The Weight of Tradition and Superstitions: An Interrogation of Chinelo Okparanta's Under the Udala Trees

Abstract

The study examines the influence of tradition and superstitions on the existence of the characters of Chinelo Okparanta – an Igbo writer in the diaspora. The novel is set in 1960s Nigeria and follows the story of Ijeoma, a girl growing up in war-torn Nigeria who must come to terms with her sexuality and the conflict this presents in society. In particular, the paper is interested in examining the choking weight of tradition and superstition as portrayed in the selected literary text. It constitutes the discussion of various factors that affect people at different levels in association with tradition and in this case, same-sex relationships. The main objective of the paper is to analyse how homosexuality became a weighty tradition for an African writer of Igbo descent. Major scholarships on alternative sexualities have simultaneously exploited the erotic possibilities of same gender relationships and stigmatize it as grossly repulsive, un-African and most unlikely. The paper utilises W.E.B. Dubois' theory of “Double Consciousness” in the reading, analysis and interpretation of this text. The findings reveal that the writer's predilection to Eurocentric ways influences her assertions as reflected in her choice of characters that like her are cast in the in-between space. These characters shuttle between points of inclusion and exclusion and view heterosexuality as weighty and confounding. The dearth of queer criticisms is a reflection of the perception by most Africans that homosexuality is inherently alien to African cultures.