Cliford Clayden

It exemplifies many of the characteristics of African diasporic literature. For example, the novel explores the experience of migration through its protagonist Ike, who leaves Nigeria for the United States in search of better opportunities. However, Ike's identity is complicated by his status as a Nigerian-American, and his experiences in both Nigeria and America The novel explores key issues of identity, cultural clash, and the commodification of African art culture and religion, Set in both Nigeria and the United States, the novel tells the story of Ike, a Nigerian-American cab driver who travels back to his home country to steal a sacred statue from his ancestral village and sell it to a New York art gallery, to get money for survival .. Ndibe has said that the inspiration for this book came from his own experiences working in a New York City art gallery, where he observed the sale of African art and the ways in which it was removed from its cultural context.