Woman Of The Aeroplanes

The immortal inhabitants of Tukwan in the Asante region of Ghana - 'a town of goats, elephants, ducks, lakes and lawyers' - must invent in order to survive. Pokuaa, their leader, procures two aeroplanes from Levensvale, Scotland, Tukwan's sister town(whose inhabitants are likewise immortal), in exchange for palm nuts and cassava. In the midst of magic and eternity, the people of Tukwan and Levensvale meet. But it is the ultimate invention, a 'stupidity machine', which heralds a deeper union. As both towns are thrown into cycles of mortality, their corresponding humanity is laid bare for all to see.Kojo Laing's first novel, Search Sweet Country, first published in 1986, established him as one of Africa's most important writers. Now, with Woman of the Aeroplanes, Laing has once more drawn on the inspiration and fecundity of Ghanaian life and language to produce a novel which confirms his prodigious talent.