The Joys of Motherhood
by Buchi Emecheta
This is a classic of modern African fiction. I’m staying in my theme of female characters struggling against patriarchal structures. Nnu Ego is a worn out everywoman who in the midst of motherhood and wifehood struggles as Nigeria moves from the colonial period through to World War II. An Igbo woman in colonial Lagos she struggles with gender relations that make her a second class citizen even within her own home. This book follows her days to day life but is a sharp criticism of wider problems that ordinary African women face.
Nigeria is an extremely diverse country located in West Africa. It’s home to hundreds of different ethnic groups and languages. The largest being Yoruba, Hausa & Igbo. The capital is Abuja but his capital was created in 1976. Before that Lagos which is on the coast was the capital and still remains the commercial capital. The population is huge, estimating around 200 million. 1 in 4 Africans is Nigerian.