New Directions

Volume 3 | Issue 1 Article 7

1-1-1976

The Role of Woman in African LiteratureGrace Akinyi Ogot

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Recommended CitationOgot, Grace Akinyi (1976) "The Role of Woman in African Literature," New Directions: Vol. 3: Iss. 1, Article 7.Available at: http://dh.howard.edu/newdirections/vol3/iss1/7

COMMfNTARY

22 The Role of WomanIn African LiteratureBy Grace Akinyi Ogol

In view of the world-wide women'sliberation movement, it was inevitable.The role of the woman as is portrayed inAfrican literature is now being assessedand reassessed.

The evaluation of her involvement in thesociety before and after independence,the impact of alien cultures on herindigenous ways of life, the clashbetween Christian and non-Christianvalues, and of modern and traditionalcures, will shed much light as to whatpart she is likely to play in the Westernwomen's liberation movement which issweeping some parts of the world. Onlyby analysing these factors can sheanswer with competence the questionwhich has been asked again and again:What is the position of the women'sliberation movement in the Africancontext where governments still lay alot of weight on the people's culturalheritage?

Although communication has improvedtremendously, it is getting increasinglydifficult to discuss African literature forthe whole continent. The time when thatcould be done-when there were oniya few works of literature in English andFrench or Arabic-is long past.

Most critics now prefer the regionalapproach, with Iiterary works by Africansexamined in the context of their regionalorigin: West Africa, North Africa, EastAfrica, Central Africa and SouthernAfrica. Likewise, this commentary appliesto East Africa, where during the past 10years, a sizeable number of imaginativeliterature has bee 11 produced.

Although there had been some literaturein Swahili and other African languages,East African literature in English wasborn in 1964 with the publication ofJames Ngugi's novel, Weep Not Child.

This was a historical landmark in thesense that it was the first novel written inEnglish by an East African. Of course, afew East Africans had written stories inEnglish, for example, Mzee JomoKenyatta's story, "The Gentleman of theJungle," which was published in the1930s. But these are exceptions whichprove that serious writing in English inEast Africa started in 1964. Late in 1965,Ngugi published a second book, TheRiver Between. These novels coveredthe state of emergency period in Kenya.

In the March 1966 issue of the EastAfrican Journal, a major debate wasstaged on the question of whether EastAfrica was suffering from a literarydrought. The conclusion was that it wasstrange to be speaking of drought in anarea which was busy ploughing its firstcrops. This debate was not withoutfoundation. That year, my novel, ThePromised Land, was published. In thisnovel, Nyapol, a young bride whosebreasts had not suckled the first baby,is torn away from the warmth and thesecurity of her home to migrate with herambitious husband, Ochola, in search ofbetter pastures in the rich and virgin soilof Tanganyika (Tanzania). To Ochola, itis bad luck that forced them to turntheir backs on the wealth they hadlabored so much to accumulate. Yet,Nyapol-now mother of three childrenwhose life is so tied up with her mother-land-takes it as a matter of fact that thespirit of her husband's deceased motherwas not happy with them when theyturned their back on her grave. Nyapolwould return home to appease the spiritof the dead mother-in-law.

The same year also saw the publicationof Song of Lawino by Okot P. Bitek, whohad produced a new form of poetrygreatly influenced by the oral literature ofthe Acholi-a form which other lessgifted authors have not found easy toimitate. The impact of alien culturedestroys everything that Lawino lovesand lives for, and she was not to recover;

there followed a feverish outburst ofliterary activity, both in Kenya and inneighboring Uganda, which deepenedher sorrow and made her voice ring loudout to the mountains and down inthe valleys.

Okelo Oculi, another Ugandan,published the Orphan and the Prostitute.David Rubadiri published No Bride Price,which like Davis Sebukima's HalfBrothers teams with political maneuversand sex. Ngugi adds to his list, The Grainof Wheat, and I, Land Without Thunder.

