Looking Forward by Looking Backward: Reclaiming the Status of African Women in Mugo's My Mother's Poem and Other Songs

Sadek, Sayed; Noureddin, Amr

doi:10.21608/jwadi.2024.387196

Looking Forward by Looking Backward: Reclaiming the Status of African Women in Mugo's My Mother's Poem and Other Songs

نوع المستند : المقالة الأصلية

المؤلفون

Sayed Sadek ¹
Amr Noureddin ²

¹ Professor of English, University of Bahrain

² Assistant Professor of English, University of Bahrain

10.21608/jwadi.2024.387196

المستخلص

The present paper seeks to establish the Kenyan poet, critic, playwright, and human rights activist Micere Githae Mugo as a black feminist, highlighting her philosophy of African Feminism within the paradigm of Postcolonial feminism. The paper attempts to answer the following queries: 1) What alternative African terms are used to replace white feminism? 2) What are the aesthetics of Mugo's poetry to enhance the black feminist theory? 3) What feminist strategies are employed by Mugo for the empowerment of modern African women? 4) Is Mugo a radical feminist, a womanist, or a mixture of both trends? Thus, this paper aims to take stock of Mugo's contributions and position her appropriately within the various strands of feminism. The paper shines a spotlight on the different influences on Mugo’s career and her distinctive philosophy of feminism, which sifts through the achievements of past African women in the hope to inspire modern women to take a leaf out of their book. It also explores Mugo’s lifelong efforts to re-empower African women both within and beyond the continent, and her strongly held belief in the exceptional skills of African women, past and present.

الكلمات الرئيسية