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Essay / African women, motherhood and traditional family roles
Africa is deeply steeped in oral traditions. Women are at the forefront of spreading knowledge and wisdom through oral traditions. However, these voices go unnoticed in the territory of literary traditions. And there are various reasons why women are tortured in these groups. The exclusion of women from socio-economic and political fields has been discussed by writers like Flora Nwapa. They have no role to play in the center and are moved to the margins. The major themes addressed in Nigerian women's writings are the presence or absence of motherhood, its joys and its pains, the hazards of life in a polygamous marriage, the oppression of colonialism and white domination, the struggles for economic independence, the inconstancy of husbands. who, in order to control their existence in a traditionally polygamous marriage, the importance of having a support system, especially in urban settings, conflict or the mother-daughter relationship and self-definition, but without separating from tradition or other man-made restrictions. The analysis of these factors is crucial to understanding the dynamics of African women's writings. Emecheta's most powerful novel, The Joys of Motherhood, also shows all these questions, but with a difference. The novel depicts the image of traditional society, but giving importance to the female point of view, which expresses her disgust for manhood and the unjust and oppressive system. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Most of these themes are found in Emecheta's novels. As Emecheta describes, an Igbo woman is viewed with contempt if her marriage does not bear fruit in African society. Sterility is the most severe ordeal a woman has to endure. Nnu Ego, the beautiful, proud daughter of a beautiful, proud mother who grew up in this all-encompassing tribal tradition, suffers severe heartburn when her marriage to a young, wealthy farmer in love with her doesn't make her a mother. She is declared sterile and juiceless because she has no children in the first twelve months of her married life, which disappoints everyone, including her husband, her father, and herself. In a woman's life, motherhood is very important, because it is a mark of satisfaction. Society forbids a barren woman who does not produce children for her husband from perpetuating his lineage. Therefore, a woman does her best to fulfill her traditional commitments to her husband and community, and if she does not become a mother through an unfavorable fate, she suffers incalculable suffering. A barren woman received no mercy, even from her beloved husband. She is denigrated, mistreated and even kicked out of her home when she is unproductive. Nnu ego was unlucky that her husband abandoned her for not giving her children in exchange for the commitments he had to her. A woman is only valued for her potential to spread cash and not for herself. Sterility is an insult to femininity and a flaw in femininity. At this time, becoming a wife and mother is the highest ideal and hope of every African woman. The Ibo tribal community dictates that a woman's primary duty is to bear children, many of them, especially boys, to continue her husband's lineage. The humiliation of infertility is unbearable and a barren woman is embarrassing for both her parents and her in-laws. This is a tradition passed down to every girl in the Ibo tribe. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get an article now.