Aleksi’s childhood dream of travellling to a third world country where he often imagines and wonders about the profundity of hardship and indigence turns into reality after his daring triumph over the long lasted feud between him and his parents on account of his vehement decision to move to Africa. His burning zeal of rendering medical aid and philanthropical services to the sick and less advantaged children in the mother continent was bluntly kicked against by his parents who possess a grotesque image about Africa and whose fear of having their only son exposed to the dangers of racism, indiscrimate killings, war and violence, outbreak of diseases and the invasion of dangerious reptiles try to protect him. But Aleksi’s unsurmountable passion for the needy and tangible reasons disallowed the will of his parents to be done, especially his mother who thought his imponderable love for her would lure him into obeying her desire. Left with Hobson’s choice, they for once let him have his way.
Getting to Nigeria, his target country, he becomes flabbergasted by the tremendous natural endowment of the amazingly wealthy, yet one of the very poor countries of the world. His quest for answers as to why there are numerious homeless, unhealthy and poor people in this rich multicultural society widens his horizon with a knowledge that corruption, self-centredness and mal-administration are the fundamental reasons.
Aleksi streamlines his purpose of migrating to Africa towards improving the health of the people. He is a medical doctor/surgeon, an expert specialised in carrying out delicate surgeries and treating chronic illnesses. His aim is to establish a clinic in a town or community where people live below one dollar per day, but his proposal and appeal for a piece of land is turned down by the council. Discouraged by several rejections he decides to move to Burkinafasso where he presumes his humanitarian gesture may be accepted. But then he runs into Chinelo in a market square. Chinelo is a laboratory technician and a part time petty trader. She works in a sub-standard hospital in the district. She finds it uneasy to interact with Aleksi due to the fear of being chestised by the members of the community as they from all indications appear to be racists. But having sensed how frustrated, tensed and devastated Aleksi is, she decides to get acquainted with him with the sole aim of helping him realise his virtuous intention. In order to oblige to Aleksi’s desperate appeal to have her work with him as a personal assistant, Chinelo quits her job.
Two years later their working relationship deviates to a sensual one, as both persons find themselves profoundly and passionately attracted to each other. Chinelo’s effort to prevent such intimacy due to fear and societal criticism is suppressed by her true, augmenting and unquenchable love for him.
In the heat of their sizzling romance, Aleksi recieves a rueful news about his father’s lethal accident that had confined him to the hospital bed for months. He is beckoned to return home to take over the family’s business. Aleksi is in the crossroad; the need to go back to Finland to see his severely ill father and the desire to stay with his hearthrob. In this obfuscating situation, he thinks of the possiblity of killing two birds with one stone. Urging Chinelo to go to Finland with him is an impossible request, as the naive girl is timorous of her family who she is most certain would disallow her.For this reason, Aleksi decides to shorten the length of his trip so that he could come back soon. He had a lot more to do in his clinic and ofcourse he cannot afford to be too long from Chinelo.
One of Aleksi’s luggage in which he has Chinelo’s contact address and number is lost in transit at Heathrow Airtport, London.
Situation changes when Aleksi gets back to Finland. His father dies two days after his arrival. The family’s business is at stake. He is the only capable hand in the family who knows the robes and one has to keep the flag flying. Aleksi would not have cared about the family’s business if his mother’s persistant persuassion for him to stay back was not firm enough to alter his mind. But then his love life is in jeopardy. Frustration and misery becomes his company as his immeasurable love for Chinelo consumes the better part of him. The unwillingness of not wanting to unveil his relationship and love life to the family is defeated when his emaciation, lack of focus and incongrous attitude becomes an open book.
His mother kicks against the relationship; not merely because it was affecting his life and distracting his attention from the family’s business, but because he was in love with a black girl. Anything short of white with blonde hair was totally out of the question.
A year later, Aleksi meets and falls in love with Aniina, an old college friend. Though they are married, but Chinelo is not a closed chapter in his life. His love for her remains stable. However, his marriage with Aniina is dissolved two years after, when they realise that they are incompactible.
Chinelo surjourns to Finland to look for the father of her child with the help of a Finnish tourist who she met in Nigeria, having terribly suffered for three years as a single parent. Carrying Aleksi’s child for nine months and raising him in a society he is unaccepted and discriminated against due to his mixed race was a gruesome experience.
The battle of accepting Chinelo and Antti, her son into the family is on. The family is torn apart. Aleksi’s mother and other memembers of the family are against the relationship. Chinelo and Antti move to a different appartment. Fortunately, Chinelo secures admission into the polytechnic, coupled with a part time job.
Aleksi’s mother is at the point of death as result of kidney failure, but Chinelo saves her life by donating one of her kidneys to her.This apparently brings a remarkable change to Petra’s demeanour towards Chinelo and her son.
Oasis Of Love is a thrilling and thought provoking fiction. It is a tragi-comedy which deals with the struggle between love and racial prejudice.