FEMINIST AETHESTIC IN OLA ROTIMI’S OUR HUSBAND HAS GONE MAD AGAIN AND FEMI OSOFISAN’S MOROUNTODUN

FEMINIST AESTHETIC IN OLA ROTIMI’S OUR HUSBAND HAS GONE MAD AGAIN AND FEMI OSOFISAN’S MOROUNTODUN

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background to the Study

Feminism as literary theory is an ideology which tends towards female liberation in society. According to Joseph, Feminism as an ideology of social commitment to the struggle for female liberation in the society through conscious and collective effort (199)

Feminist criticism proceeds from the assumption that “the history of all the societies, is the history patriarch of male domination and exploitation of women” a situation which has hinder the actualization of women’s possibilities aid potentials in all fields of human Endeavour. (19)

Women all over the world are crying for the liberation of their identity, women are only seen but not to be heard, due to the belief that they are weaker set, men take over every aspect of life thereby subjecting women to a domestic slave, Feminism  like a maximum is concerned about societal inequalities. It is also a literary ideology founded on the need to develop a female tradition of creative to cause awareness on the high of women as the oppressed, deprived subjected and unfulfilled gender according to Obioma.

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Women should not be seen as objects to decorate the homes but they should be regarded as major contributors to the destiny of the nation without really affecting the role as matters and wolves at home. (49)

Thus, it insists that the only way to send the oppression of women is for men to stop seeing women as a subject and inferior being Alchonel asserted that;

Women should no longer be decorative accessories, objects to be  moved about, and companions to be flatted or claimed with promises, they should see themselves as the nation’s primary fundamental roots, from which all else grows and blossom, women encourage to take a keen interest in the destiny of the country (77)

It is on this background that several African Feminist writers like Flora Nwapa, Zaynab Alkalie etc advocate equal rights for women. The writers are a gradient in their approaches to women emancipation as they portray the ability of their rural woman to be part of men in farming

          African male writers have presented better myths and images of women in their play. Writing, such writers include Wole Soyinka, Ngugi Wathiong and Olu Obafemi have recognized the potentials of the women to complement the efforts of the men to transform the society in his play The trial of Dedan Kimath, the women are seen as they champion the oppressed Kenyans. She mobilizes the youths mainly girls to free Kimath. The imprisoned leader of man, man freedom fighters, therefore, with the use of Rotimi’s work Our Husband has gone mad again, mainly act by men to enslave women will be analyzed. Also, through the work of Osifisan’s morountodun, some cultural practices that forfeit women rights, personality shall be analyzed and needs to stop.

 1.2 Statement of the problem

          The injustice and negative portrayal of Female in the Africa society and African literary works by most African male writer have led to clashes between male and female writers. The problem has made writers to disagree in their perception and ideas about Feminism in African Fiction.

          In some African literary works, there has been the problem of maltreatment of women by men in African fiction. The female characters are mostly maltreated and portrayed as negatively as men extremity to male characters. Therefore, this research is set to investigate the manners in which female children are deprived of their right in African society

1.3 Purpose of the study

          The purpose of this study is to examine Feminist aesthetic, using two carefully, selected play as primary data, Ola Rotimi’s Our husband has gone mad again and Femi Osifisan’s Morountodun. Using radical feminism to show that women should be treated equally as men and that gender difference is no excuse for maltreatment. This work aims at bringing out how cultural practices affect women, the pain it brings and the overall survival of female gender, the roles they could play in their community to make the society a better place it also focuses on how women have struggled side by side with their male counterparts against the general injustice and oppression that the few privileged.

1.4 Significance of the study

          The importance of women in any given society cannot be underestimated and this research work will be significant in the following ways:

i.        It will reveal how women take part in revolutionary activities.

ii.       It will also reveal how women play an active role with men in the development of society.

iii.      It will also help men to learn how to value their women knowing fully well that the women are also a human being.

iv.      It will also help another researcher to have the fall knowledge on the importance of women in society and the need to treat them with care and love as the carriers of generation and life.

1.5     Research methodology

          This research will be based on library research, the primary source of information will be Rotimi’s Our husband has gone mad again and Osifisan’s Morountodun. The research shall also source for information from relevant internet.

1.6 Scope and Delimitation

          The scope of the study shall be limited to Feminist aesthetic in Ola Rotimi’s Our husband has gone mad again and Femi Osofisan’s Morountodun. The scope will not extend to other areas, as a result, the limitations will by no means affect the result of the study.

1.7 Objectives of the Study

          The objectives of this research work is intended specifically to ascertain why women are maltreated in African society using Rotimi’s Our husband has gone mad again and Osofisan’s Morountodun

2.       To examine and investigate hoes women are represented in African fiction

3.       To also examine the effect of deprivation of women’s’ rights.

1.8     Bio-Data of Ola Rotimi

Oluwale Gladstone Emmanuel Rotimi was born on  13th April 1938. A native of Sapele Delta State, Nigeria. He attended St. Cyprians School,, in Port Harcourt from 1945 to 1949 St. Judas School, Lagos, from 1951 to 1952 and Methodist Boys High School in Lagos before traveling to the United State in 1959 to study at Boston University where he obtained a BA in Fine Arts in 1965 he married Hazel Mae Guadreau.

          In 1966 he obtained MA from Yale School of Drama where he earned the destination of being a Rockefeller foundation school in playwriting and dramatic literature. On his return to Nigeria, he taught at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) during the 1960s due to a political condition in Nigeria, he spent much of this 1990s living in the Caribbean and the United State, where he taught at Manchester College. His work of art include to the God of Iron, Our husband has gone mad again (1966) The Gods are not to be blame (1968) Holding Talles (1978) Oyonramwen Nogbasi (1971) hopes of the living dead (1985) When the criminals become judges. (Unpublished) Ola Rotimi passed into glory on 18th August 2000 at the age of 62.

1.8.1 Bio Data of Femi Osofisan

          Babafemi Adeyemi Osofisan was born on June 1946, a native of Eronwon Village in Ogun State. Osifisan attended primary school at Government school Ife and Secondary school at Government College, Ibadan. He attended University of Ibadan (1966-1969) he moved to University of Dakar, Senegal and postgraduate studies Sorbonne Paris. He held of faculty positions at the University of Ibadan. He became a professor of Theater Arts, Kwara State University and was retired in 2011.

          He is Vice President (West Africa) at the Pan African writer association. In 2016, he became the first African to be awarded the Prestigious Thalia Prize by the International Association of theater Critics. His selected works are Kolera Kolej (1975) The chattering and the song (1977) Morountodun and other plays (1982) Minted Coins (1987) Another Rafle (1988) Once upon four Robbers (1991) “Twingle Twangle” (1992), etc. The Album of the midnight blackout (1994) Tegonni (1999) Theater and the Pete  (1999) etc.

1.9 Definition Of Terms 

1.       Aesthetic: It is an intellectual and art movement that support values more than social political themes for literature, fine music,

and other arts

2.       Feminist: It refers to a group of people that opines for legal and social restriction on female must be removed in order to bring about equality of both sexes in all aspects of public and private life.