Weight of Custom, Signs of Change - Feminism in the Literature of African Women

Sep 3, 2026

Feminist consciousness is examined through eight novels by four major African women novelists from Nigeria, Botswana, and Senegal: Buchi Emecheta, Flora Nwapa, Bessie Head, and Mariama Ba. The analysis traces how indigenous customs and community attitudes intensify suffering for female characters, including oppressive marriage practices, religious or superstitious punishments, and gendered power structures. The novels also signal increasing feminist awareness and emerging possibilities for change through more egalitarian relationships and women’s growing refusal of oppressive marriage norms.

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Weight of Custom, Signs of Change: Feminism in the Literature of African Women

Feminist consciousness and the novels’ critique of myths

Custom, community pressure, and suffering in The Bride Price

Autumn 1985 ditorisl BoardORTHROP FRYEJniversity of Toronto)OSEPH JONESJniversity of Texas,Austin)OBERT E.McDOWELLJniversity of Texas,Arlington)ERALD MOOREJniversity of Jos) will be published in Spring andmmer.Subscriptions:CanadianPlease address all enquiries and should conform to the MLA;should be sent to the editor ario,Canada NIG 2W1. 1ces and Humanities Researchis journal. # Weight of Custom,Signs of Change:Feminism in the Literature ofAfrican Women World Literature Written in English,Volume 25.No.2(1985),183-197. NANCY TOPPING BAZIN Feminist consciousness permeates the works of four major female novelistsfrom black Africa:Buchi Emecheta and Flora Nwapa from Nigeria,BessieHead from Botswana and Mariama Ba from Senegal.I shall explore twonovels by each of these writers to determine which customs and attitudes causethe most suffering in the lives of their female characters and what signs ofchange suggest hope that the causes of this suffering will eventually beeliminated.The works of all four of these writers belie the myth that feministissues are not important to African women,that African women already havesufficient power,that women choose to support polygamy because they like it,and that whatever misery African women suffer can be blamed on theintroduction of Western cultures into Africa.The eight novels I shall discussdisprove these myths by depicting the realities of women's lives.The eightnovels are:Buchi Emecheta's The Bride Price(1976)and The Joys ofMotherhood(1979),Flora Nwapa's Efuru(1966)and One Is Enough(1981),Bessie Head's When Rain Clouds Gather(1969)and A Question of Power(1974)and Mariama Ba's Une si longue lettre(1980)and Un chant écarlate(1981).1 Allof these works depict extreme suffering in female characters,butthey also portray some increase in feminist consciousness and indications thatsome change will occur.Certainly,the ideal of more egalitarian relationshipsemerges from all of these books.Furthermore,these novels suggest that untilmen become the kind of people with whom such an egalitarian relationship ispossible,more and more African women will be saying“no”to marriage. In the African communities depicted in these books,families exert a greatdeal of pressure upon young people in order to uphold traditional taboos,customs and privileges in relation to marriage.Families have considerable sayabout whom their young people may marry.Adults recite proverbs and storiesto the young that warn them of the disasters that will ensue if they disobey thelong-established customs and procedures that are designed to governbehaviour.Buchi Emecheta's The Bride Price could itself be used as a storythat warns young people of what happens to disobedient girls.It is the story of a young woman,Aku-nna,who defies her family by running away to marrythe man she loves.Aku-nna has fallen in love with Chike,her schoolteacher,who,because he is educated,seems to be an excellent chpice for a husband.However,she is forbidden to marry him because he comes from a family of ex-slaves.When Chike tries to pay the required bride price for her,the bride priceis refused.Traditional belief says a woman whose bride price has not been paidwill die in childbirth(p.154).Aku-nna does indeed die in childbirth,unable tosurvive her pregnancy after years of malnutrition,but her people believe shedied because her bride price was never paid due to her disobedience.No onecriticizes her stepfather for his stubborn refusal to accept the bride price norfor his rituals to invoke her death as punishment for her rebellion.People inthe community condemn her,not him,because he is conforming to customand she is not. In The Bride Price,Emecheta shows how numerous indigenous Africancustoms and superstitions oppress and degrade the female.People adhere tothe belief that a female is worthless to a family except for the bride price shewill bring to it (p.10).Custom insists upon the dissolution of a family when afather dies,because a family is si

FAQs

Which novelists and countries does the document focus on?

It focuses on Buchi Emecheta and Flora Nwapa (Nigeria), Bessie Head (Botswana), and Mariama Ba (Senegal).

What central myths about feminism and African women does the document challenge?

It argues against myths that feminist issues are unimportant to African women, that African women already have sufficient power, and that women support polygamy by choice, among others.

What kinds of pressures are described in the African communities of the novels?

Families exert strong pressure to uphold traditional taboos and customs related to marriage, including constraints on whom young people may marry and warnings about disasters for disobedience.

Sep 3, 2026

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