The Famished Road

Mum and Dad continue to be “harassed” (187) for their political views. The Photographer returns in the middle of the night, promising to “fight for truth. And justice” (189). Everyone can hear the rats gnawing away at something as they talk. The next morning, the Photographer is gone, leaving “the pictures of the celebration of [Azaro’s] homecoming” (191).

There is a fight near the burned van between “six illegitimate sons of minor warlords” (192). Nobody understands why or for what they are fighting. One group defeats another, though nobody can say for certain whether they represent the Party of the Rich or the Party of the Poor. The fighters take their leave of the streets, leaving everyone in shock and fear.

Azaro is worried because his Mum is not home; the landlord accosts him about the rent. When she finally returns, telling Azaro that Madame Koto has been asking about him, the landlord bursts into the house, demanding rent. He also demands that all of his tenants vote for the same party he votes for if they want to continue living in his properties. Dad interrupts this scene, causing the landlord to “slowly shut his mouth” (199) as he “sensed a new kind of menace in Dad” (200).