A Journey Through Memory and Resilience

Adéwálé Májà-Pearce’s new book, Shine Your Eye, offers a poignant exploration of West Africa’s past and present. The title itself—a pidgin phrase meaning “watch your step”—hints at the careful navigation required through this complex region.

Májà-Pearce traces his travels across 15 countries, from Nigeria to Senegal, along what was once known as the Slave Coast. His journey begins with a visit to the Seriki Faremi Williams Abass Slave Museum in Nigeria, where he confronts the stark reality of human trafficking—a practice that enriched some Africans while devastating others.

The book doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable truths about African complicity in the transatlantic slave trade, quoting historian Olabiyi Babalola Joseph Yai: “Benin is still a country divided between families of the enslaved and slave traders.” This acknowledgment forms a crucial foundation for understanding contemporary West Africa.

Border Realities

Májà-Pearce notes a distinct difference in how anglophone and francophone immigration officials treat travelers. While those in English-speaking countries often offer bribes with an almost apologetic demeanor, their counterparts in French-speaking nations can be “nakedly aggressive” and “insolent.” He recounts his own experience being detained overnight in Togo for questioning his passport photo—an encounter that underscored the informal economy of border crossings.

The Scars of Conflict

The narrative shifts to Liberia and Sierra Leone, where Májà-Pearce examines the brutal civil wars of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He highlights the recruitment of child soldiers as young as eight years old—a particularly harrowing aspect of these conflicts.

A lesser-known figure he profiles is Joshua Milton Blahyi, aka “General Butt Naked,” whose troops fought in minimal attire believing it would protect them from bullets. Májà-Pearce notes with dismay that none of the Liberian warlords were ever held accountable for their crimes—a stark contrast to Charles Taylor’s conviction for offenses committed in Sierra Leone.

The Legacy of Colonialism

The book’s second part examines France’s approach to decolonization, which Májà-Pearce characterizes as less about genuine independence and more about maintaining control through “cooperation agreements” that ensured continued access to resources. He highlights the story of Ruben Um Nyobè, a Cameroonian leader who argued that French-backed regimes would be “no better than colonialism itself.”

Shine Your Eye is not just a travelogue; it’s an incisive reflection on how historical trauma continues to shape West Africa today—a region grappling with its past while forging new paths forward.