The literary drought is now over. Novels,short stories and poems pour into themarket. As if the African woman has notbeen scathed enough, urbanization andnew class distinction poses a majordisruption in her life. Her man is takenaway by the white-collar jobs in the bigtowns and cities, or to labor in thewhite man's farms. She must remainwidowed by the white man's culture tocarry the chores of her rural home. Likeher man, her sisters with whom sheshared the childhood rites are alsochanged by the city life. Charles Manguaechoes her fears in Son of Woman. Herbrothers are gone too, as in Henry OleKulet's novel, To Become a Man, JosephBaruga's The Abandoned Hut, andLeonard Kibera's Voice in the Oark.

Studying these works of African literaturein English, one is acutely aware of thedisruptive elements which the womanhad to cope with. Never in the history ofour people had the woman found herselfin a position of great tribal and emotionalstrain as she did with the onsetof colonialism.

In the traditional African society, thewoman knew her role and rights, and wasconversant with society's basic rightsand division of labor between men andwomen as well as children. In principle,the woman's authority was asserted inthe home where it was felt her wisdom,deligence and reconciliatory attitudewould go a long way in keeping the

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family together. Thus, a woman wasconsulted on many things and hercontributions were not minimal. Theseconsultations ranged in the areas ofwar, medicine, marriage, namingchildren and land matters. But there is apoint to be noted here: through tact-not a weakness-the traditional womanleft public pronouncements to the man,once a decision was reached throughfamily discussions.

On the other hand, a man's authoritywas asserted on the protection of theclan, and adventures to explore thepossibility of widening the society'sboundaries whenever the need arose.This often resulted in interclan wars.That was the position at the time ofintroduction of alien culture andcolonialism in Africa. The woman wasthen caught with her hands full ofimmovable assets to care for: land,home, children and old parents. It wasthe man who could move away easily.The men were recruited into thewhite man's labor force, sometimespeacefully, sometimes forcefully; manywho fought in the white man's war nevercame back to their families-only theidentity card returned to the expectantwife.

The pattern was the same with theintroduction of education by themissionaries. It was adventure whichwould entail unknown dangers. Thefamilies agreed, not willingly, that theboys were to start the experiment.Gradually, the gap between men andwomen, boys and girls became markedand grew wider. There was a clashbetween converts and non-Christians,between modern medicine andtraditional cures, between urban andrural values. The woman found herselfin an awkward position, with one weakfoot trying a new world which hadattracted many men. Some of the daringwomen joined the new world but manyremained at home with the culturalheritage they knew and the warmth ofthe extended family and their age-mates.

In Song of Lawino, when Lawino's worldcrumbles under her feet, she feels Acol,a man who had taken her girlhood awayand turned her into a woman, hadchanged. Her husband has lost his headin the forest of books. He is no longera Black man. She laments:

Husband, now you despise meNow you treat me with spiteAnd say I have inherited the stupidity

of my auntNow you compare me with the

rubbish pileYou say you no longer want meBecause I am like the thing left behindIn the deserted homesteadYou insult me

But Acol is gone. His wife, his clan, andhis village which once meant so muchto him are things of the past that couldonly block his progress. Helplessly,Lawino appeals to her brethren:

Acol is no longer in love with meHe is in love with a modern girlThe name of this modern girl is

C/ementina

Brother, when you see C/ementina thebeautiful aspires

To look like a white woman

Lawino hates with intensity the influenceof the alien culture that has taken herman, and Clementina's audacity to stealher man. L.awino hurls abuses atClernentina:

Her lips are red hotLike glowing charcoalShe resembles the wild catThat has dipped its mouth in blood

Tina dusts powder on her faceAnd she looks paleShe resembles the wizardGetting ready for the midnight dance

Clementina-in Song of Lawino-is theage-mate of Angelina in my book,The Middle Door, published in 1972.Angelina is a sophisticated executivewith a good job, a happy marriage anda comfortable home. Her education andher husband's status have lifted her high

above her rural sister and put her into a 23

different class and better circumstancesthan the village woman.

