Winter Semester 2000/01, University of Osnabrück

African Women Writers: Feminists, Womanists, Fence-Sitters and Others

Content: Course Description Course Outline Selected Books Materials Yvonne Vera: Without a Name Chronological Sequence Sequence of Journeys

Course Description

for students from 3rd Semester, Tues16-18

Nigerian scholar Charles Nnolim characterizes the „feminist house in African literature“ as divided into feminists, womanists, accommodationists, reactionaries, middle of the roaders, and fence-sitters, and is quite satisfied with what he describes as „confusion“. His colleague Helen Chukwuma on the other hand rejects Nnolim's notion that feminism is „western oriented, one of those colonial carry-overs.“ The discussion about the role of woman in Africa in general, and in African literature particularly, is occasionally quite heated, as we see from these remarks and often centers around the question whether feminism might destroy the cultural values of African societies. We will trace women's images in novels and stories by African women writers against the background of African cultures and feminist theories.
Requirements for a Schein (Literaturwissenschaft Grundstudium): oral presentation (Referat mit Thesenpapier) and a written version of this (10 pages). Alternatively: oral presentation and oral examination.
A reader with stories by Ama Ata Aidoo (Ghana), Flora Nwapa (Nigeria), Grace Ogot (Kenia) and others as well as essays about African feminism will be available at the beginning of the semester. In addition, we will read the following novels:

• Zaynab Alkali (Nigeria). The Stillborn. (1984) (Longman)
• Tsitsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe). Nervous Conditions. (1988) (Seal)
• Buchi Emecheta (Nigeria). The Slave Girl. (1977) (Heinemann)
• Bessie Head (South Africa). Maru. (1971) (Heinemann)
• Yvonne Vera (Zimbabwe). Without a Name. (1994) (Tsar)

Course Outline

Week 1, 17.10.2000
Topic: The Centrality of Motherhood in Africa--“Sweet Mother“
Sindiwe Magona (South Africa): To My Children's Children (Excerpt)
Flora Nwapa (Nigeria): Efuru (Excerpt)

Week 2, 24.10.2000
Topic: A Different Kind of Feminism
Trinh T. Minh-ha: „Mother's Talk“*
Cynthia Ward: „Bound to Matter: The Father's Pen and Mother Tongues“*
Topic: Gender in African Languages

Week 3, 31.10.2000
Topic: Male Criticism
Charles Nnolim: „A House Divided“*
Topic: Women in a Traditional African Society
Buchi Emecheta (Nigeria): The Slave Girl*

Week 4, 07.11.2000
Topic: Feminism, Womanism or Sellout
Buchi Emecheta (Nigeria): The Slave Girl*
# Does Christianity Liberate or Further Oppress the Female/Slave in Buchi Emecheta's The Slave Girl?
# The Similarities between Slavery and Marriage in Buchi Emecheta's The Slave Girl

Week 5, 14.11.2000
Topic: Racism/Sexism in Traditonal Societies
Bessie Head (South Africa): Maru*
# Action and Passivity in Bessie Head's Maru: Comparing Margaret and Dikeledi

Week 6, 21.11.2000
Bessie Head (South Africa): Maru*
Topic: Against Apartheid--For Female Liberation
Lauretta Ngcobo (South Africa): „My Life and My Writing“*

Week 7, 28.11.2000
Topic: Women in Islamic Societies
Zaynab Alkali (Northern Nigeria): The Stillborn*
# The Man in the House? Li's Achievement in Zaynab Alkali's The Stillborn

Week 8, 05.12.2000
Zaynab Alkali (Northern Nigeria): The Stillborn*
Topic: Invisible Husbands
Ama Ata Aidoo (Ghana): „Certain Winds from the South“*

Week 9, 12.12.2000
Topic: Female Genital Mutilation
Waris Dirie (Somalia): Desert Flower (Excerpt)*
Topic: The Double Disadvantage of Race and Gender
Antjie Krog (South Africa): Country of My Skull (Excerpt)*

Week 10, 19.12.2000
Topic: Female Warriors
Women of Resilience (Zimbabwe) (Excerpt)*
Nina Mba (Nigeria): „Heroines of the Women's War“*

Week 11, 09.01.2001
Topic: Female Self-Assertion
Yvonne Vera (Zimbabwe): Without a Name*
# The De(con)struction of the African Mother in Yvonne Vera's Without a Name

Week 12, 16.01.2001
Topic: Family, Kinship and Alienation
Yvonne Vera (Zimbabwe): Without a Name*
Milly Jafta (Namibia): „The Homecoming“*

Week 13, 23.01.2001
Topic: Female Solidarity
Tsitsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe): Nervous Conditions*
# The Body as the Site of Rebellion in Tsitsi Dangarembga's Nervous Conditions

Week 14, 30.01.2001
Topic: Education for Women
Tsitsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe): Nervous Conditions*
# Education as Liberation or Alienation in Tsitsi Dangarembga's Nervous Conditions?
Ama Ata Aidoo (Ghana): „The Girl Who Can“*

Week 15, 06.02.2001
Chiedza Musengezi (Zimbabwe): „Crocodile Tails“*
Conclusion: Women Across the Colour Line--Daughter and Mother, Sisters, or just Distant Cousins?

