play review
WOMEN, THEIR OWN WORST ENEMIES: A
COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TESS ONWUEME 'S GO
TELL IT TO WOMEN AND THE REIGN OF WAZOBIA
Regina Ode, PhD
Department of Theatre Arts
Benue State Universiry, Makurdi
Abstract
Mythologically, most critics see women and their relationship with their spouses and the entire society as a fair description of their status through the ages. Biblical account has it that it was the woman who first tasted the forbidden fruit and also made the man to taste. The woman is, therefore adjudged to be cursed by the creator Himself. While some feminist writers query this natural dichotomy between the man and the woman, some writers, especially within the African feminist group, are influenced by this mythological justification by the Bible. They seem to suggest too, that even the domestic division of labor practiced in African culture based on sex and gender was ordained by God and therefore to change this would be to antagonize the creator. This has been the major problem of African feminist activities. There has been a strong disagreement within this sphere, while some believe in the western approach toward solving the woman emancipation problem; others see the approach as not workable in the African region. Perhaps it is this disagreement among our feminist scholars as well as activist that has brought about the multifaceted approach to the women question in Africa and indeed
Nigeria. Never mind that some feminist scholars have actually accused God of chauvinism, or even that He is a man. While in the Western world, there exists the agreement among feminist
81
scholars that women are subjugated, marginalized and therefore need to be liberated, our African scholars are still engaged in a battle of deciding whether our women are really deprived. As a matter of fact they argue that the strength of a woman lies in her womanhood and therefore should not be tampered with. To them,
African women are only 'faithfully '
COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TESS ONWUEME 'S GO
TELL IT TO WOMEN AND THE REIGN OF WAZOBIA
Regina Ode, PhD
Department of Theatre Arts
Benue State Universiry, Makurdi
Abstract
Mythologically, most critics see women and their relationship with their spouses and the entire society as a fair description of their status through the ages. Biblical account has it that it was the woman who first tasted the forbidden fruit and also made the man to taste. The woman is, therefore adjudged to be cursed by the creator Himself. While some feminist writers query this natural dichotomy between the man and the woman, some writers, especially within the African feminist group, are influenced by this mythological justification by the Bible. They seem to suggest too, that even the domestic division of labor practiced in African culture based on sex and gender was ordained by God and therefore to change this would be to antagonize the creator. This has been the major problem of African feminist activities. There has been a strong disagreement within this sphere, while some believe in the western approach toward solving the woman emancipation problem; others see the approach as not workable in the African region. Perhaps it is this disagreement among our feminist scholars as well as activist that has brought about the multifaceted approach to the women question in Africa and indeed
Nigeria. Never mind that some feminist scholars have actually accused God of chauvinism, or even that He is a man. While in the Western world, there exists the agreement among feminist
81
scholars that women are subjugated, marginalized and therefore need to be liberated, our African scholars are still engaged in a battle of deciding whether our women are really deprived. As a matter of fact they argue that the strength of a woman lies in her womanhood and therefore should not be tampered with. To them,
African women are only 'faithfully '
Cited: Afigbo, A,E "Women as Factor in Development" In Ijere Mo(Ed) Women in Nigeria Economy , Enugu Acena publishers, 1991 Onwueme Tess Go Tell It to Women New York: African Heritage Press, 1992 others. His dramatic works include, but are not restricted to the following This Land Must Sacrifice (1991), Drums of War (1995), Rogbodiyan (1995), Once Upon A Tower (2001) and Adanma 103