ican Womanism vs. Western Feminism
The central difference that divides African women from Western women is colonial oppression. Under colonial rule, African women, men and children all became unwarranted victims (Ogunyemi 112). For African women, gender, racism and other forms of oppression intersect to present a complex problem that is often ignored by Western feminists (Ogunyemi 114).
While Western feminists see men as the enemy, African women still embrace their husbands and sonsùthe men in their lives. Even Ngu Ego in Emecheta's Joys cares about Nnaife's welfare even though he treats her badly. They are bound by their common experience of racial and colonial oppression. What African women strive for is not the elimination of men from their existence, but a way with which to bring women and men together in a positive relationship (Ogunyemi 115-7). Because Western women are a part of the colonialism that subjugated the African continent, it is difficult for African women to embrace Western feminism. Western feminists are alien from the oppression suffered by the African people (Ogunyemi 118). Unlike the individualistic quality of feminism, African women's brand of womanism seeks to include the healing process of a community (Ogunyemi 119). What African womanists strive to do is to confront the problems plaguing the dysfunctional relationships between men and women. They seek to tap into the positive qualities of both genders so that they can rise above their problems and improve the welfare of the African people (Ogunyemi 123). The reconstruction of African identity for both men and women is integral to the vision of African womanism (Ogunyemi 124).
However, there is no doubt that the western feminist perception has infiltrated into the minds of the new African women. Many of the female characters in the contemporary times have only achieved salvation and happiness by renouncing their dependence on men. Many of the fema...