THE ROLE OF LITERARY ARTIST IN CURBING GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN AFRICAN LEADERSHIP

Abstract

This work sets out to examine the fact that over the years, women have suffered stringent oppression from both traditional and modern African societies due to the unsatisfactory appreciation of the significance of women in life. There have been gender discrimination and oppression which aimed at the subordination of African women in general and Igbo women in particular. There is a continuing lack of women leaders to determine the political, economic and social progress of humanity. It is the male subjugation of women folk borne out of various oppressive cultural practices and patriarchal structures that brought about feminist agitations. This has over the years led to various feminist writings. This therefore motivated the researcher into finding out the part the literary artists will play to create necessary awareness with regards to the importance of women in African leadership. Relevant literary texts and some other literatures relevant to the study were critically studied; thus adequate information was collected and analysed. The literary approach adopted for the study is Alice Walker womanism. This literary approach is relevant to the study because it advocates that people have to co-exist peacefully in the family as well as in the society. It is hoped that this work will help people generally to change their negative attitude to gender issues especially as it affects African leadership.