Satire of Bride Price and Marriage in Efua Sutherland’s the Marriage of Anansewa and Ama Aidoo’s Dilemma of a Ghost
Abstract:
This research investigate Satire of Bride Price and Marriage in Efua Sutherland’s the Marriage of Anansewa and Ama Aidoo’s Dilemma of a Ghost. The study explored a textual analysis of the two plays to reflect the satire of bride price as a tool for reforming the society. The study also satirizes parents who make pre-arranged marriage for their daughters either to sustain their friendship with another family or purely for business partnership. The study therefore exposed these social vices and also to exposed such parents because they are less concerned and also not mindful of their daughter’s health. The above evidence is seen in the character of Anansewa who bluntly rejects the money that her father collected from the four suitors at the same time making arrangement for her marriage.
The author also satires how the protagonist Ato Yawson, a first son of the family whose parents hope as he goes to America to study and unfortunately, he returns home with an Afro- American wife, Eulalie and also postponed children till when they are ready. The author critically exposed this obnoxious attitude to be allayed. Based on the analysis of the two texts, one can therefore see that satire in African drama has been in existence for a long period of time and also criticized and ridiculed the follies and vices in the society.
Satire of Bride Price and Marriage in Efua Sutherland’s the Marriage of Anansewa and Ama Aidoo’s Dilemma of a Ghost
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
Historically, the word satire has its root in Latin. It was initially called “satire” later it became “Satura” meaning middy or mature. According to literary scholars like Brockets and Ball John opined that, satirical usages were part and parcel of four cultures in many ancient communities where literary arts flourished, especially in Greek culture where it was said that satirical usages were located in Grecian fertility.
In Africa, satire has been in existence for a long period of time. It has been established in the cultural and linguistic premise of African people. Most African writers and play wrights criticized and ridiculed the follies and vices in the society. This point buttressed Vaughan James on his own to define satire as a mode of writing that utilized or criticizes human institution and behaviours with the view of correction and improvement.
On the other hand, African writers like Wole Soyinka, Ola Rotimi Zulu Sofola, and the two feminist writers in this study Ama Ata Aidoo and Efua Sutherland made use of satire in their literary work to expose the social and political realities in the contemporary Africa. According to Olauniyan, satire is a tool for reforming the society. He further argues that:
Satire focuses it lens on our feelings as a community of people and magnifies one or several of our sores for critical inspection, using a surgical tool, such sharp weapon as scorn…derision, ridicule, laughter and bitter irony…… (48).
Little wonder Moddy, see satire as any form of writing which is deliberately and humorously critical in intention (76).
In Ata Aidoo’s Dilemma of a Ghost Bamidete defines satire as,……a dramatic form in which human vices and follies, abuses or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule with intent to bringing about improvement. Abraham also defines satire as:
The literary art of diminishing a subject by evoking ridicule towards it, and attitude of amusement, contempt and indignation of scorn. It differs from the comic in that comedy evokes laughter mainly as an end in itself while satire that is…..it uses laughter as a weapon and against a butt existing outside the work itself (162).
The above definitions of satire are by no means exhaustive since different writers continue to define it the way it suits their purposes, criticizing and correcting social issue like corruption cultural domination and political conflict affecting the masses in the society.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Satire is a literary device which an artist uses for social criticism by showing contemporary ills in the society thereby wishing them corrected for instance, Bloom says-that, satire is a work which ridicules or hold up to scorn the vices, crimes and absurdities of men and individuals, of class and organization of societies and civilization.
Based on Ngugi’s point of view, this study therefore proved that Efua Sutherland’s The Marriage of Anansewa and Ama Ata Aidoo’s Dilemma of a Ghost are good example of plays that satirizes bride price and marriage in the African societies.
1.3 Purpose of the study
The main aim of this work is to critically examine and analyzed satire of bride price in Efua’s The Marriage of Anansewa and Aidoo’s Dilemma of a Ghost with the aims of correcting some issues affecting the female folks in African society.
