Mounting the Voice of the African Woman on the Continental Stage: Interrogating J.P. Clark’s The Wives Revolt and Ben Binebai’s Karena’s Cross

Abstract

In Africa, patriarchal dominance across cultures has placed women at disadvantaged positions. Women are seen as the voiceless gender, forced to occupy the silent margins, and in most cases declared invisible by laws and traditions promoted by men. This has resulted in a quest for  recognition of the female voice. This quest for women’s voice and identity is a front burner subject in Gender Studies across generic boundaries but researchers have not focused on some of the postulations adduced in the feminist plays and theatre. It is against this backdrop that this paper examines the installation of the African woman’s voice and rights on the continent through drama and theatre. Appropriating both textual and performance investigative modes, this paper x-rays J. P. Clark’s The Wives Revolt and Ben Binebai’s Mono drama, Karena’s Cross to mount the voice of the African woman on the public space. The paper concludes that for women to enshrine their voice in the public space and have their humanity recognized and respected, more effort should be put in the quest to break away from their disadvantaged conditions.

Key Words: mounting, voice, African woman, gender, identity