Notes:
# = Student's Presentations
* = required reading, please read in advance

Selected Books

1. Selected books available at the University Library of Osnabrück

1.1. African Literature and Women

Allerkamp, Andrea. Die innere Kolonisierung : Bilder und Darstellungen des/der Anderen in deutschsprachigen, französischen und afrikanischen Literaturen des 20. Jahrhunderts. Köln [u.a.]: Böhlau, 1991. Standort: B BNO 4556-838 7

Brown, Lloyd Weslesley. Women writers in black Africa. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Pr., 1981. Standort: B EEV 4227-171 6

Schipper, Mineke (ed.). Unheard words : women and literature in Africa, the Arab world, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America. London: Allison and Busby, 1985. Standort: B BOF 4350-555 9

Stratton, Florence. Contemporary African literature and the politics of gender. London [u.a.]: Routledge, 1994. Standort: B HGF 4612-003 8

1.2. Women in Africa (General)

Afshar, Haleh (ed.). Women, state, and ideology : studies from Africa and Asia. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1987. Standort: Magazin 4512-522 5

Cutrufelli, Maria Rosa. Women of Africa: roots of oppression. London: Zed Pr., 1983. Standort: Magazin 4255-739 1

Ekong, Julia Meryl. Bridewealth, women and reproduction in Sub-Saharan Africa: a theoretical overview. - Von der Verf. autorisierte Ausg. Bonn: Holos-Verl., 1992. Standort: G PDH Y 4673-752 8

Hanak, Ilse. Frauen in Afrika: "... ohne uns geht gar nichts!". - 1. Aufl. Frankfurt a.M.: Brandes & Apsel [u.a.], 1995. Standort: B IKX L 4631-305 2

Hasenjürgen, Brigitte (ed.). Frauenarbeit, Frauenpolitik: in Afrika, Asien, Lateinamerika und Osteuropa; internationale Diskussionen. - 1. Aufl. Münster: Verl. Westfälisches Dampfboot, 1993. Standort: B IKX A 4598-844 6

Little, Kenneth. African women in towns: an aspect of Africa´s social revolution. - Reprint. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Pr., 1975. Standort: Magazin 4069-584 4

Momsen, Janet Henshall (ed.). Different places, different voices: gender and development in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. [Commonwealth Geographical Bureau Workshop held at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in April, 1989]. Kongr.: Workshop, Newcastle-upon-Tyne : 1989. London [u.a.]: Routledge, 1993. Standort: Magazin 4567-553 9

Parpart, Jane L. (ed.). Women and development in Africa: comparative perspectives. Lanham, Md. [u.a.]: Univ. Press of America [u.a.], 1989. Standort: B NDC 4526-081 8

Robertson, Claire C. (ed.). Women and slavery in Africa. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, c 1997. Standort: C-6 4690-418 6

2. Webliography

Please check my website African Palava for a webliography of individual writers: <http://www.oocities.org/afripalava/AfricanPalava.html>. Some of the websites mentioned there offer extensive bibliographies, others have full online-articles.

3. Reader at CopyArt, Martinistraße

3.1. Stories, Excerpts from Novels and Non-Fiction

Ama Ata Aidoo. „Certain Winds from the South.“ African Short Stories. Ed. by Chinua Achebe and C.L. Innes. Oxford: Heinemann, 1985. African Writers Series. pp. 8-15.

Ama Ata Aidoo. „The Girl Who Can.“ Opening Spaces. An Anthology of Contemporary African Women's Writing. Ed. by Yvonne Vera. Oxford/Harare: Heinemann/Baobab, 1999. African Writers Series. pp.7-13.

Waris Dirie/Cathleen Miller. Desert Flower. New York: Quill/William Morrow, 1998. Excerpt.

Milly Jafta. „The Homecoming.“ Opening Spaces. An Anthology of Contemporary African Women's Writing. Ed. by Yvonne Vera. Oxford/Harare: Heinemann/Baobab, 1999. African Writers Series. pp.178-180.

Antjie Krog. Country of My Skull: Guilt, Sorrow, and the Limits of Forgiveness in the New South Africa. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1998/2000. Excerpt.

Sindiwe Magona. To My Children's Children. New York: Interlink, 1990. Excerpt.

Nina E. Mba. „Heroines of the Women's War.“ Nigerian Women in Historical Perspective. Ed. by Bolanle Awe. Lagos/Ibadan: Sankore/Bookcraft, 1992, pp. 73-88.

Chiedza Musengezi. „Crocodile Tails.“ Opening Spaces. An Anthology of Contemporary African Women's Writing. Ed. by Yvonne Vera. Oxford/Harare: Heinemann/Baobab, 1999. African Writers Series. pp.128-136.

