbẹ̀ní here.
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