Female writings in the dynamic Igbo society: A comparative analysis of Ifeoma Okoye's Behind the clouds and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple hibiscus

Abstract

Female writing, generally speaking, is a protest literature. Protest in the sense that the pioneer writers of this genre perceived literature written by men as profusely chauvinistic where women were presented as second class citizens in their own society. In some societies, women were seen simply as “heifers” to be disposed at any time by the men. European women in the 18th century, obviously not pleased with the poor treatment meted to them by their men counterparts but they remained complacent because of the societal belief that women were only meant to be seen and not to be heard. However, few of them decided to hide under the masculine pen-name to write and strive for their liberation. In Africa, Nigerian women suffered the same subjugation as seen in the works of prominent male writers like Achebe. Thus, African women decided to join their colleagues in other parts of the world to protest against the chauvinism. In this paper therefore, the researchers aim to analyze Ifeoma Okoye and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s concepts of feminism with the aim to x-ray their areas of overlap and disparity. As the work aims to x-ray the views of women as well as how they vigorously fight for their rights using literature, the authors have considered feministic approach as the most suitable theoretical framework for the work.