GENDER ISSUES IN AFRICAN LITERATURE: A PHILOSOPHICAL EVALUATION

Abstract

New theories of Africa must accept the strategic value of a philosophical analysis of gender issues in African literature. This is because gender marginalisation frustrates the harnessing of Africa’s full potential, thus making gender concerns critical to Africa’s future. For this reason the resolution of the deeper issues of gender marginalisation requires a broad understanding of its roots. This is where philosophy and literature come in as methodological tools. Literature can reveal the nature of an individual’s relation to society particularly in the area of change that has occurred over extended periods. Interrogating gender and approaching it from the angle of literature makes it possible to address inequalities and injustice and what gave rise to them. Literature, however, is a work of fiction. The job of philosophy here is to extract the ideas contained in literature and expose them to critical investigation. This way the ideas contained in literature can be used to further gender understanding. This study finds out that gender issues are nuanced and multidimensional and cannot be explained by mere gender difference. This study concludes that there is serious need to build gender social capital that is sensitive to how the issues causing gender discrimination is handled so as not to create other forms of discrimination in male-female relationship. This is also a statement of what is needed to produce understandings capable of holding male and female and, even, their dreams together