Ukemby 1978-2003

This is the imaginary West Africa country in which the bulk of Praise for the Butterflies takes place and where Abeo is enslaved at a shrine. McFadden writes that not much is known about pre-colonial Ukemby before the Portuguese arrived in the 17th century. The Portuguese used the country as a slave-trading post, but abandoned the country in 1807 after the Slave Trade Act. The German Empire invaded Ukemby in 1875. After WWI, the United States took control of the country. Christianity was deemed the territory's official religion and the native language, Wele, was outlawed. Ukemby became independent after WWII and the assimilation laws making it illegal to practice traditional beliefs were abolished.

It's clear in the novel that great disparity between rich and poor and rural life vs. city life exists in Ukemby. While many in the country have adopted Western values and commodities, others live in more...