African Literatures and Cultures and the Universal of Motherhood

Summary

Abstract: In her article “African Literatures and Cultures and the Universal of Motherhood” Remi Akujobi analyzes the place and the role of women in African tradition and interrogates the loci of motherhood in the production, circulation, and consumption of motherhood as a sacred, as well as a powerful spiritual component of women's life as represented in African literature and culture.

Introduction

Motherhood is often defined as an automatic set of feelings and behavior that is switched on by pregnancy and the birth of a child. It is an experience said to be profoundly shaped by social context and culture. Motherhood is also seen as a moral transformation whereby a woman comes to terms with being different in that she ceases to be an autonomous individual because she is one way or the other attached to another—her child. In many societies, motherhood is wrapped in many cultural and religious meanings—cultural as in what society thinks a mother should be, that is, some elements associated with a mother and what the practiced faith of a particular society attaches to motherhood. Motherhood assumes different names and shapes depending on the society that is practicing it. The word procreation or giving birth and nurturing new life, whether physically or otherwise, has led to different definitions for the words “feminine,” “maternal,” and “feminine spirituality” in many cultures, and religious traditions.