Writing and Empowerment: Female Writers as Major Voices in Contemporary Africa

Abstract

This article argues that unlike the previous generations of African writers, the new generation is dominated by African women writers whose narratives are interwoven around empowered and dynamic female characters. Apprehending these writers as major voices in the new trend of African literature and as spokespersons of their societies, it studies novels by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Akachi Adimora Ezeigbo as typical narratives of the last decades. Encompassing fictional characters, historical figures and political leaders, it assesses the validity of female writer's representation of strong female characters successfully struggling and upholding patriarchal roots in contemporary Africa. The analysis proves first that the narratives of female writers stem from a feminist consciousness and then that these narratives draw inspiration from historical and contemporary African realities.