Patriarchy and the Concept of Power in Mariama Ba's So Long a Letter
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Date
2025
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Abstract
Whereas the human species is biologically and inherently delineated in dispositions, yet socio-cultural, and even religious institutions continually project other attributes unto them. These contrived gender attributes, largely synthetic tend to mould the genders into forced constructs within which they must operate, or else society will be displeased. Moreover, the contrived male-female categorisations determine their personalities, abilities and capability, in short, their power of being.
Within the African cultural space, behavioural attitudes, reinforced by entrenched belief systems, persistently endows the man as characteristically strong, honourable, and having authority, but the woman as feeble, of minimal-intellect and emotionally unstable, and therefore feeble in critical decision-making capabilities.
This paper sets out to debunk the fallacy of this patently false portraiture of the gender types; and argues rather that women are able to, and have taken courageous actions in the face of difficult challenges just as men. The paper contends also that women are not emotionally stable, but they are no less secure as men when dealing with difficulties of life.
Employing the Liberal hypothesis of the Feminist theory, the paper argues using qualitative analytical method that the patriarchal concept of power being strictly male-domiciled, is demonstrably false, as it overlooks the particular variables of personality, inner strength as well as the resourcefulness and intelligence of individual women.
This paper’s textual analysis of Mariama Ba’s So Long a Letter reveals how the well-judged actions of Ramatoulaye and Aissatou rescued them from becoming victims of their strongly patriarchal society, thus upturning the prevailing male-female power dynamics. Having suffered societal-enabled and devastating marital betrayals, these women competently handled the accompanying fallouts without falling apart. Their individual and successful, overcoming of culturally-engendered tragedies disprove received notions about male superiority. Ramatoulaye and Aissatou, by their strong actions in the face of overwhelming societal opposition and hostility, proved that when women strategically confront cultural stereotyping, the status-quo is reversible.
The paper therefore concluded that the concept of absolute male power and female feebleness is only a false contrivance of the patriarchal system.