King and the Maiden

The King and the Maiden is an intriguing story of the Ibibio culture and traditions. Ekaette, the central character in the book, grew up in the village but later spent a greater part of her years outside her place of birth. Despite leaving the village for so many years to study abroad, she was disturbed by her childhood desire. On her return, she becomes a heroine to the people and a nightmare to some group of men as she inspired the young and elderly people in the village. For her fame, she was hunted by a council of elders who saw her closeness to the people as a threat to their influence on the people and the king. At one point, she became helpless when intimidation started coming from the dreaded masquerade with the backing of the council of chiefs as the highest governing council in the village. They are feared by everybody in the village. As nobody could intervene on her behalf, she went into hiding when she discovered her life was in danger. But when a group of people took to the street, this set the stage for the resilient women union and the dreaded council of elders.