Women's Role In Things Fall Apart Essay

Host: Warm welcome to everyone who joined us today in the studio to plunge into African society and culture. Today our topic of discussion will be “the Role of women in Things Fall Apart” by the famous Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe. The novel can be truly named influential, not only on African literature, but on literature around the world. Achebe is trying not only to inform the outside world about Igbo cultural traditions, but to remind his own people of their past and to assert that it had contained much of value. Not too many Africans in his time were ready to accept the European judgment that Africa had no history or culture worth considering. From the very beginning of the book Achebe introduces us to the main character Okonkwo, we

I am the third and youngest wife of Okonkwo and this is my story. I was born in Umuofia in a family of a farmer. My father Achike had a large farm. I remember from the very young age I was helping him and my mother Omenwa. As you may know yams are considered to be the main food in Umuofia, they are often eaten or used in cooking different meals, such as Yams Foo-foo or Yams Pottage, which are offered to guests during Yam Feast. In Umuofia yams are mainly cooked by women, men are busy with making strong drink, called palm wine. It is used for ceremonies, gifts or to welcome visitors of Umuofia. I grew up on farm helping my mom and dad in taking care of farm and nowadays I know everything about it.
Host: How can you describe your mother by that time, when you were child? Does she remind you of yourself? maybe the question about how you find Okonkwo as a husband would be better?
Ojiugo: Of course she does… When I was that young girl, who was walking around the farm and enjoying her day by helping my mom in cooking process, I have never thought that one day I will be like her. Her day contained only two activities: cooking and taking care of us children. And now I’m absolutely the same person, who cooks and takes care of my children, who remind me of that young girl who once was just like them.
Host: Interesting… Can you tell me some more details about

My name is Adamma, which in translation means child of beauty. In the Igbo society women are generally perceived to be lower in hierarchy than men. Maybe this inequality arises because of male’s biological superiority, they are usually stronger… Moreover, they are still the holders of very significant role in Ibo society. Originally women in this society seem to be very weak, those without power hence useless in the society. It is clear that even though men in the Igbo society beat women and discriminate them in other major ways, women still own very important roles, such as caretakers of their crops, educators and story tellers for their children. They also function as spiritual leaders and carry out other very important role in the Ibo society. Therefore it is incorrect to call women weak, one of the examples of powerful women in the Igbo village is found in the role they play in the Igbo religion. The women routinely perform the role of priestess. The narrator recalls that during Okonkwo’s boyhood, “the priestess in those days was a woman called Chika. She was full of the power of her god, and she was greatly feared”. The present priestess is Chielo, “the priestess of Agbala, the Oracle of the hill and the Caves”. The ability of a woman to occupy the role of a priestess, a spiritual leader, reveals a clear degree of reverence for women being present in Ibo