Ifeoma Chinwuba’s African Romance as a Dialogic Discourse on Gender Complementarity

Abstract

For many Nigerians, the term “feminism” has, unfortunately, come to be misinterpreted as an anti-male, anti-culture, anti-marriage, and anti-religion movement. This misconception is largely influenced by certain strands of Western gender and feminist advocacy that are incongruous with African cultural experiences. While pro-feminist scholars continue to draw attention to the various forms of denigration and stereotyping of women, it is imperative to employ literature as a medium to articulate versions of feminist thought and advocacy that align with African history and culture. Ifeoma Chinwuba’s African Romance, a choreo-poem, is purposively selected for this study because it embodies an Afrocentric feminist consciousness yet has received inadequate critical attention. This analysis adopts a close reading of the text, employing Catherine Acholonu’s concept of motherism to highlight the poet’s use of poetry as a dialogic discourse to offer solutions to gender-based and marital conflicts. Mallama’s verbal exchanges with Maigida, Townspeople, and Career Mistress reveal an Afrocentric ideology that is accommodationist, pro-patriarchy and devoid of the dogmatism and aggressiveness often associated with some strands of Western feminism. Her motherist consciousness is evident in her critique of characters who perpetuate harmful traditions that undermine womanhood. The study contributes to the understanding of how writers like Chinwuba employ literature to articulate the objectives of feminist advocacy within the African context. While rejecting male chauvinism and narcissism, the discourse foregrounds values such as gender complementarity, gender equity, motherhood, womanhood, family and marriage as essential ingredients that shape Afrocentric feminist thought and practice.