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After returning from Stanford University in California to teach at the university of Cape Coast. Aidoo released this play in 1970.[1]
Honours, awards and performances
editAnowa became an iconic play based on Ghanaian folklore.[2] The play was produced in London, England in 1991.[3] At the annual Zimbabwe's International Book fair in 2002, Anowa took recognition as part of the collection called "The Twelve Best Books by African Women," which is a collection of critical essays on eleven works of fiction and one play. The Zimbabwe International Book Fair listed the twelve literary books as "Africa’s 100 Best Books of the Twentieth Century" for the very first time. [4] Anowa also created a social impact of recognition in America as a multicultural cast from the University of California at Santa Barbara performed the play in 2012.[5] The play is known to be a contemporary African play because of the positive social impact of the role of the main character in the play. [6] Anowa can be found in the paperback called "Contemporary African Plays" listed on the Bloomsbury Group page. This book is a collection of notable plays for the past 25 years in African theatre. It honours it's significance that highlights African culture and tradition. [7]
Characters
editOld Man & Old Woman
Anowa: Main character/Daughter of Osam and Badua
Osam: Anowa’s father
Badua: Anowa’s mother
Kofi Ako: Anowa’s husband
Boy: Young slave
Girl: Young slave
Themes and Motifs
editThere are many themes[8] and motifs[9] throughout Ama Ata Aidoo's Anowa, however the main themes scholars have agreed upon are as follows:
Tradition/Cultural Practices
editScholars have pointed out the importance of traditional/cultural[10] practices in relation to different characters in the play. For instance, Anowa's mother Badua feels strongly regarding her daughter marrying a man that is capable of providing a specific lifestyle for her. Sh leans on her husband (Osam) for support but is met with a lack of concern as he would rather see his daughter become a priestess, to which Badua completely rejects. Badua continues to hold firm in her traditional beliefs of how her daughters life should play out, (marrying a man she approaches of, having a farm and multiple children, etc) thus driving a wedge between the two women when Anowa states she is marrying Kofi Ako. A man Badua had not imaged her daughter ending up with.
While Anowa challengers her mothers wishes of a more traditional partner and lifestyle she simultaneously pressures her husband Kofi Ako to submit to certain cultural beliefs. When Anowa realizes she is unable to have children[10] she urges Kofi to obtain multiple wives in order to provide a culturally accepted family dynamic (having children).
References
edit- ^ Haffar, Anis (2016-09-15). "Ghana's precious playwright, Ama Ata Aidoo". Retrieved 2021-03-01.
- ^ Kamata, Suzanne. "A Profile of Ama Ata Aidoo". Literary Mama. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
- ^ "Aidoo, (Christina) Ama Ata 1942– | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
- ^ "The Twelve Best Books by African Women: Critical Readings". Ohio University Press • Swallow Press. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
- ^ "Anowa Comes to UCSB". The Santa Barbara Independent. 2012-05-23. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
- ^ Ekpong, Monique O. (2011). "Idealization of Female Characters by African Women Writers: The Case of Anowa". Lwati: A Journal of Contemporary Research. 8 (4). ISSN 1813-2227.
- ^ Bloomsbury.com. "Contemporary African Plays". Bloomsbury Publishing. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
- ^ Baldick, Chris (2015-07-23), "theme", The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acref/9780198715443.001.0001, ISBN 978-0-19-871544-3, retrieved 2021-03-07
- ^ Baldick, Chris (2015-07-23), "motif", The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acref/9780198715443.001.0001, ISBN 978-0-19-871544-3, retrieved 2021-03-07
- ^ a b Nyamekye, Patricia (2015). "The Significance of Cultural Practices and Beliefs in Ama Ata Aidoo's Anowa and Efua Sutherland's Edufa" (PDF). Research on Humanities and Social Sciences. 5: 217–224 – via IISTE.