A True Story of Marriage Fraud and Justice Found

Lainie Towell’s new book How to Catch an African Chicken – A Canadian Woman’s Outrageous but True Story of Marriage Fraud could be making history. Towell’s ordeal prompted Immigration Minister Jason Kenney to get cracking with new marriage fraud laws.

The story begins in 2004, when Ottawa dance artist Lainie Towell traveled to Guinea West Africa and fell in love twice. First with the country’s dance, and then with a Guinean drummer named Fodé Mohamed “Akra” Soumah. After several trips to Conakry, a few bouts of malaria, countless hours apprenticing in an African ballet, and some visits to a witch doctor, Towell and Akra got married. She then sponsored him to come to Canada. Twenty-nine days after he arrived in Canada, Akra disappeared. It seemed he had gotten what he wanted from the marriage – his Canadian permanent residency status.

Refusing to remain a victim, Towell took matters into her own hands. She launched what would become an international media campaign and exposed her broken heart – along with Canada’s lax immigration laws – to the public. When a Canadian Border Services Agency enforcement officer saw her story in the news and launched an investigation, Towell discovered first-hand that one woman’s courage and tenacity can help change the system.

Towell’s book reveals the painful human story behind immigration marriage fraud. It has been suggested that Towell’s efforts to bring attention to the issue may have contributed to tighter laws currently being introduced in Parliament by Minister Kenney. The proposed changes would require spouses to live with their sponsor for two years after receipt of their permanent residence status. Failure to do so could result in losing that status, and possible removal from Canada.

How to Catch an African Chicken is now available electronically on Amazon for Kindle, and at Smashwords in several popular e-book reading formats including for IPad, Kobo, Sony, Nook, PC’s and most e-reading apps.

Visit www.howtocatchanafricanchicken.com for links to where you can buy the book.