Consort and Chicken-Soups: Ama Ata Aidoo’s Changes and Amma Darko’s Not Without Flowers

Polygamy exists in many African cultures. Ama Ata Aidoo and Amma Darko are among African novelists that explore norms of polygamy, and acquiescence often associated with women in the patriarchal system. The authors in the chosen texts appear to make loud statements about male traits and marital follies. In addition, the predicament of social imbalance, infidelity, economic subjugation and medical effects of such union are highlighted. The novels under examination are Amma Ata Aidoo’s Changes: A Love Story (1991) and Amma Darko’s Not Without Flowers.(2007) Both texts explore educated female characters with diverse visions and are to act out their objectives and goals. The female characters are believable and are given real life nuances psychologically and morally in contemporary Ghanaian society. The texts under study also reiterate the picture of liberal, free, educated and sophisticated wives who have strong traits to manage their situations while the disposition of some husbandsbreeds discord. The subversion of polygamy which draws on postfeminist concepts of ‘female individualism’ and ‘choice’ serves as the theoretical basis of the paper. The contention is that the novels reflect the plights, tribulations connected with contemporary polygamy and its disorganization of social life.

Keywords: Polygamy Post Feminism Infidelity Sexual and Mental Diseases

Author

• Felicia, Ohwovoriole,
  Department of English,University of Lagos,
  Akoka-Lagos.
  eruvwe2006@yahoo.com