Abeeb Lekan Sodiq set to Launch Debut Novel ‘Like Butterflies’ in Lagos
The novel - Like
Butterflies will be officially launched on February 26
in Ikeja, Lagos, 1 Local Government Area of Lagos State. The launch is being organised
in partnership with the ICT CDS Executives of Ikeja 1 LGA (NYSC Lagos) under
the initiative titled “Project 1000: The Future is Here.”
The 217-page novel revisits the slave era through a
deeply human lens, portraying it as a system shaped by power, survival, and
moral tension. At the heart of the story is Sisi, an abducted princess reduced
to what the novel describes as a “parcel”, a term used to reflect how enslaved
individuals were treated as merchandise rather than human beings.
Sold to one of the wealthiest men in Oyo, Sisi is
stripped of her identity and status, forced into a system where endurance alone
offers no escape. Witnessing the harsh and inhumane treatment of fellow
“parcels,” her fate begins to shift when she discovers that her master’s son
has feelings for her. She strategically turns this into leverage, inspiring a
rebellion among the oppressed despite the looming threat of death for any sign
of resistance.
Unlike many slave narratives that conclude in the
diaspora, Like Butterflies
begins and ends within the Oyo Empire. By remaining within Africa, the novel
challenges readers to examine slavery not only as a transatlantic phenomenon
but also as an internal system that fractured local societies, empowered
certain financiers aligned with colonial interests, and demanded courageous
resistance.
The butterfly featured on the book’s cover serves as a
powerful symbol of freedom. Its vibrant design reflects beauty and
transformation — much like butterflies emerging into open air, the characters
long to reclaim their humanity and break free from confinement.
The novel has already gained international recognition.
Ambassador Pamela E. Bridgewater (retd), former United States Ambassador to
Benin, Ghana, and Jamaica, described the book as “a fast-paced journey through
the brutal realities of the 19th-century Oyo Empire slave era and the triumph
of the human spirit’s determination to be free,” calling it “a powerful
page-turner.”
The endorsement adds global weight to the novel’s
serious engagement with historical injustice and systems of power.
Support for the book has also come from TheAfricanDream
LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based communications and information research
organisation focused on African affairs.
Sodiq, who has written or edited more than 1,000
articles on African stories and contemporary issues as Managing Editor of the
pan-African news website TheAfricanDream.net, brings editorial precision and
clarity to his fiction debut.
For enquiries:
Email: abeeblekanbooks@gmail.com
Social Media: @abeeblekanbooks
Contact: +234 805 339 9468
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