When she finds that she has to sharefirst-class cabin with Achieng-a womancarrying a cock and a bunch of bananas-in a Kisumu-bound train, she turnsfurious. Yet, deep down in her heart shefelt that independence should havebrought equal rights and opportunitiesto all of her people-even to the otherwoman. But her type of educationtogether with assurance from the trainticket examiner give her a clear mandateto discriminate. Thus, the ticket examinerassures Angelina:

"Community ministers were not foolsto create first-class, second-class,and third-class in these trains. Thislaw is not peculiar to Kenya, it hasbeen practised from the time of Jesus.Give honor to those in high positions."

On returning to the cabin, after colludingwith the ticket examiner, Achieng nowrepresents in Angelina's mind the twowomen in Weep Not Child: Mwahaki,who had lost a father and whose younglover was being tortured in captivity by .the colonial administrators, and Njeri,Njoroge's mother, whose husband andall other sons have been murdered.Achieng's cold eyes seem to be accusingAngelina:

00 you know who I am, you richwoman?

Where were you when we nursed thewounded men

During the struggle for independence.Where were you when we went without

food and water?You rich woman.

And what do you know aboutsacrificing

For the nation?Now you are proud because you

are educatedYou can write books. You have good

clothesYes, and you are very proud. It is

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24 Choice that I am a village woman,it is fate.

Achieng feels that Angelina should knowand appreciate the unique role thatKenyan women played during theliberation movement. They weresubjected to torture and death, butfought gallantly, with many of themrisking their lives to acquire arms andammunition and smuggle them to theirmen in the forest. Who thoughtof school?

Schools and examinations were soonforgotten, and sorrow twined us intoold women.

The only thing we were longing for wasthe comfort and protection of a man,which alone was capable of restoring thebeauty of our womanhood which hadbeen defiled by the white man.

But men were rounded up daily and shotat night. We knew then that we wouldnever know the warmth of a man. Theworld was coming to an end.

Angelina felt Achieng's anger mounting;she was asking threateningly:

"Why then, rich woman, can't I alsoenjoy the comforts of freedom whichthe Black man fought for? The fightwhich turned us into old women ata tender age I"

But just as alien culture had hardenedthe heart of Acol against Lawino, it alsohardened the heart of Angelina againsther age-mate. Angelina, with powderedface, pink nails and false hair-piece, hasno time and energy to champion thecause of all the women who fought forindependence. People got educated tobetter themselves, and to get comfort.

Quietly, Achieng is moved with all herluggage to the part of the train whereshe belongs.

Looking at oral literature, which is as oldas society itself, discrimination andsegregation as is practised amongeducated women is a new phenomenon

which must have been introduced toAfrica with the introduction of Westerneducation. It is the child of colonialism,a practice which has tended to keep therural woman and her urbanized sister farapart. Jealousies against each other havebeen a part of life, yet showing off anddisplaying importance in public was acurse to the family.

The educated African woman, therefore,is in a dilemma. Her Western culture hasisolated her from her African heritageand turned many of her age-matesagainst her. Yet, the man eyes her withgreat curiosity and sheer amazement.She is capable and dynamic; cancomfortably combine those duties whichsociety allocated to her, and in addition,do duties traditionally allocated to man.But her mind is very clear about theseimportant points:

That the man is the head of the family.Once a decision is reached, the head ofthe family should announce it.

Does the African man naturally acceptthe position of an educated woman?Many enlightened ones do. But to theothers, she is not a proper woman. Sheis too Westernized and cannot be trusted.

In conclusion, it is my contention thatmodern East African literature hasportrayed the woman as a loser,unwanted being, whose life is full ofsorrow and struggle.

Oral literature on the other hand, talks ofwomen who became traditional chiefs,great medicine women and evenProphets. Their stories were retold andare still being told.

East Africa and the rest of Africa areeagerly waiting for literature which willdepict both the losers and the winners-stories that will encourage andinspire the youth. 0

Grace Ogot is a novelist and chairman of theWriters Association of Kenya. This commentarywas adapted from a fecture she delivered etHoward University during her recent visit to theUnited States as a Kenyan defegate to the 30th

Session of the tiN. General Assembly. Thelecture was co-sponsored by the Institute torthe Arts and the Humanities, the Department ofAfrican Studies, and the John O. KillensWriters Guild.

Grace Ogol

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