Original scientific paper

Prescriptive and Proscriptive Female Gender Role Proverbs in Tony Uchenna Ubesie’s Isi Akwu Dara N’Ala

Mary Mba

Abstract

Traditionally, the Igbo culture is remarkable for its prescriptive and proscriptive gender stereotypes for women. Most of the time, if a woman does not subscribe to these gender roles, she is considered a bad woman and sometimes, ostracized. In this paper, I look at prescriptive and proscriptive gender role proverbs in Tony Ubesie’s novel, Isi Akwu Dara N’Ala. I show that Tony Ubesie’s work, though fictional, is grounded in the Igbo culture, as Ubesie bases his story on Igbo oral proverbs that portray Igbo traditions. In doing so I argue that Isi Akwu Dara n’Ala is more of a propaganda designed to prescribe and pro-scribe gender roles to Igbo women, who found freedom and independence, due to their roles as sole providers for their families during the Nigerian-Biafran Civil War. The novel is therefore an attempt to re-subjugate Igbo women to Igbo men after the war.

Keywords

Igbo proverbs; Tony Uchenna Ubesie; Isi Akwu Dara N’Ala; Nigerian-Biafran civil war; proscriptive and prescriptive proverbs

Hrčak ID:

278338

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/278338

Publication date:

31.8.2015.

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