The novel Ekomo (1985) by María Nsue Angüe holds a special place in Equatorial Guinea letters as it is the first novel written by a female writer. In this article I examine ways in which the female protagonist subverts the silent, subordinate role she is assigned in the novel. Her actions thereby allow her to move beyond some of the constraints placed on women of her ethnicity in precolonial and colonial African society and closer to a contemporary post-colonial reality, albeit one that has its own constraints. My discussion takes into account the historical situation of Fang women in Equatorial Guinea. Through a close reading of key portions of the novel, I look at the double-voiced nature of the discourse of the female protagonist that is evident in the greater part of the work. There is one instance, however, where the protagonist's voices multiply beyond the two that are generally evident. I see her discourse as conforming to the branch of black feminist practice that sees history, society and their impositions, as the forces with which women must contend (Steady 34-35).1 For this reason, I look at the ways in which some characters seek to negotiate the double-consciousness that results because of the cultural clashes between their traditional customs and newer practices introduced by way of European colonialism. The choices they face relate specifically to religion and medicine. Their acceptance or rejection of the traditional or what is "new" determines the outcomes each of these characters faces. This leads me to conclude that the novel questions the viability of adopting a hybrid project to secure the nation's future. It also questions women's place in both the colonial and the post-colonial African society.
Explanation:
