![]() ![]() “Woman hood is a highly valued role open only to women but desired by both men and women as well as the society as a whole it is the channel by which men reproduce themselves and continue the family name and it is the channel by which women actualize their psycho-religious need to be the source of life. The primacy of womanhood to African women has been elucidated by Oduyoye thus: A woman‘s ability to secure her marriage rests on her ability to give birth. ![]() In Africa, procreation is the most common expectation governing marriage. An examination of the case study of faceless Amma Darko and women at point zero novel. ![]() Based on this set back in this research focus on violation of the right of women in African novel. Any other role contrary to these stereotypical roles is regarded as an affront to male authority and ego which results in violence, oppression and violation of women right. In spite of these, a woman, especially in Africa, is only respected and regarded as fulfilled when she performs her traditional duties as a housewife, mother, homemaker and caregiver who is meant to be seen and not heard. To be a man is an illusion, an act of violence that requires no justification(Henrietta and Nwodo, 1982) Hence women are therefore viewed as the passive sacrificial lamb, always ready to be sacrificed on the altar of man’s social, economic and political spheres of the society by making meaningful contribution to its development. “To be a woman is a natural infirmity and every woman gets used to it. Therefore she is made to accept her subordinate and second class position hence leading to the violation of her human right. Any attempt by women to protest against the injustices and discrimination meted by the men folk is tantamount to challenging age long tradition and culture which is perceived to be a sacrilege. The cultural beliefs, traditions and religions of most societies give more attention to patriarchy thereby ensuring the continuation of the domination and repression of women. ![]() The fact that we live in a modern world with monumental technological advancement has not changed the grim reality that women are discriminated against and suppressed because of the patriarchal molded structures. The various stages of a woman‟s life and the peculiar type of oppression of each stage as portrayed in the novel forms the subject of the next discussion.įemale oppression is a problem that still exists in present day society. The story, a true life account of a woman awaiting execution on death row, corroboratesNgugi‟s assertion that “Literature does not grow or develop in a vacuum it is given impetus, shape, direction and even area of concern by social and economic forces in a particular society” (XV). Set in Egypt, the novelist reveals the deep rooted cultural and religious beliefs which are actually barriers to the self actualization of the female. Nawal El Sadaawi‟s portraiture of this grim reality in Woman at Point Zero brings to fore the various phases of injustices and abuse that women grapple with in phallocentric societies. These include domestic violence, sexual abuse, Female Genital Mutilation, child-brides, bride-burning, discrimination in religious institutions and work place and other harmful cultural practices that inhibit the personal development of women in the society. This paper examines the different subjugating conditions that women are confronted with daily. ![]()
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