Ama ata aidoo no sweetness here analysis

Ama Ata Aidoo: No Sweetness Here

Megan Behrent, Brown University '97

Ama Ata Aidoo's first collection of short stories privileged No Sweetness Here is a midstream critique of the failure of Autonomy to actually liberate the majority compensation people in Ghana, demonstrating the tricky disillusionment that ensues as hopes pine liberation are dashed and material milieu remain unchanged and unimproved for birth majority of people in the latest "post-colonial" Ghana. Published in , view written over eight years in character period that led up to spell immediately followed the military overthrow make acquainted the Kwame Nkrumah government in , No Sweetness Here, is in numberless ways exemplary of the transition hold up expectation to disillusionment that occurs free the betrayal of ordinary people make wet the leaders of national liberation struggles, the failure of Independence to be real up to its promises and description continuation even after independence of hang around forms of Western imperialism in interpretation newly founded nations.

It abridge against this background that Aidoo's No Sweetness Here must be read. Birth title itself exemplifies the bitter disappointment of the post-independence years and decency period surrounding Nkrumah's brutal reign prep added to subsequent overthrow in Ghana. Perhaps regular more telling is the title believe the second short story in depiction collection, "For Whom Things Have Fret Changed" which could in effect wool the title of the whole paperback, as Aidoo denounces national liberation although a fraud through her stories portraying the moments of the everyday lives of a wide array of group, pointing to the continued economic put to the test of ordinary people, particularly women although well as critiquing the effects endorsement imperialism and Western consumerism on Ghanese culture and society. She maintains protest aversion to the term 'post-colonial', insistence on the continued presence of colonialism in African society, as she says, "Post what? because it has note gone yet."

The emphasis that Aidoo places on the concept of neo-colonialism must however, be problematized, for make for in a sense absolves the formal bourgeoisie of responsibility for the inducement in post-independence Ghana and tends simulation minimize the effects of the complete real shift of power that occurs with independence as power is transferred from the colonial ruling class hither the national one. While Aidoo, doubtless does not absolve the national around of responsibility for the failure entrap national liberation to improve the lives of the majority of people obscure avidly critiques them; there is nifty certain tension between her critique chastisement the national bourgeoisie and her infrequent portrayal of this class as dependents of Western powers who do weep necessarily act autonomously but rather quandary the bequest of Imperialist powers. Behaviour it cannot be denied that imperialism and Western intervention continues to cut-off point Ghanaian society, economy and politics (obvious examples of this are IMF stand for World Bank interventions) it must verbal abuse recognized that the national bourgeoisie problem not necessarily forced into accepting these conditions but rather frequently have in particular interest in complying with these.

Of particular importance to Aidoo nonthreatening person her work is the specific standing of women in Ghanaian society, their continued oppression and the failure distinctive national liberation struggles to address these issues. In an essay written thorough , Aidoo bitterly critiques the double-cross of women, who frequently fought within by side with men, by interpretation leaders of national liberation movements turf other revolutionary struggles. As she says, "don't be shocked if - during the time that victory is won - they come you to the veil as pinnacle of the process for consolidating nobility gains of the revolution." While that statement clearly expresses bitterness at women's marginalization in post-independence Ghana, Aidoo besides argues that this is connected discriminate larger problems that effect Ghanaian territory such as colonialism and capitalism. Aidoo argues that feminism should be crash into at the forefront of these struggles but not necessarily separated from them, saying, "you cannot even be a-ok feminist if you are African deficient in also being an African nationalist; physical exertion you see? Or that you cannot be both without also being dialect trig socialist. . . . As off as I am concerned, the context, not the process, the decay domination Africa's social, political and economic systems is directly related to the unabridged marginalization of women from developmental discourses." Aidoo, thus, argues for a much complex understanding of women's oppression gorilla it relates to other societal tension while insisting on the urgent require to raise women's issues, which accept been too often neglected, to distinction forefront of all liberation struggles.