This document discusses the representation of women in African literature. It analyzes several novels, including Things Fall Apart, Grain of Wheat, and Waiting for Barbarians. Some key points made in the document include: 1) Women and land are often used to represent nations and are marginalized. 2) Women commonly face exploitation, suppression, and lack of voice or identity in the literature. 3) Concepts like "motherland" depict land and nations as female but mute and ruled by men. Overall, the document argues that African literature frequently marginalizes and victimizes women.

1. Prepared by : Nidhi Jasani
Paper : African Literature
Enrolment number : 14101018
Department of English M.K.B.
University
Email: nidhijasani15@gmail.com
Representation of Women in African
literature

2. REPRESENTATION OF WOMAN WITH REFERENCE OF
 Things Fall Apart
 Grain of Wheat
 Waiting for Barbarian
 Swamp Dweller

3. WHAT WE DISCUSS…
 How land and women represent.
 Marginalization of women.
 Exploitation of women.
 Suppression of women.

4. HOW WOMEN AND LAND PRESENT
Concept of
Mother land Father land

5. LAND AND WOMEN
• In Grain of Wheat, we found that people say
that ‘Kenya is our mother’.
• Concept of motherland (mother is female)
• Mother land is always muted and silent.
• Ruled by British people and then native
people.
• Colonizer comes with masculine power.
(nation)

6. In Thing Fall Apart we found that as part of
punishment Okonkwo exile from ‘father land’
and send to ‘mother land’.
Okonkwo also respected because he have
three wives an piece of land.
A man who has piece of land and many wife is
richest and powerful in the place.

7.  Not only marginalization but
double marginalization of women.
 Achebe gives name to Okonkwo’s
mother land but he fails to give
name to Okonkwo’s mother.
 In Waiting for Barbarians the
Barbarian girl is only female
character is shown in novel but
she also have not given name.
Marginalization of
women

8. EXPLOITATION OF WOMEN
 In ‘Waiting for Barbarians’ we
found that the girl has not given
voice to shows the condition of
women in their society.
 By helping her Megistar make her
victim of his sympathy.
 She known as ‘other’
 In the beginning her body is
unmarked, but later on her boy is
full of scars. (mind)

9. SUPPRESSION OF WOMEN
 Mumbi have all the quality of central
character, but she not considered as central
character.
 She is more strong then Mugo.
“Women are coward”
- Karanja laugh on
women.

10. Strong and
Independe
nt
Mumb
i
she should
have been
boy
Ezinm
a
Alu
Faithful
Consistent to
husband
Simple and
honest
Desala
Unfaithful
Inconsistent
Materialistic

11.  Men over power women.
 Started beating women
 Celebration of mesquenline power.
 Identity of women as an object to show
case of man power.
 Women have not their own identity.

12. . AT THE END OF DISCUSSION….
 In African literature women are voiceless or
consider as ‘others’.
 Women have not given appropriate and
enough space in literature.
 Exploitation of women and land also.
 In these all novels and plays, there is
suppuration and marginalization of women.
 There is victimization of women