Girl-Child Radicalism: A Revolutionary Response to the Culture of Disinheritance in Clement Chukwuka Idegwu’s Right to be Angry

Abstract

In most African societies, some archaic and obnoxious cultural norms have persisted; they have crept into the modern African society. While most of these cultural practices are unfavourable to some members of the society, especially the widows, fatherless, and the girl-child, a certain class of individuals who reap from these evil practices have for long stood as opposing forces to the voices of revolutionary change who seek to eradicate these wicked cultural practices. This study explores the culture of deprivation and disinheritance in a predominantly patriarchal African society. It also examines such thematic preoccupation as a metaphor for other forms of injustice prevalent in the society. This study employs the radical strand of feminism to explore Clement Chukwuka Idegwu’s novel, Right to be Angry. Radical feminism as a subset of the feminist theory is based on the idea that women are treated unfairly and oppressed because of the patriarchal grounds upon which society is built. In the novel, the author spreads the gospel of revolution as a welcome panacea to dethrone oppression and eradicate the obnoxious culture of disinheritance. Through the lens of the heroine, the author is apparently on a social crusade to right society’s ill. Findings show that the struggle to eradicate the culture of disinheritance and enthrone a better society free from all forms of oppression, does not come easily. This study concludes by underscoring that radicalism and revolutionary consciousness could be the alternative response to injustice and therefore advocates that widows and the fatherless alike should be allowed to share in the inheritance of their bereaved.