Opuliche

Opuliche is a work of biographical fiction by Igbo proverbs author and poet Pauline Kanene Davids. Davids' first novel on the life of a unique female heroine called Opuliche (Special One) is in the tradition of many feminist writings that have challenged and upstaged myths and long held notions of female silencing or lack of relevance in a traditional African environment. Tagged 'a story of courage and triumph,' the novel is told in twenty two short chapters divided in two equal parts. They chronicle the birth, growth, training and education of the girl child who grew to be the first female Standard Six certificate holder, first "A" Level GCE certificate holder, and finally first undergraduate of her town - a feat of no mean proportion in the 1960s and 70s of Nigerian independent nationhood. By her struggles and achievements through college, Opuliche proves the popular maxim that one's fortune can be determined by oneself alone irrespective of benign or otherwise malevolent circumstances and environments.