Uche Onyebadi’s Fada’s Pikin reads like a familiar story to anyone who grew up in Eastern Nigeria and parts of the old Mid-West Region during the pre- and post-colonial eras, up to the late 1970s, particularly in predominantly Catholic communities. The title itself evokes a social reality that was commonplace in those years, and even beyond. “Fada” was the indigenised pronunciation of “Father,” the term by which Roman Catholic priests were commonly addressed. In many communities, the word became so culturally embedded that it effectively replaced the formal title “Reverend Father.”
The Catholic Church occupied a prominent place in the social and cultural life of the Igbo, Annang, Atam and Anioma areas in those days, sharing religious space with the Anglican, Presbyterian and Qua Iboe Churches, which also maintained strong footholds in various parts of the former Eastern Region. Yet, the Catholic Church was especially visible in many hinterland communities
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