SOURCE:

Faculty: Arts
Department: T&fs

CONTRIBUTORS:

Nwafor, B.I;
Nwadigwe,C. E;
Obadiegwu, C. C;

ABSTRACT:

Gender issues have continued to generate tension in the global society with women accusing men of perpetrating gender injustice against them. Men, similarly accuse women of emasculation as witnessed in most societies in recent times. This study has examined the varied depictions of gender in modern African drama which have often been from tilted perspectives. The study has explored the various approaches to the issue through a re-examination of gender representation in select plays of Julie Okoh, Irene Salami, Tess Onwueme and Julie Umukoro and evaluated these diverse depictions for balanced but radical perception of gender in the contemporary society. Womanism and Motherism concepts of feminist ideology are employed as framework to interrogate and conceptualize gender equality and complementarity as postulated by Alice Walker, Catherine Acholonu, Chikwenye Ogunyemi and expanded by Desiree Lewis and others. In carrying out the research, the study adopted the Content Analysis approach of the qualitative research method for data collection, analysis and presentation. The study found out that there is bias in the depiction of gender in modern African drama and that empowerment is necessary in the struggle for gender equity. It was also observed that most Nigerian female playwrights have detached from the Formalist’s school of thought which laid emphasis on the “form” rather than the “content” and moved on to “radical drama” which emphasizes content instead of context. Tess Onwueme, Julie Okoh, Irene Salami and Julie Umukoro, no doubt belong to the category of playwrights who used their works to expose social injustice and tackle persistent gender problems in Nigeria. The study concludes that although gender issues have been major sources of raw materials, their usage in African drama are quite distinct. While the older generation used them to correct certain wrong perceptions about gender in Africa and her culture, the emergent playwrights seem to re-write or adapt them for revolutionary/reformative ideals. Hence, a re-reading of gender in modern Nigerian drama has become necessary. The study therefore recommends (among others) that gender equality should be pursued with caution and suggests gender equity rather than equality. The study also recommends that the examples of the female dramatists sampled should be emulated to douse gender tensions and create room for sustainable development in Nigeria in particular and Africa in general.