2025/08/31 by Sontcha Jean-Luc TOURE
#FOS: Languages and literature
paper · doi:10.48734/akofena.n017.vol.3.07.2025
Abstract: The griot or the bard in traditional African society was the custodian of the tradition and history of his people in addition to being a praise singer in the service of the noble class. He was conferred the status of consultant, decision-maker and even mediator in the management of community affairs. He was then considered as a charismatic poet whose art had a spiritual inspiration. Thus, poetic art and its practice in traditional African society were entirely delegated to men for its specificity and delicacy, complying with the norms of a patriarchal society. It is therefore clear that the muzzling and exclusion of female voice in African poetry dates back to the primitive society and whose echo is still perceptible in contemporary African poetry where women poets are not recognized as such. In a perspective of emancipation, certain feminine voices, notably that of the poet Ata Ama Aidoo attempt to break this yoke and erase these outdated considerations by feminizing African Indigenous poetry, which has long been dominated by men. The central objective of this study is to explore how the poet Ata Ama Aidoo breaks with traditional norms and attempts to make the voice of women heard within a predominantly male tradition. This article is devoted to the analysis of Ama Ata Aidoo’s poems in order to highlight the feminine issues raised and the message conveyed promoting the empowerment of women in this modern world. The study is conducted in a feminist approach, exploring in detail the connexions between gender, the image of women and poetic tradition. Additionally the semiotic approach deems useful through Saussure’s concepts of “signifier and signified” in order to understand the feminist poem’s language. These concepts serve to examine how the poem could represent actions, experiences, and the world, providing insights into the poetess Ama Ata Aidoo’s perspective and her message. Keywords: Empowerment, Feminization, Indigenous Poetry, Patriarchy Tradition.