PostColonial Womens Literature as a Tool for Assisting Social Work Students to Understand of the Imp

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PostColonial Womens Literature as a Tool for Assisting Social Work Students to Understand of the Imp

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Title: PostColonial Womens Literature as a Tool for Assisting Social Work Students to Understand of the Imp

1
Post-Colonial Womens Literature as a Tool for
Assisting Social Work Students to Understand of
the Impact of Colonization on the Lives of Women
in Developing African Societies.
2
By Pat Groves, Ph.D.Professor of Womens and
Gender StudiesThe University of Toledo
3

Nervous Conditions was written by Tsitsi
Dangarembga in 1968. The novel tells the story
of loss involved in the colonization of one
culture by another. It is set in the settler
colony of Rhodesia in the sixties, as the
struggle for independence from the British was
heating up.

The story focuses on the life of two young girls
Tambu, from the rural area realizes her dream
when her wealthy uncle offers her to sponsor her
education. She learns that there is a price to
pay for the education she earns at the mission
school.
Tambus cousin, Nyasha is the daughter of Tambus
uncle and has spent much of her life in Great
Britain. She has become a stranger to her own
people, no longer to speak Shona, the native
language. It is she, who pays the full cost of
alienation, developing anorexia, a western
disorder, as a means to gain control over her
life, dominated by her father.

5
Themes

Modernity versus Tradition Coping with
Alienation
Dangarembga addresses this issue through the
interweaving of Tambu in her environment and the
development of her female body.
Ann Elizabeth Wiley has pointed to the
development of the village as a process that
cannot be controlled by the villagers, just as
Tambu resists being gendered by her adolescent
development. Tambus brother dies from illness
at the beginning of the story. This event
enables Tambu to ultimately break with tradition
and take his place at the mission school. Prior
to his death, as Tambu dreams of going to school,
she asks her brother why she cannot also attend
school. He responds that it is because she is a
girl. I was no longer listening. My concern
for my brother died and unobtrusive death.
The struggle she experiences through the rest of
the novel is embodied in her two processes of
development, bodily development and her education
This novel differs from many others in that it
deals with the clashes from tradition to
modernity, not from a male, but from a female
perspective. Males often experience alienation
as a separation from self and from ones
cherished traditions. For women, the life
offered by traditional culture is fraught with
suffering. The culture clash is therefore viewed
with greater struggle as one is pulled toward
some of the benefits offered to women in
modernity, while mourning the loss of the
positive aspects of tradition.

Food
Every woman in the novel has a strong
relationship to food growing, preparing,
feeding others, feeding self
Tambu begins growing mealies (corn) as a means to
finance her education prior to the death of her
brother. This effort is discouraged by her
father, but her mother is supportive even though
she does not believe an education will benefit a
woman whose job it is to care for her family.
When Tambu returns to visit her family after
leaving for boarding school, her uncle brings a
goat which must be prepared by the women. Of
course after much time is spent in food
preparation, the women serve the men.
Tambus aunt, Nyashas mother has a servant who
prepares the food on in a western kitchen, one of
the ways that modern life has a strong pull for
Tambu who has grown up on a rural farm where
cooking is done on an open fire.
Nyasha develops an eating disorder, and
ultimately is hospitalized and treated by a
western physician.

Education
Tambu, through her educational experience is
faced with the intersection of individual
consciousness and social conditions. She must
come to self realization in the context of her
community. Is this the community of her
traditional family or the community of her uncle
and his westernized experience.
Tambus aunt has achieved a masters degree, yet
still must assume the role of a woman in Shona
culture.
Nyasha has, as a result of her education and life
in Britain lost touch with the traditions of her
ancestors and is unable to make a successful
transition to modernity. She ultimately is lost
to her eating disorder as a means to control her
life in relation to her father. While
westernized in his personal dealings, he treats
his daughter in traditional style.

8
Educational Relevance

Through reading this novel, the students gain an
understanding of the impact of colonialism and
encroaching modernity on the lives of women. The
text prepares students to develop a deeper
understanding of the lives of women in
post-colonial African societies.

