Education as a Tool for Empowerment of the African Woman in Second-class Citizen
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18533/jah.v12i02.2320Abstract
The deprivation of women, preventing them getting equal education opportunities like their male counterparts, is a common practice in many African societies. The current study focuses on Buchi Emecheta's treatment of the functional role of education for the African woman as fictionally presented in her novel Second Class Citizen (1974). The paper demonstrates the protagonist's struggle to attain education, challenging the cultural, racial and patriarchal oppressive forces that deny the African woman's right to have the chance of a proper education. Tracing Adah's's journey of acquiring education, the study illuminates the role of education in empowering the African woman intellectually and economically. Also, education has paramount significance in emancipating the African woman from subjugation and oppression. Equipped with education, Adah has achieved her dream of being a promising writer and a successful mother.
Key words: Female education, Buchi Emecheta, Second Class Citizen, African woman empowerment
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