By
Abu-Ubaida SANI
Department of Educational Foundations
Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto
Phone No. 08133529736
And
Muhammad Badamasi Tsaure
Department of Educational Foundations
Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto
Phone No. 08133529736
Being
a paper presented at the 13th International Conference on Ethnic
Nationalities, Cultural Memory and the Challenges of Nationhood in 21st
Century Literature, held at The University Auditorium, IBB University, Lapai,
from 30th August to 2nd September 2016.
Abstract
Gender
issues in Nigerian literature (and beyond) have for long been the protagonistic
thematic-preoccupation prevalent among male and female writers. Achebe (1958)
in “Things Fall Apart” shows that man stands for everything in the world and
women have to be submissive to the wills of their husbands. Amadi (1966) in
“The Concubine” portrays women as nothing. Arma (1968) in “The Beautiful Ones
Are Not Yet Born,” considers women as just means to destruct men. Female
writers on the other hand, such as Flora Nwapa, Buchi Emecheta, Zainab Alkali
and the contemporary born-again feminist – though a man – Abubakar Gimba, tried as far as possible to
x-ray women in their multi-dimensional write-ups as the sine quo non to the
actualization of men’s burning instrumental objective. However, this paper
endeavors to cast a look at the image of Northern Nigerian lingering
controversy of gender equality versus equity in the Abubakar Gimba’s “Sacred
Apples.” This is essentially considered as the thematic underpinning of the
book. The paper thus suggests some possible panaceas to act as attempt towards molding
literature as a means of calming the gender-related altercations. One of such
ways is, in practice, understanding how seriously such writings could have
influence on real life situations. Another is, ideally, orienting writers so as
to make conscious contributions on the phenomena in question.
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