Gender and Transformations: Female Activism in Tanure Ojaide’s The Activist
Gender and Transformations: Female Activism in Tanure Ojaide’s The Activist

Summary/Abstract: There are some gender expectations and roles that are traditionally assigned tothe woman which are both psychologically excruciating and potentially limiting. Many times,gender issues centre around male and female experiences; and the rationale behind feministwritings is to correct negative conceptions raised by male writers about women, and how wom-en can recreate their world and rightly manage their social space. Over time in history, womenhave maintained that the decisions which men make, often have far-reaching consequences onthem; to this end, they have chosen to get involved, questioning their roles, negotiating moreroles, taking on greater responsibilities and are exploring newer approaches to addressingsocial problems. The study seeks to unravel some transformational endeavours of women inTanure Ojaide’s The Activist. Through an analysis of samples of related reviews on gender writ-ings, the paper explores practical strategies of women to seek redress and as such transitionfrom the precarious margin of social experience to the centre. Drawing from nego-feminismtheoretical framework, an African feminism strand developed by Obioma Nnaemeka, whichconsist chiefly in negotiation, balance, compromise, and complementarity; the analysis exam-ines how women have negotiated their roles in their bid to make significant social changes andtransformations.The article finds out that gender politics is graphically etched and dramatisedin many African literary texts, but the form portrayed in Ojaide’s The Activist, is therapeutic,palliative and nurturing. It concludes by identifying gender stereotyping as a key impedimentto gender and transformations.

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