past few decades, African women scholars have weighed in on significant issues raised by feminists all over the world. With each new point of view, the knowledge base about the African woman’s life, thoughts and experiences continues to grow. This research explores female space and other aspects of the African woman’s social environment, re-examining questions of identity, womanhood and female empowerment in Africa by looking at Lola Shoneyin’s novel, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives. It employs Chikwenye Okonjo Ogunyemi’s African feminist theory—African Womanism—as a theoretical framework in order to recreate women’s experiences and the affirmative processes of African women in contemporary society, while serving as a suitable pedestal that addresses fundamental issues and likewise proffers suggestions towards ameliorating patriarchal oppression, subjugation, and marginalisation faced by the African women in society. By its examination of both wifehood and motherhood alongside the institution of marriage in the context of Nigerian women’s lives and experiences, the research calls attention to the ways marriage is fundamental to the evolution and definition of female space. The recurrent conflict between the rural and urban women is significantly depicted in the work and the study suggests that the African woman’s identity depends not only on individual self-assertion, but on the ability of both groups of women to pull together their resources for individualised and communal self-actualisation.
Okafor, U. (2020). Womanhood and Identity in Lola Shoneyin THE SECRET LIVES OF BABA SEGIS WIVES. Afribary. Retrieved from https://afribary.com/works/womanhood-and-identity-in-lola-shoneyin-the-secret-lives-of-baba-segis-wives
Okafor, Ugochi "Womanhood and Identity in Lola Shoneyin THE SECRET LIVES OF BABA SEGIS WIVES" Afribary. Afribary, 06 Jul. 2020, https://afribary.com/works/womanhood-and-identity-in-lola-shoneyin-the-secret-lives-of-baba-segis-wives. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Okafor, Ugochi . "Womanhood and Identity in Lola Shoneyin THE SECRET LIVES OF BABA SEGIS WIVES". Afribary, Afribary, 06 Jul. 2020. Web. 21 Nov. 2024. < https://afribary.com/works/womanhood-and-identity-in-lola-shoneyin-the-secret-lives-of-baba-segis-wives >.
Okafor, Ugochi . "Womanhood and Identity in Lola Shoneyin THE SECRET LIVES OF BABA SEGIS WIVES" Afribary (2020). Accessed November 21, 2024. https://afribary.com/works/womanhood-and-identity-in-lola-shoneyin-the-secret-lives-of-baba-segis-wives