Gender Inequality in So Long a Letter, Blossoms of the Savannah, and A Crooked Rib

Abstract

This paper examines three African novels: So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ, Blossoms of the Savannah by Henry Ole Kulet, and Nuruddin Farah's From a Crooked Rib as a way of focusing on and uncovering the major issues of gender inequality, forced marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM), and unequal access to education. The article demonstrates ways each novel reflects the inequalities due to patriarchal societies using qualitative textual analysis. The study is guided by social and radical feminist literary theories. So Long a Letter depicts patriarchal oppression through a polygamous Muslim culture, dysfunctional marriages, oppressive inheritance practices, and bold female characters driven by ambitions to seek independence through education. In Blossoms of the Savannah, FGM and arranged marriages of the Maasai are criticised by the heroines who refuse circumcision and refuse to get married because they want to get access to universally beneficial education. On the other hand, in From a Crooked Rib, Somali women are represented as a commodity who are married forcefully, exposed to FGM, and denied access to education. This is a symbol that inequality is evident in the texts, and the communities do not enable them to gain autonomy. The analysis was based on the African feminist theory, which stresses the colonial roots of patriarchal standards and a radical feminist argument that rejects domination by men. Moreover, the article exemplifies the condition in which tradition and modernity entrap women on the margins, and it highlights education as one of the means of empowerment.