Caught in Transition: Ama Ata Aidoo's Search for a New Ghanaian Woman

Abstract

This paper brings out the Womanist perspective in Aidoo’s No Sweetness Here and Other Stories. The term ‘Womanism' encapsulates the varied dynamics of the black woman's literary experience as it distinguishes itself from the feminism of the White Woman. The predicament of women in postcolonial Ghana is the focus of Aidoo’s attention. Aidoo’s vision is historical, also. In her short stories, she explores the challenges faced by women in post-independence Ghana. In the period of transition, the African woman's identity is brought into conflict with traditions and cultural modernization. Aidoo’s predominant concern is to reflect on women’s increasing alienation in contemporary African society with the help of tradition and modernity. In Aidoo’s vision, Africa’s progress is inseparable from the social, economic,political and psychological liberation of women. No Sweetness Here and Other Stories attempts to make African women aware of their agency, which is the first step towards their liberation.