Tess Onwueme‘s ―Shakara: Dance-Hall Queen‖– the Performance/ (Act) of a Mother

Abstract

Contemporary studies of women in literature tend to perceive them essentially as mothers; subjugated and subdued. This portrayal is most times imagined by male writers. Tess Onwueme‟s Shakara: Dance-Hall Queen challenges this thought. To her, mothers are icons of a society and procreators of the nation. She substantiates this through her women characters by subtly reconciling two parallel divides: past and present. Onwueme‟s appreciation of the Aniocha Ibo and Yoruba worldviews unfolds this contemporary dilemma in crisp artistic manner while employing the nuances of tradition matched with modernity. This paper questions the various portrayals of mothers within these divides, and submits that the modern-day mother has a lot to learn from tradition. The essay extends the argument that a mother is not “one who births” but “one who cares.” The essay concludes that mothering is rather a challenge in contemporary times taking into account against the drop in economic resources.