The Writer as a Public Intellectual: El Saadawi and Bulawayo's Caveats for Social Growth

Abstract

The critical nature of African writings has maintained a large part of its steam since the Pioneer works appeared. This is in part due to the plethora of social, political and economic problems besetting the continent and the fact that African literature maintains as its concern, the relevance of literature to society. This paper seeks to explore the various manifestations of commitment in Nawal El Saadawi's Woman at Point Zero and NoViolet Bulawayo's Need New Names. It dwells on the dual perspectives offemale subjugation and the present postcolonial migrant (emigration) crisis bedeviling the continent. The first explores the woman's lack of agency in Islamic and other societies. The second is critical of the continuous emigration of Africans to the West and other countries within the African continent and the attendant crises, which results from this in both the source community and the receiving one. These are interrogated within the framings of the Postcolonial Subaltern and Carl Jung's Individuality. Attempts to proffer solutions are also made by Saadawi and Bulawayo, like other African writers who have striven to not only reflect but also suggest ways of resolving the problems society faces. This paper, therefore, explores as part of the relevance of Saadawi and Bulawayo's works, their caveats for societal growth. For Bulawayo, these include new ways of thinking, leading, acting and being while Saadawi hesitates to portray growth outside of a certain measure of control wielded by patriarchy in society.