BY Oriaku Nwosu
The African Woman - Nigerian PerspectiveDEDICATION
To my mother, Sophine, who taught me to appreciate African culture and the dignity of African Womanhood; my daughters - Ngozi and Njideka, who cherish these ideals; and my grand-daughter, also Njideka, who, we hope will follow in their foot-steps.
INTRODUCTION
Today's woman owes her "Better Tomorrow" to herself and to her fellow womenfolk more than the menfolk of the world's societies. If her tomorrow is to be comfortable, today is the time to make her bed and fix it for that future. The story is identical in a lot of ways whether she lives in America, Europe, Asia or Africa. Today's economic crisis, the political atmosphere and moral laxity, in short - "les Maux du Siècle" or the century's ills, to borrow the words of the famous 19th Century French writer Chateaubriand, have dealt gravely with the womenfolk. In difficult situations such as we now find ourselves, the women folk are usually the most vulnerable. Poverty, unemployment, deprivation in all its forms, deal their first blows on women.
It is not because of women's physical, mental or other forms of weakness that make them the first victims, rather the gender hierarchies within the family, the sex-stereotyping tendencies in our societies and various other forms of unspeakable discrimination against women, make them victims. Thus the womenfolk are forced to bear, in no small terms, the brunt of penury brought about by these hard times.
Indeed, considerable research, outcry and talk on women's issues have been documented. The awareness has been created and a lot of information has been assembled over the years by scholars and other interested groups. These documents have been circulated to various government agencies and policy makers. Unfortunately, practical action has not matched the various resultant communiqués, proposals and outcome of researches carried out. Results, if any, have been very insignificant and very, very slow. There has been more theory than action.
This book will attempt to review the status of African Woman using the Nigerian Woman as specimen, from her authentic traditional rural set-up to her urban set-up and look into the future as we approach the 21st century, to determine how she prepares for the desired empowerment.
In so doing, we shall x-ray the African Woman by redefining her status, then reclaiming the positive aspects of her lost glory, and finally calling for action towards restoring those values to suit the 21st century needs as we move into that era.
BIMA PUBLICATIONS, BIMA AFRICA, LTD. ISBN 978-30972-4-5 Copyright 1993, All rights reserved. Used by Permission. A BASIC LOOK PUBLISHING COMPANY
WELCOME TO ABOUT THE AUTHOR -
DR. ORIAKU NWOSU
The Author, Dr. Oriaku Nwosu nee Irukwu is presently a Professor of Foreign Languages at Delaware State University in the U.S.A. She was born in Item, Bende Local Government Area in Abia State of Nigeria. After attending one of Nigeria’s premier girls institutions - St. Monica’s College, Ogbunike, she trained as Teacher and Broadcaster both in Nigeria and the U.S.A.
She holds a Bachelors degree in French/Education from Central Michigan University, U.S.A.: Maitrise (Master’s degree) in French and Applied Linguistics as well as Doctorat de 3e Cycle (Doctorate degree) in Comparative Literature from the Université de Paris - Sorbonne in France.
Dr. Nwosu has held many leadership positions both in her teaching career and in humanitarian, social and community service organizations in Nigeria and abroad. She has served on the Boards of several corporate and professional organizations including Progress Bank of Nigeria Plc, Imo Television Board and in the Senate of Institutions including Imo (now Abia) State University, Delaware State University and The Polytechnic Owerri. She has won many professional merit awards for excellence on the job and, as a recognized scholar, she has published extensively.
The Author has served and continues to serve as President and Vice President of International, National and Village Women’s organizations like the Lioness Club District 404, Business and Professional Women’s Club, the Management Board of the Girls Guide Association, the “Umuada” and Village Age Group Associations in Item and Umuahia. She has been a community leader and contributor for development. The author’s interest in, and knowledge about women and girls have been based not only on extensive reading, research and travels, but on the fact that she has lived and experienced everything she writes about. She speaks and writes in all the main Nigerian languages - Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, Efik/Ibibio, having lived, at different times, in those areas. She is an expert on Francophone and Anglophone, African and Caribbean Studies. This book is for academic as well as for general interest reading.
BIMA Publications, Bima Africa, Ltd. ISBN 978-30972-5-3, Copyright 1993, All rights reserved. Used by Permission. A Basic Look Publishing Company.
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Waste no more time arguing what a good man (or woman) should be. Be one.by Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
