Behind the Mask and cloak of deceit, by Michael Olatunbosun

Behind the Mask (2018, Wordlines Extentions, Ibadan) is a prose fiction written by Architect Iyabo Oyewole, a chartered architect.

In this work, we are introduced to Kolade, the central character. Brother Kolade Olawepo is the Choir Director of Perfect Assembly International. 

He is also an Assistant Sunday School teacher and multi-instrumentalist whose performance is commended by all in the church and especially loved by his pastor.

In the novel, we also meet Toyin Williams, a lady waiting for university admission. Toyin is admired by all for her devotion to church cleaning and other young girls in the church are even scolded by their parents for not being dedicated to the work of God like Toyin. Our first encounter with Toyin starts with a headache and fever that have refused to go away. She instead attributes this to the pervasiveness of fake drugs.

In the work, our attention shifts to the Williams family where Toyin is taken to the hospital where Toyin lies to Dr Collins that she has recently seen her menstrual period. However, after leaving the hospital Toyin begins to ask whether it is possible to be pregnant without penetration. This question jolts Nike who tells her that it is not possible. Toyin dismisses the matter and states that she is only wondering if what happened to Holy Mary can still happen today.

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In this work, Mrs Williams takes her daughter, Toyin, to a laboratory for tests. She returns the following day to receive the result on behalf of Toyin to discover that Toyin is pregnant. The bad news is even made worse by Toyin’s insistence that she does not have any boyfriend. And her mother’s head is shattered by Toyin’s confession that it is Mr Kolade the church music director. But Kolade is married with children.

She eventually breaks the news to Kolade who castigates her for being stupid and naïve to have allowed their secret fling to lead to pregnancy. He then suggests that they evacuate the pregnancy. However, Mrs Williams would have none of that. But Kolade and Toyin secretly go for an abortion at a clinic out of town. But Kolade’s wife gets to know about this as one of the nurses at the clinic is her friend.

From this moment onwards, Kolade becomes a serial liar, as he keeps piling up more lies to cover lies. He has now acquired a daring dexterity for lies, and keeps up the momentum of lies to his wife and even continues this in the church. But in the middle of this all, he is ordained at the church, and he produces an album and then continues his slippery spiritual journey down the slope, until his life crashes to the ground. He is sacked in his place of work for fraud. His album performs woefully in the market. His creditors besiege his house, and he sells his landed property to pay debts that keep piling up, and ultimately, he keeps all these from his wife and his pastor. 

In the work, Toyin’s decline is heightened by her failure to secure a university admission. Her involvement with Maxwell, a bad boy whom she meets at the A’ level centre, worsens her fate. Maxwell lures Toyin to his house where he secretly records their sexual escapade. Maxwell puts the video on the internet as a fulfilment of his bet with his classmates.

Ultimately, it is discovered that Kolade has been taking advantage of a mentally retarded widow in the church, apart from Toyin. Finally, he is repentant and remorseful for his evil deeds. Eventually, Toyin cannot stand the shame of her involvement with Maxwell and the viral video of her sexual encounter with him. She therefore commits suicide.

The novel discusses some themes and motifs. It discusses society’s misapplication of prayers in treating issues and problems which should instead be approached medically. This is seen in the events in the Williams’ family where Toyin’s father thinks that rather than deliverance, malaria should be treated with medicine.

The novel, Behind the Mask discourages self-diagnosis. When Mrs Williams gleefully informs the doctor that Toyin has malaria, Doctor Collins says that “it is always better to come to the hospital first before taking any medicine. Life is too precious to be handled by guess work”.

One other important theme in the novel to which it gives sufficient space is the preponderance of rape and sexual assault in the church and other religious centres. The work really frowns at this.

In the final analysis, the novel, Behind the Mask is written in lucid prose and beautifully narrated in simple, everyday language to both entertain and educate the reader. The author indeed wrote this work to teach families some lessons on how to train their children.

. Olatunbosun is a broadcast journalist, fact checker and book reviewer at Splash FM 105.5, Ibadan. He can be reached by 08023517565 (SMS only) and molatunbosun@splashfm1055.com.