Jaja Of Opobo

What if an old wooden canoe could carry you into the history of one of Africa's most remarkable kings?
Eleven-year-old Tamuno Jack thinks history belongs in old books-and that Grandpa Tam talks about it far too much.
Then he discovers a mysterious wooden canoe hidden among his late grandmother's belongings.
The moment he touches it, the canoe whispers one word:
"Mbanaso."
Before Tamuno can understand what is happening-
WHOOSH!
He is swept into the magical River of Memory, where the past is alive, mangroves whisper, forgotten stories fight to survive, and a very proud talking egret named Nwa-Ogiri insists that historical birds do not wobble.
There, Tamuno meets a boy called Mbanaso-the child who will one day become Jaja of Opobo.
Tamuno follows Jaja's extraordinary journey from a childhood marked by enslavement to the trading houses of Bonny, from his rise as a brilliant merchant and leader to the founding of Opobo, one of the Niger Delta's great nineteenth-century commercial centres.
But as Jaja's influence grows, so does a darker threat.
British merchants want greater access to the trade Jaja controls. European imperial competition is spreading across Africa. Treaties, flags and foreign officials begin changing the rules.
And lurking behind it all is the mysterious Grey Tide, a force that feeds on forgotten and distorted history.
To defeat it, Tamuno must discover seven magical cowries:
IDENTITY. RESILIENCE. KNOWLEDGE. LEADERSHIP. ENTERPRISE. JUSTICE. COURAGE.
But his hardest lesson comes when he discovers that protecting African history does not mean remembering only kings, victories and greatness.
It means remembering the painful parts too.
Because true heritage needs truth.
Filled with adventure, humour, mystery, family, African culture, history, time travel and magic, Jaja of Opobo: The Boy Who Would Not Bow introduces young readers to the fascinating world of nineteenth-century Niger Delta trade, the rise of Opobo, European imperial expansion, resistance, sovereignty and the enduring importance of knowing who tells our stories.