Mariama Ba's So Long a Letter
While women in western countries have traveled halfway in the journey towards freedom, women in Africa are still searching for the way. There are many factors that make it easier for one group than the other. Culture, customs and religion are among others at the foreground of those factors. The general assumption is that one of the main obstacles to progress for women, regardless of where they come from, is the pervasive belief thatthey are inferior and are limited because of their biological role in reproduction. These beliefs are held, consciously or unconsciously, by the majority of men and women the world over. In Mariama Ba's work So Long a Letter, Ba creates two central and strong female characters who contradict the standard role of women in African communities dominated by Islamic doctrines, like that of Senegal. The author recognized the significant gender-biases that existed it the culture and expressed them through the development of her characters. But rather than taking the standard view and assimilating her characters within the culture from which they were raised, Ba attempts to challenge the notion of female subjugation and dis-empower
The relationship between Ramatoulaye (Rama), a Senegalese women, and her friend, Aissatou, who left the familiarity of Senegal for life in the United States after a divorce from here husband, is the defining relationship in the book. Both women have taken on roles that are not in direct line with the traditions of their culture, and Ba clearly veers away from painting a standardized picture of the African women, except through a distinct process of comparison. Ba recognizes the plight of Senegalese women influenced by the patriarchal culture and "often directing and solidifying the characteristics of the her two main character. In Senegal, the traditional view of woman, which values her entirely based on her son-bearing role, is still present. The first role of women is to stay at home and take care of the children. The inequality starts at a very early age. The rate of girls going to school is by far lower than that of boys. Parents' choices of investment in their children completely depend on their view of the latter's worth as adults. It is overly simplistic to state that the plight of the Islamic women in Senegal is simply an extension of t
Some common words found in the essay are:
Rama Aissatou, Letter Ba, Rama Senegalese, , senegalese women, Ba's Letter, ba's letter, rama aissatou, role women, islamic faith, women ba's, main character, islamic women,
Approximate Word count = 786
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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