The African woman: from traditionalism to modernity

Abstract

Existence for an African woman is shrouded in layers of assumptions. In the traditional African context, life to a woman is problematic and controversial. But in a modern society, it is a billowing soft, profound and exciting experience. The debates between these two worlds of the African woman offer a dynamic field for a comparative reflection on these worlds. Several other researchers have argued the plight of the African woman but their arguments seem to be one sided. However, the status of the African woman has not remained static. Modern literary works have depicted some kind of dynamisms in her status. It is on this premise that this study seeks to explore the contrasting images of the African woman captured in African fiction and also to clarify their relationships. This work hopes to achieve this using Buchi Emecheta's Joys of Motherhood and Sembene Ousmane's God's Bits of Wood.