An Eco feminist Reading of Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s Petals of Blood

The aim of this study is to attempt a reading of Thiong’o’s Petals of Blood (1977) from an ecofeminist point of view. Thiong’o’s concern with feminist issues as reflected in his fictional writings is given an ample examination. Yet, very little study is pursued about the ecofeminist tendency in his creative works. Thus, this paper is motivated by the interest to fill in the gap what previous studies have not yet accomplished. The treatment of Petals of Blood from an ecofeminist lens will broaden the analytical perspective and help to gain more comprehensive understanding of the novel. This interdisciplinary approach of relating literature to other fields of knowledge such as feminism and ecology will develop a cultural consciousness of woman's oppression in society and an environmental awareness of the dangers that might negatively affect our planet. The thematic and stylistic analyses of the novel show the destructive impact of colonialism, post-colonialism and patriarchy on the African woman and environment. This study emphasizes the African woman’s potentialities to protect and inhale the environment. For Thiong’o, it is through the incorporation of all the oppressed such as women, peasants, land and animals, environmental sustainability and balance can be attained. &nbsp

Africana Womanist Perspectives in Reading Dangarembga's Nervous Conditions

The aim of this paper is to present a new critical perspective of interpreting and understanding Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions utilizing Africana womanist theory as a viable and practical method of analysis. The study illuminates certain features of Africana Womanism reflected in Nervous Conditions to explore the deep meaning of the African woman experience. Though it is created by an African American intellectual, Hudson-Weems, Africana Womanism transcends the borders of the United States to absorb the needs and aspirations of women from Africa. Reading the novel from the perspective of Africana womanism challenges the view of categorizing Dangarembga as a feminist and her novel in the mainstream of feminist literature on the one hand, and helps to gain more comprehensive understanding of the novel on the other; hence, lies the importance and novelty of the study. To execute this goal, the researcher highlights the most salient attributes of Africana womanism which the female characters in Nervous Conditions fictionally exhibit as: self-namer, self-definer, authentic, complete, and genuine in sisterhood, family centered, male compatible, mothering and nurturing. Utilizing the approach of Africana womanism, all marginalized women should cooperate in creating their own paradigm which stems from their own social reality and reflects their cultural autonomy and integrity