Of Negative Portrayal and the Plight of Women in the Akan Folktales

P. B Mireku-Gyimah

International Journal of English Language and Literature Studies, 2013, vol. 2, issue 1, 70-86

Abstract: This paper examines the negative portrayal and the plight of women in Akan Folktales (AF), using selected AFs from the author’s collection of 50 to demonstrate these. Analysis of the stories shows that, in many of the tales, women are depicted as greedy, evil, stubborn, disobedient, wicked, homicidal, ungrateful, cheating, lazy and apathetic. The negative depiction is attributable to the negative perception of women in the society. In fact, in some tales, women are maltreated and sometimes killed. The paper posits that the continual depiction of women in negative terms, sometimes to the extent of equating them to evil depresses the self-esteem of women and hinders their socio-economic mobility. The study ultimately advocates that women should be supported and encouraged to enable them contribute their best in the socio-economic development of their societies.

Keywords: Women; Vice; Self-Esteem; Anansesem; Negative Perception; Traditional Stories (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:asi:ijells:v:2:y:2013:i:1:p:70-86:id:688

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