Nishtha Desai

 This blog is part of thinking activity given by Prakruti Bhatt Ma'am. Let discusss it : The Incinerator of History: 5 Provocations from Soyinka’s Araba 1. INTRODUCTION: THE UNINVITED GUESTS OF INDEPENDENCE In October 1960, as Nigeria stood on the precipice of sovereignty, the "Gathering of the Tribes" was envisioned as a grand liturgical act of national self-fashioning. The living expected to summon "illustrious ancestors" and "nobility" from the understreams of history to sanctify the new state. However, Wole Soyinka, acting as the nation’s uncomfortable conscience in A Dance of the Forests , performed a startling subversion of this ancestral hagiography. Instead of the caparisoned heroes of a romanticized past, the earth split to disgorge "obscenities"—a bloated Dead Man and a pregnant Dead Woman. These restless dead, heavy with "ancient bitterness and resentment," arrived not to bless, but to ask: "Will you take my case?...

  This blog is assigned as part of a Thinking Activity by Megha Trivedi Ma'am. . It critically examines the representation of motherhood in Buchi Emecheta’s novel and compares it with contemporary media portrayals. Introduction to the Novel Buchi Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood (1979) is one of the most powerful feminist novels in African literature. The novel tells the tragic story of Nnu Ego, a woman whose entire identity and purpose revolve around motherhood. In traditional Igbo society, motherhood is considered the greatest achievement and source of honour for women. A woman gains respect, security, and social value through her children, especially sons. However, Emecheta presents a deeply ironic reality. Instead of bringing happiness and fulfilment, motherhood becomes a source of suffering, sacrifice, and loss for Nnu Ego. She sacrifices her youth, health, and personal identity for her children, believing that they will care for her in old age. Yet, in the end, she dies a...