1.4 Significance of the Study
The study will be significant to some parents in African societies who use their female children as sources of wealth and will help to eradicate such practices in the society because it affects the female folks. The study will also be of benefits to lovers of literature, and students of English and literature showing how literature mirrors the happening in the society.
1.5 Research methodology
The major sources of this study will be restricted to the works of Sutherland’ The Marriage of Anansewa and Aidoo’s Dilemma of a Ghost. Then the secondary sources of the work will focus on academic journal, articles intermit and relevant texts from the library.
1.6 Scope and limitation of the Study
The scope of this research work will be limited to Sutherland’s The Marriage of Anansewa and Aidoo’s Dilemma of a Ghost.
1.7 Objectives of the Study
The objectives of this work are:
(i) to proffer solution to these issues of bride price that affects the female children.
(ii) to examine the various consequences faced by some of the characters in the two plays under study.
(iii) to investigate the aim of Sutherland and Aidoo in writing the two plays studied in this research work.
Satire of Bride Price and Marriage in Efua Sutherland’s the Marriage of Anansewa and Ama Aidoo’s Dilemma of a Ghost
1.8 Bio-Data of Efua Sutherland
Sutherland was born as Efua Theodora Morgue in Café Coast, Gold Coast (now Ghana) on 27 June 1924, and died on January 2, 1996. She was a playwright, directors, children’s authors, poet and a dramatist. Her best-known works include; Foriwa (1962), Edufa (1967), and The Marriage of Anansewa (1975). She founded the Ghana Drama studio, the Ghana society of writers, the Ghana experimental the atre, and a community project called the Kodzidan (story House). As the earliest Ghanaian playwright-director and a popular broadcaster, she was an influential figure in the establishment of modern Ghanaian theatre, and helped to establish the study of African performance traditions at the university level.
In 1970s, she became the pioneering publisher in Atam Publication Company. She went to St. Monica’s school and training college in Manpong. Then she went to England to continue her education at Homerton College, Cambridge University, one of the first African women to study in the university; and the school of oriental and African studies at the University of London in 1951-1954. In 1954, she married to Bill Sutherland, an African-American and Pan Africanist who in 1953 had moved to Ghana, there they have three children who are; Esi Sutherland-Addy, Ralp Sutherland and Amowi Sutherland Philips.
Sutherland’s selected plays include; Foriwa (1968), Edufa (1967), tabinfa (1968), the marriage of Anansewa (1977) and Voice in the Forest (1983). She died at the age of 71years.
1.9 Bio-Data of Ata Ama Aidoo
Ama Ata Aidoo was born Christina Ama Aidoo on 23 March 1942. She is a Ghanaian author, poet, playwright and academic. She was a minister of education in Ghana under jerry Rawlings regime, former president of Ghana. In 2000, she established the Mbaasem foundation to promote and support the work of African Women writers.
Ama grew up in a fate royal household, the daughter of Nana Yaw fama, Chief of Abeadzi Kyiakor, and Maame Abasema. Since her father was a king it automatically makes her a princess. Aidoo was sent by her father to Nesley girls’ senior high school in cape coast from 1961 to 1964. After graduating from the school, she enrolled at the University of Gahanna in legon and received her Bachelor of Arts in English as well as writing her first play, The Dilemma of a Ghost, in (1964). She worked in the United States, where she held a fellowship in creative writing at Stanford University. In 1982, she was appointed minister of Education under the provisional national defence council.
Aidoo taught various English courses at Hamilton College, New Yorks, in the early to mid-1990s. Her works of fiction particularly deal with the tension between and African world views. The following are her selected works.
The Dilemma of a Ghost (1965), Anowa (1970), our sister kill Joy or Reflection from a Blackeyed Squint (1977) someone talking to sometime (1986). The Eagle and Chickens and other stories (1986), An Angry letter in January (1992), Changes a Love story (1993), No Sweetness here (1995).
