Women as Custodians of Tradition: Perspectives on Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s The Last of the Strong Ones

Abstract

Women have always been an integral part of their different societies. In some environments however, especially, in core patriarchal societies, the tendency is for many observers to identify women as a marginalized and sidelined social group. This paper critically assesses Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s The Last of the Strong Ones and its identification of women as a very important segment of the society. It highlights some major women characters and projects the fact that, quite contrary to some perceived notions, women indeed are the custodians of their society’s cultural values and legacies. Employing the theoretical framework of feminism, the paper advances the recognition of women, in contradiction to certain generally-held notions, are not side-lined by their societies. The novel’s Igbo background gives the woman a central role in the affairs of the society such that they can be boldly regarded as truly the custodians of the society’s traditions and values.