DRAMA IN THE VANGUARD OF THE FEMINIST MOVEMENT IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Feminism is a female-oriented advocacy agenda. The term, feminism, takes its root from the Latin word, femina, meaning woman. Feminism, thus, is a doctrine geared toward addressing, in its totality, female marginalization and the unequal distribution of opportunities between men and women. From its little beginnings in America in the 1960s, the feminist movement has indeed spread its tentacles the world over, with the overall mission of bringing to a halt the tendencies toward the suppression of the woman on the one hand, and the promotion of a befitting portrayal of her social image on the other. Although it has, like an octopus, assumed varying shapes and forms in literature with changes in nomenclature here and there, the issues involved have remained basically the same. Whatever the tag, be it feminism, womanism (Walker, 1983), or motherism (Acholonu, 1995), they all, irrespective of the ideological posture or stance, are concerned with the notion of feminine subjugation and sexism. Thus, in varied contexts, and from diversified perspectives, the ideology continues to explore the point of view of women in all facets of life. Feminism is basically a "psychological revolution" (Bardwick, 1990) "a protestant ideology" (Tobrise, 1998) and, indeed, a social struggle in favour of egalitarianism in human societies. Feminist voices in literature are challenged to chart new ways of addressing the strangulating forces of patriarchy and so redress the bartered image of womanhood in a world that is largely patriarchal. The relevance of the feminist movement, in Bell Hooks' (1984:31) view.

is judged by an ardent concern to "end sexist oppression."