Defining The Ghanaian Feminist Novel: A Study of Ama Ata Aidoo’s Our Sister Killjoy and Changes and Amma Darko’s Beyond the Horizon and Not Without Flowers

Abstract

Since Simon De Beauvoir’s Second Sex (1949), various debates have taken place concerning feminism and its objectives. The definition of feminism and what it means to a group of people or region has also been very controversial. In Africa, feminism has been received with mixed feelings leading to the proposal of alternative terms and definitions in a bid to clearly define the struggle of African women. The search for diversity in feminism that is responsive to the different needs and concerns of different women, especially Ghanaian women, inspires this thesis. This thesis is written on the premise that feminism is universal but varies in objectives as a result of difference in region and culture. The main aim of this thesis is to examine and identify the concerns of feminism in Ghanaian fiction leading to a description of the Ghanaian Feminist Novel. Four novels are discussed using feminist concepts proposed by various African and Ghanaian feminist scholars to determine the nature of feminism in the selected novels. The study shows that the Ghanaian feminist novel portrays consciousness of the subjugation, fears and struggles of women in the Ghanaian socio-cultural context In addition, the analyses isolate four major parameters for identifying the Ghanaian feminist novel: Characters, Situations, Conflicts and Themes. The main characters in the novel are usually educated women, who encounter conflicts that stem from the problem of reconciling the changing roles and responsibilities of Ghanaian women with that of the traditionally accepted ones. The difficulties encountered are marital, political, professional, social and sexual in nature. The above situations also reflect themes (such as issues of poverty, social vice and health) that are of concern to Ghanaian women.