9
The Dilemma of a Ghost and Anowa

A recent article in the New York Times highlights
Ama Ata Adoo, the Ghanaian poet and
novelist.From the realms she calls "the
outposts of the Empire," Ama Ata Aidoo, the
Ghanaian poet andnovelist, has managed to
transcend space, time and cultures to inspire and
empower a generation of female writers. Ms.
Aidoo's words reached Jean (Binta) Breeze, a
young poet in Sandy Bay, Jamaica, and cured her
writer's block. They found Ramona Lofton, the
writer known as Sapphire, in Professor Jerome
Brooks' class at the City College of New York and
led her to write her first novel, "Push," and a
critically acclaimed collection of poems,
"American Dreams." Michele Wallace, author of
"Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman,"
saidMs. Aidoo helped reaffirm her faith in the
power of the written word to teach and reach.
The author has written two plays and published
a collection of short stories and poems. She is
most noted for her two novels," Our Sister
Killjoy" and "Changes," which present the joys
and struggles of contemporary African women.
"As a young women growing up in Ghana, I didn't
know that as a woman I wasn't supposed to write,"
Ms. Aidoo said during one quiet moment in an
otherwise hectic day. "Those of us who started to
write so early were at an advantage because we
didnt know what was good for us, in terms of
one's self as a writer." Still, it took another
15 years "for me to begin to describe myself as a
writer," she said. "On the one hand, I had no
problem writing. On the other hand, I clearly had
a problem conceiving myself as a writer."

Both works, the Dilemma of a ghost and Anowa,
depict dramas that are fundamentally relevant to
the lives of the students in the class (love and
marriage), so there is an emotional connection to
the content, yet the students must be able to let
go of their own cultural perspectives in order to
understand the contextual meaning of the works.

The Dilemma of a Ghost was first presented by the
Students Theatre at the University of Ghana in
March of 1964. The play has been republished in
1987, 1995, and 1997.

The story is of a young Ghanaian man (Ato Yawson)
who goes to university in the United States and
falls in love with an African American woman
(Eulalie Yawson). He marries her and brings her
home to his native village. The play brings
forth the conflicts of tradition and modernity as
the two young people struggle to live their lives
in harmony with Atos parents and the
expectations that family and villagers have of an
African man.

When Ato returns to his home after completion of
his studies, his bride has accompanied him. His
family does not know he has married. They do not
understand that a woman can come from a place
where she is not identified with a tribe. Since
I was born, I have never heard of a human being
born out of the womb of a woman who has no tribe.
Are there trees which never have any roots?
Initially they think she is white because tells
them she is an American. Perhaps it would have
been easier for the family to accept Eulalies
strange ways if she were white, as white
colonials have long proven the unusual behaviors
of white people.

Because Eulalie is of African descent, there may
be a higher level of expectation that she will
accept the ways of the traditional culture.
Eulalie cannot accept cooking on an open fire or
pounding yam with a pestle. The family thinks
Ato is wasting his money as he buys Eulalie a
western stove.

As a coping mechanism, Eulalie begins drinking
heavily, not acceptable behavior for an African
woman. When drunk, she pokes fun at Atos
tradition and calls him native boy. Eulalie
becomes fearful as she hears the beating of
African drums. Her expectations of drumming was
that it would be like American Jazz or Spanish
Mambo. She is fearful that the drumming might be
related to witch hunting and perhaps that she is
perceived as the witch. Her fears are put aside
when Ato explains that the drums she hears are
funeral drums.

Ato and Eulalie decided at the time of their
marriage to postpone childbearing until they were
settled and established. Ato has insisted that
they stick with this plan, however, the family
blames Eulalie for the lack of children.
Certainly, children are extremely important in
African cultures and are indications of success.
There are attempts to use traditional medicine to
enable the couple to conceive. It is believed
that the couple is displeasing the dead ancestors
because they have not born children. Eulalie
understands that she is not accepted and is
frustrated by Atos insistence that they stick
with their plan to postpone having children.
Although he has made this decision, it is she
that bears the blame from family members.

After a fight between Ato and Eulalie, Ato is
speaking to his mother
Ato I only asked her to come to the
thanksgiving with me. But she refused and.
Esi And will she not refuse? I would have
refused too if I were her. I would have know
that I can always refuse to do things. Her womb
has receded, has it not?
Ato But her womb has not receded!
Esi What are you telling me?
Ato If we had wanted children, she would have
given birth to some.
Esi Everyone should come and listen to this. I
have not heard anything like this before! Human
beings deciding when they must have children?
Meanwhile where is God? Yet only a woman who is
barren will tell her neighbors such a tale.
Ato But it can be done.
Esi if it can be done, do it! But I am sure
any woman who does it will die by the anger of
the ghosts of her fathers-or at least she will
never get the children when she wants them.
Esi You do not even tell us about anything and
we assemble our medicines together. While all
the time hour wife laughs at us because we do not
understand such thingsYes, she laughs at us
because we do not understand such things..and we
are angry because we thing you are both doing
what is not good for. And yet who cam blame
her? No stranger ever breaks the law. Hmm, my
son. You have not dealt with us well. And you
have not dealt with your wife well

Esi Yes, and I know
They will tell you that
Before the stranger should dip his finger
Into the thick palm nut soup,
It is a townsman
Must have told him to.
And we must be careful with your wife
You tell us her mother is dead
If she had any tenderness,
Her ghost must be keeping watch over her
All which happen to her.
(to Eulalie) Come my child.

