Women as champions of patriarchy : an exploration of negative female relationships in selected African women's fictional texts

Feminism, womanism and other forms of ideologies calling for the emancipation from patriarchy often portray men as the initiators and executors of abuse on women. However, women are known to also engage in acts that put other women at the mercy of patriarchal practices. Such acts render women incapable of uniting to fight patriarchy or maintain peace in their homes and communities. This paper seeks to explore relational issues among women as portrayed in selected fictional writings of African female writers to identify how women initiate and perpetrate abuse of other women and their reasons for engaging in acts that ultimately help to promote the patriarchal system. The principles of Ubuntu are proffered as the solution to the problem. The texts considered are So Long A Letter by Mariama Bâ, Kehinde by Buchi Emecheta, and Changes: A Love Story by Ama Ata Aidoo.