Gender and Identity in the Works of Osonye Tess Onwueme

Gender and Identity in the Works of Osonye Tess Onwueme
Author: Iniobong I. Uko
Publisher: Africa Research and Publications
Total Pages: 332
Release: 2004
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN:

This is a seminal analysis of the present sixteen plays and one novel by Osonye Tess Onwueme, who is Africa's most prolific and versatile female playwright. This book emerges as an invaluable African contribution towards the controversial global discourse on gender, race, tradition and modernity and demonstrates the interconnectivity of the African in the African continent and in the Diaspora. The text comprises an introduction, seven exclusive chapters of insightful appraisal of Onwueme's work, a comprehensive interview and a chronolgy of her life and work.

Gender and Identity in the Works of Osonye Tess Onwueme

Gender and Identity in the Works of Osonye Tess Onwueme
Author: Iniobong I. Uko
Publisher: Africa Research and Publications
Total Pages: 332
Release: 2004
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN:

Exploring the ancient Western martial art of catch-as-catch-can grappling, this definitive book covers the history, players, and strategies of the sport. Rich in history and full of painfully brutal techniques, catch-as-catch-can, or catch wrestling for short, is the great-grandfather of today’s mixed martial arts, professional wrestling, freestyle wrestling, and many reality-based self-defense systems. Say Uncle! includes explanations of the methods of catch-as-catch and is accompanied by clear illustrations that show how to use them most effectively, and the background of this unique sport is traced through America, Japan, England, and Ireland. Full of exclusive interviews with legends such as Karl Gotch, Billy Robinson, and Josh Barnett, this guide brings together all aspects of this little-known sport that is the root of modern MMA and professional wrestling.

Nigerian Female Dramatists

Nigerian Female Dramatists
Author: Bosede Funke Afolayan
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 286
Release: 2021-03-17
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 1000361799

This book showcases the important, but often understudied, work of Nigerian women playwrights. As in many spheres of life in Nigeria, in literature and other creative arts the voices of men dominate, and the work of women has often been sidelined. However, Nigerian women playwrights have made important contributions to the development of drama in Nigeria, not just by presenting female identities and inequalities but by vigorously intervening in wider social and political issues. This book draws on perspectives from culture, language, politics, theory, orality and literature, to shine a light on the engaged creativity of women playwrights. From the trail blazing but more traditional contributions of Zulu Sofola, through to contemporary postcolonial work by Tess Osonye Onwueme, Julie Okoh, and Sefi Atta, to name just a few, the book shows the rich variety of work being produced by female Nigerian dramatists. This, the first major collection devoted to Nigerian women playwrights, will be an important resource for scholars of African theatre and performance, literature and women’s studies.

African Pasts, Presents, and Futures

African Pasts, Presents, and Futures
Author: Touria Khannous
Publisher: Lexington Books
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2013-10-17
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 0739170422

African Pasts, Presents, and Futures: Generational Shifts in African Women's Literature, Film, and Internet Discourse, by Touria Khannous, provides a history of African women’s cultural production, as well as an alternative approach to the arguments that have traditionally dominated post-colonial studies in general, and African and gender studies in particular. It examines some of the more overarching questions that are prevalent in the works of African women authors, who position themselves within the contexts of Islam, feminism, nationalism, modernity, and global and postcolonial politics, thus engaging in the construction of socio-political platforms for reform in their home countries. The book explores different aspects of women’s agency at the political, cultural, social, religious and aesthetic level, and highlights their civil society activism and push for legal reform. It also traces their opinions on a range of social and political questions and underscores fundamental shifts in their positions and concerns through the different generations.

Performative Inter-Actions in African Theatre 1

Performative Inter-Actions in African Theatre 1
Author: Kene Igweonu
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2014-01-14
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1443855928

This book is part of a three-volume book-set published under the general title of Performative Inter-Actions in African Theatre. Each of the three books in the set has a unique subtitle that works to better focus its content, and differentiates it from the other two volumes. The contributors’ backgrounds and global spread adequately reflect the international focus of the three books that make up the collection. The contributions, in their various ways, demonstrate the many advances and ingenious solutions adopted by African theatre practitioners in tackling some of the challenges arising from the adverse colonial experience, as well as the “one-sided” advance of globalisation. The contributions attest to the thriving nature of African theatre and performance, which in the face of these challenges, has managed to retain its distinctiveness, while at the same time acknowledging, contesting, and appropriating influences from elsewhere into an aesthetic that is identifiably African. Consequently, the three books are presented as a comprehensive exploration of the current state of African theatre and performance, both on the continent and diaspora. Performative Inter-Actions in African Theatre 1: Diaspora Representations and the Interweaving of Cultures explores the idea that, in and from their various locations around the world, the plays of the African diaspora acknowledge and pay homage to the cultures of home, while simultaneously articulating a sense of their Africanness in their various inter-actions with their host cultures. Contributions in Diaspora Representations and the Interweaving of Cultures equally attest to the notion that the diaspora – as we see it – is not solely located outside of the African continent itself, but can be found in those performances in the continent that engage performatively with the West and other parts of the world in that process of articulating identity.

