an adjective like modern, or contemporary. but western? first of all, like everybody everywhere, the life we are living, i thought we were in some kind of a global village. and you know, we are dealing with everybody, apart from. we were colonised, yes. so. what. half of our lives, you know, or quite a big chunk of it, is influenced by the west. but that s not the sum total of who we are. butjust exploring your character in this book. she enters a polygamist unity, doesn t she? we know that polygamy is accented in african society. in kenya, a man can marry as many women as he wants to.
to swallow it. i m just depicting it in the life of one african woman. but it goes on all over africa. this year, what many see as a retrograde step has taken place in kenya. i agree with you. it isa it is a retrograde step. when we look at polygamy, we know perfectly well that the majority of women who are railroaded into it, or whatever, don t have what it takes for them to make independent choices. they don t have the education, the wherewithal, in terms of independence. essie, your character in changes was an educated
your view, as african feminism, er se? ., your view, as african feminism, perse? tie. 0k. becausei your view, as african feminism, perse? tie. 0k. because i tell per se? no. 0k. because i tell ou, a per se? no. 0k. because i tell you. a lot per se? no. 0k. because i tell you. a lot of per se? lira 0k. because i tell you, a lot of writers, women writers, write about this particular issue. i writers, write about this particular issue.- writers, write about this - particular issue.- let particular issue. i know. let me give particular issue. i know. let me give you particular issue. i know. let me give you one particular issue. i know. let me give you one example i particular issue. i know. let| me give you one example so particular issue. i know. let- me give you one example so that people know. iman hassem, a writer on voices of africa in south africa, a stable of newspapers, the reality is african feminists do not fit and will not fit into the western context of feminism as it
ideology like socialism, like pan african. and a man, too, can be a feminist. d0 pan-african. and a man, too, can be a feminist. can be a feminist. do you believe. can be a feminist. do you believe, then, can be a feminist. do you believe, then, that - can be a feminist. do you - believe, then, that feminism is feminism regardless of wherever you live in the world, whether it s norway or nigeria? 0r you live in the world, whether it s norway or nigeria? or do you believe that there is an african feminism more strongly rooted in the social conditions and culture of these countries? i certainly do believe.- i certainly do believe. what, that there i certainly do believe. what, that there is i certainly do believe. what, that there is an i certainly do believe. what, that there is an african - that there is an african feminism? i that there is an african feminism? that there is an african feminism? ., ~ feminism? i mean, ithink there is an african feminism? i mean, ithink the
with a mission. but i never was aware that i had a mission when i started to write, you see. it didn t work it doesn t work like that. i maen, i don t sit at my desk and say, now i ve got to depict this, and depict that. no. first of all, i was rather young when i started writing, so i didn t even have any notion of where my would be read, or how, and stuff like that. so it wasn t a conscious decision, but when did you become aware of the fact that you were really depicting african women in a certain way? well, i mean, isuppose by the time i wrote my first piece, the dilemma of a ghost, i knew that i was writing about women, or writing women the way i knew