Joys of Motherhood

I've been thinking lately about Buchi Emecheta's novel about motherhood, Joys of Motherhood. Though written in the 1970s, it depicts Igbo and Nigerian Lagos society near the end of colonialism, with all the ugliness and beauty of white colonialism, Igbo 'traditional' marriage and gender roles, the relationship of mother and child, and the culmination of a mother's life of living for children and men. At the end of the novel, it is not quite clear if this could be considered "feminist," since Emecheta's narrative voice does not condemn nor romanticize the troubled life of the Igbo mother. Nevertheless, her thoughts on colonialism, racism, and intermarriage between different Nigerian ethnic groups are quite clear, especially when the protagonist's daughter marries a Yoruba or Hausa Muslim. Looking back, it was a interesting look at Igbo society, providing a female-centered perspective one does not see in the work of, say, Chinua Achebe. I cannot help but think of the parallels between Emecheta and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a contemporary Nigerian writer of Igbo descent who also gives the reader a separate view of gender relations among Igbo society and Nigeria overall.