Myth, Memory and Gender: Rereading Precolonial Womanhood in Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s Selected Works through Afrocentric and Africana Womanist Lenses

Abstract

This article explores Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s representation of the pre-colonial African woman based on the myth of Gikuyu na Mumbi as conveyed, particularly in The Perfect Nine: The Epic of Gikuyu and Mumbi (2018), with minimal cross-reference to A Grain of Wheat (1967). It is a qualitative textual analysis of the works, guided by Afrocentricity and Africana womanist theories. The article problematises the images ascribed to the African woman as well as society’s perception of her before Africa’s encounter with the West. It seeks to answer the questions: What images are ascribed to precolonial African women, and how authentic are they? How does the writer represent male and female relations of the past, and how do such representations relate to various feminist discourses?  The article notes that past African (Gikuyu) society is represented as very gender-sensitive, accommodating gender equality and unparalleled female political and economic authority. In addition, past African women are shown as very desirous of marriage and motherhood, reflecting their society’s values and ideals. In all instances, the writer consciously idealises the past, in pursuit of decolonisation and cultural recovery, sometimes impacting on, and sacrificing, historical accuracy. However, the article notes that such representations, while highlighting some positives that characterised past African life, sometimes fail to stand up to feminist arguments. The article concludes that though such portrayal needs to be approached with caution, there are, however, valuable lessons helpful in alleviating the plight of today’s African woman.