Buchi Emecheta’s renowned novel offers us a profound reflection on motherhood, but also on the sacrifices it can demand from women. The novel reminds us that becoming a mother is not only about happiness and fulfilment; it can also mean giving up on one’s dreams, enduring hardships, and experiencing suffering that society often tends to overlook.
Although set in Nigeria in the 1940s, this book reflects the reality of many women in Sierra Leone today. Being a woman is often equated with being a mother. A woman without children is therefore considered “incomplete” and may face stigma from her community. Being a mother often means carrying the greater share of responsibility for children: their education, wellbeing, daily needs, and very often their financial costs, while the father may step back simply because it is easier to leave these responsibilities to the mother.
This book was greatly appreciated by the members of Group 3 and gave them an opportunity to reflect on the social pressures that women continue to face today.