Lauretta Ngcobo. „My Life and My Writing.“ Let It Be Told: Black Women Writers in Britain. Ed. by Lauretta Ngcobo. London: Virago Press, 1987/88, pp. 133-140.

Flora Nwapa. Efuru. London: Heinemann, 1966. Excerpt.

Women of Resilience. The Voices of Women Ex-Combatants. Harare: Zimbabwe Women Writers, 2000. Excerpt.

3.2. Essays on African Feminism in Literature and Life

Huma Ibrahim. „Ontological Victimhood: „Other“ Bodies in Madness and Exile--Toward a Third World Feminist Epistemology.“ The Politics of (M)Othering: Womanhood, Identity, and Resistance in African Literature. Ed. Obioma Nnaemeka. London: Routledge, 1997, pp. 147-161.

Deniz Kandiyoti. „Identity and Its Discontents: Women and the Nation.“ Colonial Discourse and Post-Colonial Theory: A Reader. Ed. Patrick Williams and Laura Chrisman. New York: Columbia University Press, 1994, pp. 376-391.

Gwendolyn Mikell. „Introduction.“ African Feminism: The Politics of Survival in Sub-Saharan Africa. Ed. Gwendolyn Mikell. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997, pp. 1-50.

Chandra Talpade Mohanty. „Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses.“ Feminist Literary Theory: A Reader. Ed. Mary Eagleton. Malden, Ma.: Blackwell, 2nd ed. 1996, pp.388-394.

Obioma Nnaemeka. „Introduction: Imag(in)ing Knowledge, Power, and Subversion in the Margins.“ The Politics of (M)Othering: Womanhood, Identity, and Resistance in African Literature. Ed. Obioma Nnaemeka. London: Routledge, 1997, pp. 1-25.

*Charles Nnolim. „A House Divided: Feminism in African Literature.“ Feminism in African Literature: Essays on Criticism. Ed. Helen Chukwuma. Enugu: New Generation Books, 1994, pp. 248-261.

Trinh T. Minh-ha. „From: Woman, Native, Other: Writing Postcoloniality and Feminism.“ Feminist Literary Theory: A Reader. Ed. Mary Eagleton. Malden, Ma.: Blackwell, 2nd ed. 1996, pp. 394-398.

*Trinh T. Minh-ha. „Mother's Talk.“ The Politics of (M)Othering: Womanhood, Identity, and Resistance in African Literature. Ed. Obioma Nnaemeka. London: Routledge, 1997, pp. 26-32.

Marie Umeh. „The Poetics of Thwarted Sensitivity.“ Critical Theory and African Literature. Ed. Ernest Emenyonu. Ibadan: Heinemann, 1987. Calabar Studies in African Literature 3, pp. 194-206.

*Cynthia Ward. „Bound to Matter: The Father's Pen and Mother Tongues.“ The Politics of (M)Othering: Womanhood, Identity, and Resistance in African Literature. Ed. Obioma Nnaemeka. London: Routledge, 1997, pp. 114-129.

Note: * required reading in 3.2.; note that all texts in 3.1. are required reading

Possible Chronological Sequence of Yvonne Vera: Without a Name

Chapter

Content

6

M. talks about rape and war in the village (Mubaira)

8

effects of the rape on M.

2

M. meets Nyenyedzi (Kadoma)

4

M. and N. make love

6

M. discusses with N. about where to go (Mubaira/Harari)

9

M. discusses with N. about land, her decision to go to Harari

11

M.'s and N.'s last meal together

13

M.'s arrival in Harari

7 (?)

about the people in the city

14

M. meets Joel

16

M. stays with Joel

17

sleeping with Joel reminds her of rape

18 (?)

about the women in Harari

19

M. is pregnant

21

Joel does not seem to be suspicious of her pregnancy

22

baby born after seven months (who is the father? Nyenyedzi? the soldier?)

24

Joel wants M. to leave

25 (?)

dummies in a shop window

26

Joel tells M. to leave the following day

27 (?)

when M. thinks of Joel, it brings back memory of rape

28 (?)

M. thinks Joel pushes her into the past and the baby hinders her future

30

M. kills her baby

3

M. buys an apron

5

M. wraps the corpse into the apron

10

M. walks the streets of Harari

12

M. wants to take the bus

1

M. is waiting for the bus

15

M. has entered the bus (men's conversation about women)

20

the sound of the mbira brings back memory

23

bus is stopped at a checkpoint

29

M. has a nightmare of being found out: fear and need of discovery

31

M.'s pain and awareness of death of baby

32

M.'s arrival in Mubaira; village has been burnt down

Sequence of the Journeys in Yvonne Vera's Without a Name

This page was created by Dominique Bediako on February 24, 2001.

It was last updated on September 26, 2001.

The URL of this website is: <http://www.oocities.org/afripalava/EnglishCourses/AfWomen.html>.

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For general information on Anglophone African Literature and African Studies, please consult my website African Palava.

© Dr. Dominique Bediako, formerly Lecturer (English Literature), Osnabrueck, Germany (now Lecturer in German, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda)