The Female King Of Colonial Nigeria Analysis

British colonization included more than the movement of money and a system of authority. Colonists from Great Britain also brought along their cultural system that had rigid ideas and rules in relation to every aspect of an individual 's existence. This included the British model of gender and sexuality. This meant that many of the places that they had control saw a slow transformation, or an attempt, to turn these colonies into microcosms of the Metropol. In The Female King of Colonial Nigeria, Nwando Achebe takes a look at one woman and, at her life inside of this merging of both British ideals with that of the colonised country she lived in. In the attempt to retrace the progress and life of Ahebi Ugbabe, Achebe reflects upon the role of colonized women and the ways that this one woman conformed, and also simultaneously rebelled against the uncompromising stipulations of life both within the Empire and within her own society. Traditionally the role of women within the British empire was primarily to be mothers and wives. Exceptions to this role were rare, and generally disparaged by the well-born, or aristocratic, members of the Empire. This was …show more content…
Like many men within the colonial system, when Ahebi was no longer seen as being helpful, the British removed their support of her. In her retracing of the events in Ahebi’s later life, Achebe discovered that “when it really counted, the British betrayed her in the worst possible way. For all intents and purposes, the British no longer needed Ahebi service and loyalty because they had already gained a foothold in Enugu-Ezike.” Like colonial men in the same positions, their power was inherently tied to the backing and support of the Empire. She may have been a (female)king to her people, but Ahebi was still seen as being a servant to the ever changing needs of the