Chioma Opara

Chioma Opara wey dem bon for 23 May 1951 for Jos, Nigeria, na Nigerian raita an ticha wey sabi buk wel-wel. Shi dey holways rait abaut how wumen laife bi for West Africa, an shi don develop one theory wey shi kol "femalism." Pipul sabi ha as one of di six most important African feminist theorists, an ha wok don hep pipu sabi how gender mata dey for Africa.

Now, shi bi Profesor of English an Comparative Literature for di Faculty of Humanities for Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Edukeshon

Chioma Opara go University of Nigeria, Nsukka, wia shi stodi French. After dat, shi waka go University of Dakar go di diploma for French Studies, an shi kolet one certifikate for French stodies fom University of Tours for France. Leta, shi go University of Ibadan for Nigeria go do ha Ph.D. for English.

Shi dey holways tok sey edukeshon wey dey bi subjects wey dey ticch about human life, lik literature, histori, philosophy, etc. need beta sopot for Nigeria. For 2016, for one speech wey shi giv for Rivers State University, shi tok sey dem sopos upgrade di Institute of Foundational Studies to Faculty of Humanities bikos e go hep bring different areas of knowledge togeda.

For one interview dat sem year, shi tok sey mek dem shine for academics. Shi tok say "dictionary sopos bi students' sekond bible"—meaning say students sopos dey uze dictionary steady to len nii wods. For her university, dem dey kol ha "di English wuman" bikos shi sabi English lagwej and literature wel.

Her Theories

Opara dey rait abaut how wumen for Africa fit get beta alife, espeshially for di way dem dey treat dem for society. Shi dey uze wetin shi don sabi for psychology an sociology to stodi African literature an feminism. Shi believe sey di way pipul dey ci African wimen don get strong influence fom colonialism, globalization, poverty, an African tradishons.

Shi tok sey African wimen sopos get dia own voice bikos di type of feminism wey kom fom oyibo land (white feminism) an di one wey Black Americans dey do no fit tok everitin wey African wimen dey fez.

Femalism

Di theory of "femalism" wey Opara create tok sey African wumen bodi dey sofa plenti tins, fom colonialism to domestic abuse. Shi kompare di female body to Mother Earth—meaning sey as Africa don sofa wahala fom war, poverty, an colonialism, na so African wumen bodi dey sofa too.

Shi tok sey to free African wumen, di whole continent need beta freedom. Di way dem dey treat wumen bodi sho how Africa itsef dey sofa. Shi even kompare di way Africa dey struggle to di way dem dey wound an suppress wumen. Shi believe say if African women dey free, Africa itsef go free.

For one lecture, Opara tok about her theory:

Femalism

Bikis e dey analyze how pipu dey liv dia laife, espeshially wetin concern di bodi, femalism na sumtin wey dey stodi di experience of pipul (phenomenology), e still be way wey people fit tek sabi tins wel (heuristic), an e mix difren ideas togeda. Opara tok sey di way wey Africa don sofa politikally bo lik di way wuman bodi don sofa for society. Shi kom konet di freedom of wuman wit di freedom of Afrika. Shi tok sey di way wuman dey care for pipul mek Afrika be lik Mama Nature. Shi stil tok say di wahala wey big-big city pipul an leaders dey put Africa insaide, e bi lik di way dem dey treat wuman bodi an mind bad insaide society.

Gynandrism

Opara get one theory wey shi kol gynandrism, but di way she tek use di word difren from how other pipu dey uze am. For ha own, shi tok sey gynandrism na di way som Afrikan male raiters tek sho sey dem sabi wetin wumen fez. Shi tok sey di tin dey giv Afrikan wumen wey dey inside stori, an di wumen wey dey rait buk, strong posshon for literature. Shi stil tok sey di kain buk wey gynandrist (pesin wey believe di idea) go rait fit criticize how society tek dey distob wumen, an e go stil praise di good tins wey concern wuman.

Som buks an articles wey shi don rait

• Beyond the Marginal Land (Belpot, 1999)

• English an Effective Communication (Pearl Publishers, 2000)

• Her Mother's Daughter (University of Port Harcourt Press, 2004)

• Women's Perennial Quest in African Writing – for Dialogue and Universalism (2017)

• Not a Scintilla of Light: Darkness and Despondency in Yvonne Vera's Butterfly Burning (2008)

• New Perspectives on Women and Community Empowerment in Zaynab Alkali's The Descendants and The Initiates (2011)

• A Drama of Power: Aminata Sow Fall's The Beggars' Strike – for Twelve Best Books by African Women (Ohio University Press, 2009)

• On the African Concept of Transcendence: Conflating Nature, Nurture and Creativity – International Journal of Philosophy and Religion

• The Gynandrist: Elechi Amadi – Journal of Gender Studies (2000)

• From Stereotype to Individuality: Womanhood in Chinua Achebe's Novels

• The Foot as Metaphor in Female Dreams: Analysis of Zaynab Alkali's Novels

• Making Hay on Sunny Grounds

• The Emergence of the Female Self: The Liberating Pen in Mariama Bâ's Une si longue lettre and Sembène Ousmane's Lettres de France.