Feminist Perspectives in Ama Ata Aidoo’s Changes and Ifeoma Okoye’s Behind the Clouds
Chapter One
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
This study intends to examine the feminist perspective in Ama Ata Aidoo’s changes and Ifeoma Okoye’s Behind the clouds. Using a womanist approach in the two texts. It also attempts to compare the authors perception on women issues. This will be done through a critical analysis of the female characters in the text.
CHAPTER TWO
INTRODUCTION
This chapter will review the works of literature by discussing the concepts of Feminism and why Africans, prefer the ideology of womanism rather than feminism.
FEMINISM AND WOMANISM
What is feminism? Feminism is the movement aimed at establishing and depending equal, political, economic, social and equal opportunities for women.
Barrow and Mulbum (1990) define Feminism as “a label for a commitment to achieve equality for women”. Feminism is the political theory and practice of free all women of color, working- class women, poor women, physically challenge women etc. Cuddon (1991) also defines feminism as “an attempt to describe and interpret women’s experience as depicted in various kinds of literature”. Feminism is a revolution that included women and men who wish the world to be without boundaries, these boundaries or blockades are better known as discrimination and basis against gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status and economic status. Feminism aims at bringing women as a movement fighting for equal right and freedom in the society.
Dongles (1994) states thus: Feminism is an ongoing project, a process undertaken on a daily basis by millions of women of all ages, classes, ethnic and racial background and sexual preferences.
Feminism is constantly being reviewed daily by various scholars. Feminism is being re-invented, re-created through determination and compromise, so that women try as they can to have love, support as well as power. According to the Longman Dictionary of contemporary English, Feminism is the belief that woman should have the same equal rights as opportunities as men”. Feminists target freedom and equality between the male and female folks as well as a whole.
Hooks (2000) opines that: Feminism is a commitment to eradicating the ideology of domination that permeates western culture on various levels, sex, race, class to name a fair and a commitment to recognizing the society so that self-development of people can take precedence over imperialism, economic expansion and material desires.
Feminist are against the domineering attitude of the society, the feminist ask the women be free to define themselves, instead of having their identity defined for them by their culture and their men. Feminists voice their feelings about the treatment of the society to them, through movements, articles and literary works etc
FEMINIST MOVEMENT IN AFRICA
After would war ii, the world was no longer the same, it was the dawn of many newly emerging states and new economic principles started playing the world fire field. This climate of change gave an impulse to women’ activities all over the globe. Capitalism and the emergence of a global economy also caused a change in women’s rights.
According to the Oxford Advanced learner’s Dictionary, the African women’s movement has been strongly influenced and shaped by activities against the colonial rule and racist ideologies. African women’s activism cannot be seen separately from the lager context of repression and exploitation of both men and women. This has given a rise to feminism and activism primarily aimed at changing social and humanitarian conditions.
CHAPTER THREE
DATA ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
This chapter will critically assess Aidoo’s Changes by exploring Aidoo’s portrayal of her characters.
CHANGES: A SURVEY
The novel present a tale of three women living in Accra Ghana, who feel the challenges of being ambitious in a patriarchal society. Aidoo creates believable female characters who reflect the current gender issues faced by African women. The three women have their diverse visions about Life. Esi the first female character introduced by Aidoo attain fulfillment beyond her domestic role as a mother and wife with a college degree her domestic role as a mother and wife with a college degree and a prominent career in the department of urban stylistics. Esi divorce her husband after Oko; her husband assaults her with what she termed as “marital rape” and that she was forced into the marriage due to gratitude she felt towards him. After Esi’s divorce, she meets a Muslim business man, Ali Kondey and begins an affair with him which lead to Esi’s second marriage thereby becoming Ali’s second wife. Unlike Esi’s first marriage when Oko showered her his time, Ali demand little of her time which leads to the down fall of Esi’s second marriage, “ they soon separate and becomes just good friends who find it convenient once in a while to fall into bed and make love”. (Aidoo: 1991, P.164)
Opokuya on the other hand, balances both professional life and domestic duties quite well. Nevertheless, she is unable to convince her husband on the importance and comfort of her having a car or using her husband’s car since she is a professional nurse and needs the car for her daily activities. Opokuya tries in different ways in explaining how self-reliant she would be, but her husband disagrees with her which speaks volume on his perspectives on female independence.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
This chapter will analyse Okoye’s Behind the clouds using the womanist concern and exploring the characteristics of African women.
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION
This chapter would introduce the summary and conclusion of the research work.
The study will focus mainly on the style and position of the two writers. Ama Ata Aidoo and Ifeoma Okoye are both womanist writers that project the freedom of women from the perception of the male-dominated society. The two writers project a social and economic development of women in a society where women are regarded as unequal to the men folk. Aidoo and Okoye drum the course of feminine freedom which was impactful in their society.
Ama Ata Aidoo and Ifeoma Okoye establish the concept of womanism through their female characters; they explored the prominent themes of marriage, divorce, love, betrayal, academic ambition, and self–definer, family-centered in their text. The literary aesthetics of the novels is that both authors present their female characters as strong, independent and ambitious women. The female characters live above their community’s patriarchal traditions and social milieu an excel despite such stigmas as divorce, psychological deformity as bareness, polygamous marriage. The two authors portray through their female characters that African woman can excel to the highest position in the society when she decides to be herself, inspite of patriarchy. Aidoo and Okoye chooses female characters who are pre-occupied with the strive for survival and economic restoration, the characters mark for self identification and self assertion in the society that is accustomed to believing in the emptiness of woman-hood. Aidoo and Okoye use literary tools to fictionalize the novel which is done to convey the link between the functional mode and the African woman experience.
Ama Ata Aidoo and Ifeome Okoye, through their similar style and narration of their novel discuss the plight of African women and also reveal ways by which women are vending for an un-marginalized space which is also free from societal subjugation
There is no denying the fact that feminism deals with gender issues. Through the comparative study, we considered Ama Ata Aidoo and Ifeoma Okoye’s portrayal of woman facing societal issues through her female characters, through characterization and language, both writers demonstrates the womanist stand point on women experiences.
Finally the encouragement of further comparative studies is made in order to bring to the lime light the state of women in diverse quarters. This will be a way out of the stagnant situation women have been structured by the society. Also the consideration of the in-humanity of women to women be discouraged in order to curtail the ill-attitude of women towards each other which is caused by the society is portrayed through Okoye’s female characters. Women generally seek to advocate for equal rights.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Sources
- Aidoo, Ata. Changes: A love Story. New York: the feminist press,1991
- Okoye, Ifeoma. Behind the Clouds. United Kingdom: Longman group Limited, 1982
Secondary Sources
- Allan, Tuzyline. “Afterword” changes: Ama Ata Aidoo. Ghana: Subsaharan Publishers, 1994
- Anderson, Molara. Thinking about women, sociological and feminist perspectives New York: Macmillian Press,1983.
- Barrow, R. and Milburn, G. A Critical Dictionary of Education Concepts (Eds). New York: Harvester wheat sheaf, 1990
- Bryson,Vincent. Feminist Debates: Issues Of Theory and Political Practice. Basing stoke: Macmillian, 1999.
