Abstract
References
- Bamgbose, G. S. (2012). “Modern African Poetry and the Issues of Gender: The Nigerian Literary Scene”. In Research on Humanities and Social Science, Vol 2, No. 11.
- Chipasula, F. (1995). The Heinemann Book of African Women’s Poetry (Oxford-Portsmouth- Ibadan: Heinemann. Educational Books).
- Chuku, G. “Gender Relations in Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Igbo Society” in Falola, T. and Njoku, R. C. (2016). Igbo in the Atlantic. Indiana: Indiana University Press.
- Ezeigbo, T. A. “Gender Conflict in Flora Nwapa’s Novels”. In Stephanie Newell (ed) (1997). Writing African Women: Gender, PopularCulture and Literature in West Africa. London: Zed Books Limited
- “ICE Case Studies: The Biafran War”. American University: ICE Case Studies. American University. 1997.
- Korieh, J. C. (2007) “Yam is King But Cassava is the Mother of all Crops: Farming, Culture, and Identity in Igbo Agrarian Economy.” In Dialectical Anthropology Vol. 31, No. 1/3
- Mears, D. M. (2009). Choice and Discovery: An Analysis of Women and Culture in Flora Nwapa’s Fiction. Unpublished Ph. D. Thesis, University of South Florida.
- Messer-Davidow, E. (2002). Disciplining Feminism: From Social Activism to Academic Discourse. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
- Nkosi, L. (1981). Tasks and Masks: Themes and Styles of African Literature. Essex: Longman.
- Nwapa, P. (1986). Cassava Song. Enugu: Tana Press.
- Sceats, S. (2003). Food, Consumption and the Body in Contemporary Women’s Fiction. Cambridge: Cambridge Universty Press.
- Ugo, D. (2007). “Iwa ji Ofu (New Yam Festival) in Igboland”. africanloft.com
Abstract
Most African societies are patriarchal where men tend to be the heads of their household and bread winners of their families while women are seen as weak and dependent upon men for support, guidance and protection. Men are the protectors of the society during wars while women are often the victims of atrocities committed. Even though things are gradually improving in terms of male dominance in African societies, women are still lagging behind in many respects. This is said to have prompted some writers to decry the situation in their writings. These writers protest the position of woman in African society on issues regarding barrenness, witchcraft, misfortune and other vices attributed to women. Flora Nwapa is one of the pioneer women writers in Africa whose major thematic concern is women and their position in African society. Her poem, “Cassava Song” is one of such works that compare African woman’s experience with that of a food crop called cassava. Drawing on Sarah Sceats’ insights into food imagery in her book Food, Consumption and the Body in Contemporary Women Fiction 2003 , this paper aims to critically examine the poem “Cassava Song” to study how Nwapa artistically uses cassava as a metaphor for women in the African context
References
- Bamgbose, G. S. (2012). “Modern African Poetry and the Issues of Gender: The Nigerian Literary Scene”. In Research on Humanities and Social Science, Vol 2, No. 11.
- Chipasula, F. (1995). The Heinemann Book of African Women’s Poetry (Oxford-Portsmouth- Ibadan: Heinemann. Educational Books).
- Chuku, G. “Gender Relations in Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Igbo Society” in Falola, T. and Njoku, R. C. (2016). Igbo in the Atlantic. Indiana: Indiana University Press.
- Ezeigbo, T. A. “Gender Conflict in Flora Nwapa’s Novels”. In Stephanie Newell (ed) (1997). Writing African Women: Gender, PopularCulture and Literature in West Africa. London: Zed Books Limited
- “ICE Case Studies: The Biafran War”. American University: ICE Case Studies. American University. 1997.
- Korieh, J. C. (2007) “Yam is King But Cassava is the Mother of all Crops: Farming, Culture, and Identity in Igbo Agrarian Economy.” In Dialectical Anthropology Vol. 31, No. 1/3
- Mears, D. M. (2009). Choice and Discovery: An Analysis of Women and Culture in Flora Nwapa’s Fiction. Unpublished Ph. D. Thesis, University of South Florida.
- Messer-Davidow, E. (2002). Disciplining Feminism: From Social Activism to Academic Discourse. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
- Nkosi, L. (1981). Tasks and Masks: Themes and Styles of African Literature. Essex: Longman.
- Nwapa, P. (1986). Cassava Song. Enugu: Tana Press.
- Sceats, S. (2003). Food, Consumption and the Body in Contemporary Women’s Fiction. Cambridge: Cambridge Universty Press.
- Ugo, D. (2007). “Iwa ji Ofu (New Yam Festival) in Igboland”. africanloft.com
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal Section | Research Article |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | January 1, 2019 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2019 Volume: 4 Issue: 1 |