I loved the stories and the way they explored culture! Not going to lie, I struggled a bit with the play format since I don't read it all that often. I would absolutely love to see these performed! I managed to find a recording of one and a reading of the other online after reading the book and they definitely added to my experience, even if they weren't super high resolution or anything - I definitely feel like plays hit so much harder when you actually experience them. I can only imagine how powerful these must be if you are in the audience. ( )

Two powerful plays by a leading African author about conflicts between spouses and between parents and children.

I generally find it difficult to read plays, but when I saw a video with a scene from Ama Ata Aidoo’s Anowa, I knew I needed to read these. As Africans developed their own literary traditions after independence, Aidoo was one of a group of women who insured women’s voices would be included. I have read and enjoyed her writing before, especially her novel Changes. Often blending prose and poetry, she has continued to be a leading Ghanaian author who publishes in a variety of genres. I particularly like how her stories are about the relationship of Africans with each other. Even her concern over the impact of slavery focuses on Africans rather than slave traders from Europe and the Americas.

Both Dilemma of a Ghost and Anowa explore conflicts that develop when powerful extended families are confronted with sons and daughters who move beyond their circle of control. Both plays deal with the legacy of slavery in Africa. Both include the voices of ordinary villagers commenting on the action, much like the chorus does in Greek plays. Both are mildly sympathetic with the independence of sons and daughters, but for me their real strength lay in the ability to convey positively why the parents were justified in trying to keep them within the family. It is easy for westerners like myself to identity with the rebellion of the next generation, but harder to understand why traditions and kinship must also be honored. Aidoo conveys the families’ position with particular force.
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