The play ends ambiguously, with a song that
frequents Atos dreams in the voice of children
Shall I go to Cape Coast? Shall I go to Elmina?
I cant tell, Shall I? I cant tell.
The audience or reader is left with the sad
impression that the situation cannot be
rectified. There has been too much pain, too
much misunderstanding.

20
Educational Relevance

The students are led to understand the difficulty
in bridging the gaps between traditional cultures
and Western thought and ways of doing things.
For people who come from the West, our ways seem
right and acceptable. For people of traditional
culture, it is difficult to reconcile the
differences and the move to Westernization comes
at great cost.

21
Anowa

This play is based on an old Ghanaian legend. A
young woman decides against her parents wishes,
to marry the man she loves. In spite of amassing
great wealth, Anowa realizes that there is
something wrong with the life they have built.

Anowa is a strong willed young woman who has
refused the hand of those who have offered to
marry her. The women in the village talk behind
her back and wonder what is wrong with her. The
consensus seems to be that her mother has spoiled
her because of her charm and beauty. There are
also thoughts that she is born to be a priestess
rather than to assume the traditional role of an
African woman as wife and mother.

Badua (Anowas mother) is distraught that her
daughter could become a priestess. She recites
the following lament that underscores the
importance of marriage in traditional cultures
Her assessment of being a priestess
They counsel with spirits
They read into other mens souls
They swallow dogs eyes
Jump fires
Drink goats blood
Sheep milk
Without flinching
Or vomiting.
They do not feel
As you or I,
They have no shame.

She says this about her hopes for her daughter to
marry and bear children. Still, there is the
recognition that her daughter has potential
beyond that of the ordinary woman
I want my child
To be a human woman
Marry a man,
Tend a farm
And be happy to see her peppers and onions grow.
A woman like her should bear children,
So she can afford to have
One or two die.
Should she not take her place at meetings
Among the men and women of the clan?
And sit on my chair when I am gone?
And a captainship in the army
Should not be beyond her
When the time is ripe.

When Anowa tells her parents that Kofi Ako has
asked her to marry him, her mother is not
pleased. Her mother describes Kofi Anowa,
why Kofi Ako? Of all the mothers that are here
in Yebi, should I be the one whose daughter would
want to marry this fool, this good-for-nothing
cassava man, this watery male of all watery
males? This-I-am-the-handsome-one-with-a-stick-be
tween-my-teeth-in-the-market-place..

On one hand, Anowa has been spared the suffering
of becoming a priestess, yet, she is set to marry
a man with little promise to bring her a
successful family life.
Also, there is the struggle of seeing a strong
woman, choosing what she wants for herself and
letting go of the traditional value of choosing a
proper husband for your daughter.

Ultimately, the couple marries and they seem to
be deeply in love. They are engaged in hunting
animals and selling the furs. This endeavor
takes them deep into the wilderness where Anowas
strength and independence makes her a good hunter
and wilderness traveler. Mud and cold do not get
in her way.
Their trade involves the white colonials and they
are able to accumulate large amounts of money
from their dealings with white men.

As their wealth grows, they are able to buy a
house and obtain many western accoutrements.
Kofi decides to purchase slaves, much to Anowas
dismay. She protests, but, ultimately he wins.
Anowa sees slavery as selling out to western
interest and accumulating financial wealth rather
than building family and community.

Kofi loses his sexual interest in Anowa and she
urges him to take another wife in order to
produce children. He refuses.
Anowas parents develop the myth that Anowa and
Kofi have sold their birth seeds in order to
acquire financial wealth.
The couple has two slave children that double as
servants and as children. Anowa cannot accept
these children as substitutes for birth children
and states that an adopted child is always an
adopted child and a slave always a slave.

Kofi ultimately tries to send Anowa away, as she
will not relent in her desire for Kofi to produce
a child with her or another woman. He seems
consumed with the desire to accumulate wealth and
to live the life that comes with his dealings
with white colonials.
Anowa accuses Kofi of not being a man. (Is he
having homosexual relations with his slaves or
has he lost interest in sex altogether?).
The accusation is too much for Kofi to bear and
he finally shoots himself. In response, Anowa
drowns herself.

