Nigeria's pre-colonial, British colonial and postcolonial history colors every aspect of its art and literature. The values and practices of the cultural groups that inhabit this country have been in flux since the beginning of the colonial wars in the mid-nineteenth century and continue to change in the light of the new theories and ideas that flood the country from both outside forces and its own people. In particular, colonization affected the customs and ideals of the Igbo people of Nigeria's profitable Delta region. Tess Onwueme, a dramatist of Igbo extraction now based in the United States at Wayne State University, writes explicitly of the changes forced upon the Igbo people and their subsequent reaction to new ideas in their communities. Onwueme's fictionalized accounts of the struggles of Igbo women in her dramatic work shed light on the changing perceptions of western feminisms, African womanisms, and female agency in "traditional" communities. Her stories problematize the idea of a united sisterhood for the promotion of world-wide feminism, and inspire us to reflect on our own agency in our communities. Through a close reading of Onwueme's trio of plays, The Broken Calabash, Parables for A Season, and The Reign of Wazobia, I explore the effects of western education on Igbo communities and their inhabitants. How does education change how these women view their communities and their communities' view of them? How has a shared colonial past become the catalyst for both sweeping change and stagnation? How is female agency employed and received in these communities? In my exploration of these questions, I hope to understand the impetus behind Onwueme's heroines' actions and explore female power in places of great cultural change. / A Thesis submitted to the School of Theatre in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Spring Semester, 2008. / February 5, 2008. / Parables For A Season, The Broken Calabash, Post-Colonial, Onwueme, Igbo, Idgebe, Feminism, Womanism, Nigeria, The Reign Of Wazobia, Delta Region, Women's Education / Includes bibliographical references. / Mary Karen Dahl, Professor Directing Thesis; Carrie Sandahl, Committee Member; Natalya Baldyga, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_181796 |
| Contributors | Johnson, Kimi D. (authoraut), Dahl, Mary Karen (professor directing thesis), Sandahl, Carrie (committee member), Baldyga, Natalya (committee member), School of Theatre (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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