ORAL NARRATIVES AND THE AFRICAN WOMAN’S DISTRESS: APPRAISING INTER(INTRA)-GENDER HOSTILITIES IN URHOBO FOLKTALES

Abstract

Representation of gender problems in modern African literature has received critical attentions, especially at the level of inter-gender scuffles, stereotypes, injustice and misconception of gender roles. This, however, is not the case with African indigenous arts, particularly oral narratives, which are though permeated by different textures of gender themes, have not earned much scholarly interest. Since the African society is predominantly patriarchal, discourses on gender constructs primarily identify cases of male chauvinism, holding masculinity solely responsible for gender oppression. Folktale, an indigenous art-form that performs a utilitarian and an entertaining role in pre-modern African societies, conveys socio-cultural experiences of the people, particularly the social construction of gender subjects. This essay, therefore, examines reflections of inter-gender and intra-gender issues in selected folktales among the Urhobo of Nigeria. Three Urhobo folktales, Okpakemete and Omotekorho, Ovwarha Oghanhanre Na (The Precious Bead) and Omote Okpan Na (The Calabash-Girl) were purposively selected, tape-recorded, transcribed, translated and subjected to qualitative literary analysis. The critical discussion of the tales was anchored on Frank Boas and Bronislaw Malinowski’s Functionalist theory, which underscores the social function of folktales; and Womanist theory, an African variant of feminism, which decries radical, separatist agenda, and privileges gender parity for peaceful coexistence. The critical evaluation of the tales shows instances of gender oppression and hostile manifestations against the African woman, which are evident in husband-wife and wife-co-wife relationships. The selected texts support the claim that episodes of inter-gender and intra-gender subjugation and cruelty resonate in Urhobo oral narratives, specifically folktales.