31
Educational Relevance

The story has a tragic ending, the ultimate
response to the conflicts between tradition and
western desire. It is the desire for wealth that
eats the couple alive. The villagers suggest
that Anowa ate Kofi up, and yet it was desire for
wealth that turned him from his historical
meaning in life, to produce children and continue
the lines of his ancestors.
The villagers say of Anowa Anowa behaved as
though she were a heroine in a story. Some of us
wish she had been happier and that her life had
not had so much of the familiar human scent in
it. She is true to herself. She refused to
comeback here to Yebi, to our gossiping and our
judgments. Osam and Badua have gone with the
others to bring the two bodies home to Yebi. Ow,
if there is life after death, Anowas spirit will
certainly have something to say about that.

32
So Long a Letter

Mariama BA was born in Dakar Senegal. She was
brought up as a Muslim by her maternal
grandparents. As a writer, she believed her
sacred mission was to strike out at archaic
practices, traditions, and customs that are not
truly a part of cultural heritage. This novel,
originally written in French, has been translated
into sixteen languages and won the first Noma
award for an African novel. Certainly, her work
can be defined as feminist since she criticizes
patriarchal practices.

The novel is written as a letter by Ramatoulye to
her friend, Assatou.
Ramatoulye has been recently widowed
Her husband had taken a second wife, acceptable
in her Islamic culture, as well as many
traditional African cultures, but Ramotoulay felt
betrayed and rejected by his action.

this is the moment dreaded by every Senegalese
woman, the moment when she sacrifices her
possessions as gifts to her family-in-law and,
worse still, beyond her possessions, she gives up
her personality, her dignity, becoming a thing in
the service of the man who has married her, his
grandfather, his grandmother, his mother, his
brother, his sister, his uncle, his aunt, his
male and female cousins, his friends.

As is customary, Modus brother proposes marriage
to Ramatoulye. He says to her I shall marry
you. You suit me as a wife, and further, you
will continue to live here, just as if Modou were
not dead. Usually, it is the younger brother who
inherits his elder brothers wife. In this case,
it is the opposite. You are my good luck. I
shall marry you. I prefer you to the other one
(Modus second wife), too frivolous, too young. I
advised Modou against that marriage.
Ramatoulye responds in the presence of Modus
other brother and the Imam Did you ever have
any affection for your brother? Already you want
to build a new home for yourself, over a body
that is still warm. While we are praying for
Modou, you are thinking of future wedding
festivities.
Ramatoulye pointed out that the other brother did
not properly care for his wives and make it clear
that she would marry none of them. Partially,
her angry response was in revenge for the day
when they airily informed her of Modus marriage
to a second wife.

As a widow, who had turned down the customary
marriage to the brother of her deceased husband,
Ramatoulye was available for marriage to other
men. She was approached by her former suitor.
She truly enjoyed his company, but turned down
his proposal because he also had another family.
She would not do to his family, that which had
been done to hers.

The success of the family is born of a couples
harmony, as the harmony of multiple instruments
creates a pleasant symphony.
The nation is made up of all the families, rich
or poor, united or separated, aware or unaware.
The success of the nation therefore depends
inevitably on the family.

The story ends when Ramatoulyes young adult,
unmarried daughter gives birth to a baby fathered
by her boyfriend. There is a plan for the two to
finish their schooling and then marry.
Ramatoulye says I am not indifferent to the
irreversible currents of womens liberation that
are lashing the world. This commotion that is
shaking up every aspect of our lives reveals and
illustrates our abilities. My heart rejoices
each time a woman emerges from the shadows. I
know the field of our gains is unstable, the
retention of conquests difficult social
constraints are ever present and male egoism
resists.

Instruments for some, baits for others, respected
or despised, often muzzled, all women have almost
the same fate, which religions or unjust
legislation have sealed. My reflections
determine my attitude to the problems of life. I
analyze the decisions that decide our future. I
widen my scope by taking an interest in current
world affairs.

I remain persuaded of the inevitable and
necessary complementarity of man and woman.
Love, imperfect as it may be in its content and
expression, remains the natural link between
these two beings.
To love one another. If only each partner could
move sincerely towards the other. If each could
only melt into the other If each would only
accept the others successes and failures. If
each would only praise the others qualities
instead of listing his faults. If each could
only correct bad habits without harping on about
them. If each could penetrate the others most
secret haunts to forestall failure and be a
support while tending to the evils that are
repressed.

41
Educational Relevance

Is this work feminist? The discussion of
traditional family life might be questioned by
those in our culture. Yet, the question seems to
come from a feminist framework in a culture that
has often separated male and female culture.
Ramatoulye is looking at her daughter and her
relationship as potentially new in that it can be
based upon love and respect between two people.
She holds the view that the nation state is
reflected and is revealed through the nature and
stability of family life.
There is a tension for women in the traditional
cultural practices that separate women from being
able to have a sense of control over their own
lives and over the course of their family life.
When men choose additional wives, it can be seen
as a betrayal of trust and of the commitment to
family.