Role Of Feminism In The Stillborn

the approach has to be. She (Alkali) also argues that even in pre-colonial Nigeria, “a man is not superior to the woman due to his gender. The traditional system recognised achievement through hard work. Power therefore was not gender-based but achievement based” (159). This goes to show that Alkali’s kind of feminism in The Stillborn is not coincidental, it is deliberately so because it has to conform to the socio-cultural norms of the predominantly Muslim Northern Nigeria.

The major thematic pre-occupation of Zaynab Alkali in The Stillborn has to do with unfulfilled dreams, aspirations/ambitions as exemplified by the characters of Li, Faku and Awa. As much as “It is well to dream..., [it] is important to remember that like babies dreams are conceived but not all dreams are born alive. Some are aborted others are stillborn” (104).In spite of having different personalities, lifestyles and ambitions, all these young women had their dreams shattered by the restrictive gender codes that permeate the society. Oppression and confinement do not only affect Li but also other female characters. Articulating her concern for the generally low status and frustrated potentials of these young women in Northern Nigeria, Alkali sees education and hard work as the only panacea to freedom and success. It is therefore not a surprise that she communicates volumes of messages not only through Li but also through Faku. This explains why Faku, after almost losing hope in life as a result of her