This book charts the careers of three significant figures in the history of the Ebira (a small ethnic group in Nigerias Middle belt): an Italian Missionary, a British Administrator, and the groups young Ruler. The events described occurred in the early decades of the 20th century, at a time when Islam, Christianity and Traditional Religion were locked in deadly combat for the soul of the Ebira. The central characters are joined by an extraordinary cast of Africans and Europeans, driven by the possibilities afforded to them in the melting-pot which was Nigeria at that epoch. The denouement...

This is the story of Jean-Marie Coquard from Mesquier, Brittany, a sailor in the merchant navy who became a missionary in Abeokuta, capital of the Egba people of Nigeria. Without formal training he exhibited an extraordinary aptitude for medical work and established one of Nigeria's premier hospitals in 1894, acting as its surgeon. His reputation spread widely throughout Abeokuta and its hinterland. He obtained his medical supplies, surgery manuals, and surgical instruments from supporters Brittany. During a visit to Europe in 1907 he walked the wards of the celebrated Hotel Dieu hospital in...