Caroline Mutoko is a famous Nigerian author; she is a prolific writer with more than twenty novels to her credit. She has written novels focusing on the lives of women from different ethnicity, tradition, religion, and nationalities; as well as fictional ones. The main characters in her novels are usually Nigerians who are working in Nigeria’s National Museum; they include Natalia Boateng, who is an African woman from Baule; Yaya Mustafe; another African woman from Lagos and a leading journalist; Achebe; a Sambazonian woman and a thief; and Nigerian-American Nataliashedu. They were partners in crime, or partners in love. The novel “National Secret” is written as a cautionary tale to those women who are still waiting for their National identity cards, and women who still hold on to their half-conscious womanhood, even though it is denied by every barrier.
After being scorned by the men in her life, she decided to pursue her dream of becoming a writer, traveling to Paris to get an education. She worked hard and studied, taking a number of creative writing classes along the way; however, it was while in Paris that she found the love of her life. While in Paris, she discovered an agency offering cheap international flights to her preferred destination, and the agency owner was a Nigerian. She decided to travel to Lagos to work with him, and to marry him. After doing so, she changed her name to Yaya Mustafe, changed her profession to ‘book publisher’ and devoted her life to work in Nigeria.
She became famous due to her many books, winning the best-selling Nelly’s Best Book awards and many other awards. She is still busy writing and traveling to different countries. She is known for her witty dialogue and her eye-catching plots. She has written over fifty books for adults and children alike, all of which were successful. Her last novel ‘Agua Bendita’ was released in Nigeria in 2021 and sold millions of copies within a very short time. In fact, this was her first novel to be turned into a movie.