Beyond the objectification of the Male Gaze,
Through this impressive selection of books, the reader is presented with a kaleidoscope of female figures depicted by female African writers. Unmediated by the bias of male authors, these writers illuminate the oppressive relationship between man and wife in many African households. Through their eyes, readers from the Western world can begin to understand the vast cultural differences that separate Western women from African women. Therefore, in their attempt to forge an united stance against female oppression, it is essential that Western feminists acknowledge these fundamental differences. The predominant difference is fact that African women have also suffered from colonial oppression, along with the men in their live. Therefore, they feel a sense of loyalty towards their male counterparts. However, in order for African women to rise above their oppressed status, they need to tap into the powerful and unique female energy that radiates from these incredible voices.
The Hierarchy of Oppression: Intersection between Gender and Race
From the day of their inception, women are controlled by men, first in their fathers' houses, and after marriage, in their husbands' house. In Buchi Emecheta's The Joys of Motherhood, the tug-of-war for Ona between her father and her lover, Agbadi, highlights clearly the status of women in African society (26-7). Ona's unwillingness to decide between the two men shows how her independence is compromised. Regardless of her wild spirit, she is imprisoned within a man's world. In Ama Ata Aidoo's Changes: A Love Story, Esi's grandmother provides an image of the devastating impact of marriage on women: "[A] woman has always been diminished in her association with a man." According to her, women's identities are destroyed as they become consumed in the responsibilities of being wife and mother (109-10). Most of the female characters in this selection of bo...