Examine the role of the old woman in anowa

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Old woman in anowa Summary

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Old woman in anowa

Ama Ata Aidoo’s drama Anowa, which was released in 1970, portrays the engrossing tale of its main character, who acts as an allegory for Africa as a whole. Aidoo, a Ghanaian playwright who is no stranger to Africa’s political and social unrest, uses Anowa to examine the relationships between men and women, husbands and wives, women and motherhood, mothers and daughters, society and the people who make it up, and the future encroaching on traditional practices.

The 1870s see the beginning of Anowa in the Ghanaian town of Yebi. Two characters, the Old Man and the Old Woman, enter the scene during the prologue and recount a recurring theme in Ghanaian folklore: the disobedient daughter. It is obvious that the Old Woman despises Anowa’s story, while the Old Man sees it as a chance for introspection.

The first scene after the prologue starts with Badua and Osam bickering about their independent daughter, Anowa. Osam thinks Anowa could make a better priestess than a wife, but Badua advises that Anowa must settle down, be married, and follow social conventions. However, Badua opposes the union after Anowa falls head over heels for the charming young man Kofi Ano. As Kofi is a narcissistic, lazy show-off from a family that tends to produce unreliable husbands, she wants to set up a marriage for Badua. Anowa marries Kofi in defiance of her mother’s advice, abandoning Yebi village for good.

The reader spots Kofi and Anowa driving two years later. They are selling grain and monkey skins to make a respectable, if difficult, livelihood. Despite their lively and loving relationship, Anowa asks Kofi if he wouldn’t mind having a second wife. The reader is informed that they have been attempting to conceive a kid unsuccessfully. Kofi prefers that they speak with a medicine man, but Anowa want to see a conventional Western physician. Kofi shifts the conversation to slavery. To assist them in their duties, he intends to purchase a number of guys. The idea disgusts and incenses Anowa. She regards slavery as evil. She also claims that she will wither away if she has no task to do.

Kofi has been more rich throughout the years. At least financially, purchasing the slaves has been very profitable. However, things are getting worse in his marriage to Anowa. She hates being sedentary now that she isn’t required to work, just as she had anticipated. He is perplexed by her inability to take pleasure in or value the life he has created for them together. However, the fact that they are still childless weighs hard on her and dominates her thoughts. She begs Kofi to take another wife once more, but he declines.

Kofi has risen to prominence as the wealthiest person on the Guinea Coast in the play’s concluding scene. But he is still unable to please Anowa. Without a child to care for or regular work to do, she feels lost and dejected. While urging the kids who clean for them to call her mommy, she spends her days pacing around their house. In their final dispute, he declares that he wants her to go. He’s miserable because of her lack of thanks. He wants to go separate ways for her own benefit. He won’t, though, offer her a particular explanation. Anowa is furious. Although she would be willing to leave him, she does not want to be kicked out. The slaves are called by her and assemble in the room with them. She admits in front of everyone that Kofi is infertile, which is why they are childless.

Kofi exits the space before shooting himself. Soon later, Anowa drowns herself. Reentering the stage are the Old Man and Old Woman. The Old Woman blames Anowa for everything, blaming her erratic behavior and emotional instability. The Old Man, however, asserts that the villagers, Anowa, and Kofi are equally to blame. Although the story has a bleak ending, the fact that the Old Man is given the final say shows that Aidoo is more positive about change than she is.

Anowa is a difficult drama that raises important issues. It has been praised as a feminist masterpiece since its publication and received well-deserved critical acclaim.