Telling the tale of a beautiful and wealthy Nigerian woman, Flora Nwapa’s Efuru (1966) follows the titular character through two marriages, the birth and premature death of her only child, the death of her father, and her calling to become a worshipper of Uhamiri (the goddess of the lake). Although Efuru does not hesitate to fulfill her wifely duties, both husbands (Adizua and Gilbert) mistreat her—Adizua by leaving her, having an affair, and not returning for their daughter’s funeral, Gilbert by having an affair, not returning for her father’s funeral, and accepting the lies that Efuru cheated on him. The novel, which spans 10 years, is set in the late 1940s/early 1950s, the time just before Nigeria’s independence from Britain. It shows how Efuru negotiates the traditional societal norms of her Igbo culture in the midst of modern changes. Although the story, with a cyclical plot, ends much like it begins—Efuru in her father’s house with no husband and no child—the novel ends with a well-rested Efuru who dreams of the woman of the lake, a goddess who is worshipped despite being childless. Heaven Ripoll, Spring 2020 |
Efuru@50
This 30-minute documentary focuses on Flora Nwapa, Efuru, and Flora Nwapa’s children, as well as other writers such as Zaynab Alkali, Bolanle Awe and Akachi Ezeigbo. Capturing the celebratory events, the documentary demonstrates the significant impact Nwapa continues to have on African women writers in their efforts to empower women. Reece Lockett, Spring 20201 |
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