The Doubly Oppressed: The Portrayal of Female Characters in Mongo Beti’s The Poor Christ of Bomba

Abubakar Mohammed Sani, Mani Maninangai, Wan Roselezam Wan Yahya

Abstract


This essay explores and analysis the condition of female characters in Mongo Beti’s novel, The Poor Christ of Bomba(1971). The paper argues that women in the novel’s settings are being oppressed and unjustly maltreated by both colonialists, spearheaded by Father Drumont, and by the native African culture. Thus, the concept of “double oppression” is suitable in demonstrating the theme of maltreatment and exploitation of women in the novel, and their roles in the society. The paper exposes the pretence, hypocrisy, insincerity and biasness of the Christian mission in respect to women issues such polygamy, adultery and other sundry issues.


Keywords


Female characters, the doubly oppressed, English literature

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References


Arnold, Stephen, (Ed). (1998). Critical Perspectives on Mongo Beti. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publisher.

Beti, Mongo. (1970). King Lazarus. Trans. Frederick Muller. London: Heinemann.

_________. (1971). The Poor Christ of Bomba. Trans. Gerald Moore. Oxford: Heinemann.

Fanon, Frantz. (1963). The Wretched of the Earth. Trans. Constance Farrington. New York: Grove.

Gasster, Susan. (1987). “Good Men in the Wrong Place”. West Virginia University Philological Papers.

___________. “Mongo Beti’s Priests in Perspective”. Critical Perspectives on Mongo Beti. (Ed). Stephen Arnold. Boulder: Lynne Rienner.

McLeod, John. (2000). Beginning Postcolonialism. Manchester: Manchester Up.

Sundkler, Bengt, and Christopher Steed. (2000). A History of the Church in Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.

Wan-Tatah, Victor. (1989). Emancipation in African Theology. New York: Peter Lang.

Wyrick, Deborah. (1998). Fanon. New York: Writers and Readers.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.4n.3p.89

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