Negofeminism in the works of selected anglophone and francophone women novelists

Abstract

The portrayal of women in fictional works is still a contentious ground. Women authors have often bemoaned the portrayal of women in male-authored novels. Various scholars (Chukukere 1995; Kolawole, 1997; Fonchingong, 2006; Ohale 2010) have all argued that male-authored novels do not indeed portray a realistic picture of the African woman. This study looks at the depiction of women by women authors. The study adopts the Negofeminism theory to analyse the protagonists in four woman authored novels-The Amputated Memory by Werewere Liking, Essential Encounters by Therese Kuoh-Moukoury, Efuru by Flora Nwapa and Changes; A Love Story by Ama Ata Aidoo. The study has revealed that contrary to popular depictions and Eurocentric notions of the African woman, she remains both an empowered and liberated being. It has also revealed that women-authored novels as counter-narratives pulsate with a new reality which is that of correcting the fractured image of the woman as well as unfolding the politics of oppression. Furthermore the study has exposed the fact that manipulative power rested in the hands of women. It validates Chukwuma’s (2006) and Ogunyemi (1996)’s claim about the complementary role of the woman as opposed to the perceived oppressive status. Lastly, the study has demonstrated that women writers are redefining new spaces in the margins of woman portraiture. This they have done by creating female characters that are as dynamic and mutable as their changing situations.