Representation of the Post-Colonial Nigerian Women in Wole Soyinka's The Lion and the Jewel

Abstract

The present research project tries to analyze the women’s role assigned by the African society after the decolonization in Wole Soyinka’s play The Lion and The Jewelas it is characterized by the culture conflict, male ideology and remnants of colonial mind sets.The old culture represented by the uneducated people in Ilunjunle, led by Baroka, Sidi and the rest, clashes with the new culture led by Lakunle, who is educated, school teacher by profession is influenced by the western ways. In those both extremes, the females have been like the objects in the hand of males. Neither the so-called modernization respects the women, nor the attempt of revival of traditional Nigerian culture takes the women as equal participants for the anti-colonial mission. The women have to surrender before the power of male supremacy though they were successful to resist the colonizing mission of the imperial power of the West.