Tradition and Change in Contemporary West and East African Fiction

Tradition and Change in Contemporary West and East African Fiction
Author: Ogaga Okuyade
Publisher: Rodopi
Total Pages: 434
Release: 2014-08-15
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9401211094

The essays in this volume capture the exciting energy of the emergent novel in East and West Africa, drawing on diffe¬rent theoretical insights to offer fresh and engaging perspectives on what has been variously termed the ‘new wave’, ‘emer¬gent generation’, and ‘third generation’. Subjects addressed include the politics of identity, especially when (re)constructed outside the homeland or when African indigenous values are eroded by globaliz¬ation, transnationalism, and the exilic condition or the self undergoes fragmen¬tation. Other essays examine once-taboo concerns, including gendered accounts of same-sex sexualities. Most of the essays deal with shifting perceptions by African women of their social condition in patriarchy in relation to such issues as polygamy, adultery, male domination, and the woman’s quest for fulfilment and respect through access to quality education and full economic and socio-political participation. Themes taken up by other novels examined in¬clude the sexual exploitation of women and criminality generally and the ex¬posure of children to violence. Likewise examined is the contemporary textual¬izing of orality (the trickster figure). Writers discussed include Chima¬manda Ngozi Adichie, Okey Ndibe, Helon Habila, Ike Oguine, Chris Abani, Tanure Ojaide, Maik Nwosu, Unoma Azuah, Jude Dibia, Lola Shoneyin, Mary Karooro Okurut, Violet Barungi, Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, Abidemi Sanusi, Akachi Ezeigbo, Sefi Atta, Kaine Agary, Kojo Laing, Ahmadou Kourouma, Uwen Akpan, and Alobwed’Epie Ogaga Okuyade teaches popular/folk culture, African literature and culture, African American and African diasporic studies, and the English novel in the Department of English and Literary Studies, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Nigeria. He has guest-edited special issues of ARIEL and Imbizo, and is the editor of Eco-Critical Literature: Regreening African Landscapes (2013).

The Columbia Guide to West African Literature in English Since 1945

The Columbia Guide to West African Literature in English Since 1945
Author: Oyekan Owomoyela
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2008-10-21
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9780231512152

Composed by a premier scholar of African literature, this volume is a comprehensive guide to the literary traditions of Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, and Nigeria, five distinct countries bound by their experience with colonialism. Oyekan Owomoyela begins with an overview of the authors, texts, and historical events that have shaped the development of postwar Anglophone literatures in this region, exploring shifts in theme and the role of foreign sponsorship and illuminating recent debates regarding the language, identity, gender, and social commitments of various authors and their works. His introduction concludes with a bibliography of key critical texts. The second half of the volume is an alphabetical tour of writers, publications, concepts, genres, movements, and institutions, with suggested readings for further research. Entries focus primarily on fiction but also touch on drama and poetry. Featured authors include Chris Abani, Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Cyprian Ekwensi, Uzodinma Chukuka Iweala, Helen Oyeyemi, and Wole Soyinka. Topics range from the European origins of African literature and the West African diaspora to the development of an "African personality," the establishment of a regional publishing industry, and the global literary marketplace. Owomoyela also discusses such influences as the postwar emergence of Onitsha Market Literature, the Mbari Club, and the importance of the Noma Award. Owomoyela's portrait points to the major impact of West African literature on the evolution of both African and world literatures in English. Sure to become the definitive text for research in the field, The Columbia Guide to West African Literature in English Since 1945 is a vital resource for newcomers as well as for advanced scholars seeking a deeper understanding of the region's rich literary heritage.

New Directions in African Literature

New Directions in African Literature
Author: Ernest Emenyo̲nu
Publisher: James Currey Publishers
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2006
Genre: African literature
ISBN: 0852555709

Contributors to this volume ask what are the new directions of African literature? What should be the major concerns of writers, critics and teachers in the twenty-first century? What are the accomplishments and legacies? What gaps remain to be filled, and what challenges are there to be addressed by publishers and the book industry? What are the implications for pedagogy in the new technological era? ERNEST EMENYONU is Professor of the Department of Africana Studies University of Michigan-Flint. North America: Africa World Press; Nigeria: HEBN

Student Encyclopedia of African Literature

Student Encyclopedia of African Literature
Author: Douglas Killam
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2007-12-30
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 0313054517

African literature is a vast subject of growing output and interest. Written especially for students, this book selectively surveys the topic in a clear and accessible way. Included are roughly 600 alphabetically arranged entries on writers, genres, and major works. Many entries cite works for further reading, and the volume closes with a selected, general bibliography. Africa is a land of contrasts and of diverse cultures and traditions. It is also a land of conflict and creativity. The literature of the continent draws upon a fascinating body of oral traditions and lore and also reflects the political turmoil of the modern world. With the increased interest in cultural diversity and the growing centrality of Africa in world politics, African literature is figuring more and more prominently in the curriculum. This book helps students learn about the African literary achievement. Written expressly for students, this book is far more accessible than other reference works on the subject. Included are nearly 600 alphabetically arranged entries on authors, such as Chinua Achebe, Athol Fugard, Buchi Emecheta, Nadine Gordimer, and Wole Soyinka; major works, such as Things Fall Apart and Petals of Blood; and individual genres, such as the novel, drama, and poetry. Many entries cite works for further reading, and the volume closes with a selected, general bibliography.