TORONTO, Nov. 19, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- The post-colonial world of Africa is a chaotic whirlwind of fire, poverty and war. Author Ikechi P. Ihejirika uses the reality of Africa to weave a fictional novel based on the years of oppression, oil drilling and Western control. His new novel, Oily Waters (now available through 1stBooks), spans centuries to dissect the damage colonists and Western corporate imperials are inflicting in Africa.
Ihejirika takes readers back to the 15th century, when Portugal was leading the known world in exploration. Oily Waters begins with Rodrigo, leader of a Portuguese expedition in search of a sea route to India. Strong winds force them into Oke, an African coastal town, populated by the Ibos. A friendship develops between Rodrigo and an African boy named Ijendu. The friendship leads to the creation of the democratic nation of Biafra. A ruthless organization that dates back to the 13th century Crusades controls the slave trade operations in Africa. The Biafrans attempt to stop every ship carrying human cargo, but the organization sends an armada that crushes the young democracy and chases Rodrigo to the new world.
The novel then moves to modern times. By the 20th century, the ruthless organization, now known as the World Meet, manipulates the world's economic, social and political processes from behind the scenes. When the world's largest petroleum reserves are discovered off the coast of Africa, the race for control is on. The descendants of Rodrigo and Ijendu, John Murray and Gozie Iwu, must battle the World Meet to stop them at all costs.
"Interwoven in Oily Waters is the tantalizing tale of the Ibos, the Jews of Africa, their continuing search for identity, betrayals by their neighbors, genocide and the conspiracies hatched in foreign lands to prevent the emergence of their own nation state," Ihejirika says.
Oily Waters is an emotional thriller heavily tied to the current global political climate.
Ihejirika spent the first 24 years of his career in the international oil industry. He is currently an investment consultant, writer and public speaker. Oily Waters is his first novel.
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