Mariama Ba was a Senegalese author and feminist born in Dakar, Senegal and was raised a Muslim by her maternal grandparents. Being raised by her traditional grandparents, she had to struggle to gain an education because; they did not believe that girls should be taught. But against her grandparents’ wishes, she graduated from the Teacher’s College in 1947 and taught for 12 years. Ba later married a Senegalese member of Parliament, Obèye Diop, but divorced him and was left to care for their nine children. Her frustration with the fate of African women; as well as her ultimate acceptance of it is expressed in her first novel, So Long a Letter. Ba’s source of determination and commitment to the feminist cause stemmed from her background, her
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It has gained a worldwide recognition because it focuses on the plight of women. Ba talks about the various forms of oppression that women go through in order to survive their predicament. The issue of women’s oppression and empowerment has been one major theme in African literature in the last few decades. Women suffer in this way as a result of various factors, some of which may be related to traditional beliefs and practices in their societies. This is often interconnected with forms of race, caste and economic oppression. So Long a Letter exemplifies an outburst of the oppressed women under a polygamous set-up. The author condemns polygamy by highlighting and exposing the many ugly sides of the practice. One of the evils of polygamy is the physical separation and the emotional agony the female spouses are usually subjected to throughout their …show more content…
From then on my life changed. I had prepared myself for equal sharing, according to the precepts of Islam concerning polygamic life. I was left with empty hands.
… I lived in a vacuum. And Modou avoided me. Attempts by friends and family to bring him back to the fold proved futile… He never came back again; his new found happiness gradually swallowed up his memory of us. He forgot about us. SLL: 46
She started to face life with a strong face. It was only because she was educated and financially secure. Throughout her suffering, she survived. She took up all her household duties like buying food stuffs, paying electricity and water bills, replacing locks and latches of broken doors as well as looking for a plumber to check the blocked sink all by herself. She overcame her shyness by going alone to cinemas. She refreshes herself by watching movies packed with messages, sentiments, comedies and thrillers. Moreover she even feels grateful to Modou for having cut off all the contact without disturbing her by wallowing in indecision. She
It has gained a worldwide recognition because it focuses on the plight of women. Ba talks about the various forms of oppression that women go through in order to survive their predicament. The issue of women’s oppression and empowerment has been one major theme in African literature in the last few decades. Women suffer in this way as a result of various factors, some of which may be related to traditional beliefs and practices in their societies. This is often interconnected with forms of race, caste and economic oppression. So Long a Letter exemplifies an outburst of the oppressed women under a polygamous set-up. The author condemns polygamy by highlighting and exposing the many ugly sides of the practice. One of the evils of polygamy is the physical separation and the emotional agony the female spouses are usually subjected to throughout their …show more content…
From then on my life changed. I had prepared myself for equal sharing, according to the precepts of Islam concerning polygamic life. I was left with empty hands.
… I lived in a vacuum. And Modou avoided me. Attempts by friends and family to bring him back to the fold proved futile… He never came back again; his new found happiness gradually swallowed up his memory of us. He forgot about us. SLL: 46
She started to face life with a strong face. It was only because she was educated and financially secure. Throughout her suffering, she survived. She took up all her household duties like buying food stuffs, paying electricity and water bills, replacing locks and latches of broken doors as well as looking for a plumber to check the blocked sink all by herself. She overcame her shyness by going alone to cinemas. She refreshes herself by watching movies packed with messages, sentiments, comedies and thrillers. Moreover she even feels grateful to Modou for having cut off all the contact without disturbing her by wallowing in indecision. She