oks are forced to endure marital rape and beatings in their marriages.
The oppressive traditions underlying the brutality of the African men undermine the capacity of women to rise above their plight. In Emecheta's Joys, when Ngu Ego and Adaku finally reconcile with one another, they realize that they are both victims of a male-dominated world. In this world, even though Adaku has established her independence by acquiring wealth through her own industry, her accomplishments are negated by the fact that she has not given birth to a boy. Fundamentally, this tradition rates above all other considerations. Ironically, even though Ngu Ego has given birth to boys, she is trapped in a perpetual struggle to feed them. On the other hand, Adaku, who is considered the failure, has no problems feeding her daughter (Emecheta 167-9).
Even for the new generation of women, Esi and Opokuya depicted in Aidoo's Changes, they have to wrestle with the traditions of marriages. In the modern age with the advent of education that straddles the modern and traditional worlds, men and their families still expect women to give up their independence and growth. Ironically for the new African women, they often marry men who are initially attracted to them because of their intelligence and independence. However, once they enter into the marriage, their husbands often demand that they give up their careers in favor of looking after the family (Aidoo 45). In the same book, when Ali decides to have a second wife and needs the approval from his first wife, Fusena, he enlists the help of the male elders of his family. They promise him that they will ask the older ladies to exert pressure on Fusena. The older women realize that education has not helped advance the rights of women in asserting their wishes (Aidoo 106-7).
In the oppressive relationships depicted within these books, love seems to be a rare commodity. African women with great sensibilities constan...