Iyatunde is Bummi’s mother and Moses’s wife. When Moses dies, Iyatunde and Bummi are forced to live with Iyatunde’s parents. When her father intends to marry Bummi off as soon as possible, Iyatunde escapes with Bummi to Lagos. In Lagos, Iyatunde begs for work. A sawmill eventually hires her, but she works long and backbreaking days. When Bummi is 15, Iyatunde is killed in a horrific saw accident, leaving her daughter orphaned. Iyatunde’s story reveals both the cultural and physical sacrifices that parents make for their children.
Get the entire Girl, Woman, Other LitChart as a printable PDF.
Iyatunde Character Timeline in Girl, Woman, Other
The timeline below shows where the character Iyatunde appears in Girl, Woman, Other. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2: Bummi
Bummi thinks back on her own childhood. She and her mother, Iyatunde, ran from their home in the Niger Delta after her father, Moses, was killed while...
(full context)
...floating slum. They share a bamboo hut on stilts and a canoe with another family. Iyatunde begs for work around Lagos, and Bummi follows, embarrassed. Finally, she finds work at a...
(full context)
