Role reversal in the Niger Delta: Insight from Tanure Ojaide’s Stars of the long night

Abstract

Literature has often served as a tool for mirroring and educating society. It is often used to explore, demonstrate and highlight important issues that plague human existence here on earth. This study focuses on how Tanure Ojaide’s Stars of the long night mirrors life in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Of course, before the discovery and exploration of oil in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, the people of the area lived happily with one another. Gender roles were clearly defined. Women knew their place in this society and adhered to their traditional roles of being wives, mothers, care givers and home-makers. In addition to these, they engaged in occupations like trading, fishing and farming. There were laws that subordinated and marginalized them. This notwithstanding, they were known to mobilize and contribute positively to the development of their communities. In Tanure Ojaide's Stars of the long night, we see a change of trend as women in the Niger Delta, ventured into the male domain in the absence of their male counterpart. The study believes that this role reversal is commendable especially in a community where women are originally seen as weak, docile and second class.