Close bond between ogbanje daughters and their fathers in the novels Things Fall Apart and The Bride Price

Abstract

Nigeria comprises over 200 ethnic groups, making it the most multi- ethnic nation in West Africa. As part of both the Igbo and the Yòrubá cultures, ogbanje/abiku are children who are born to die and then return to be reborn by the same mother. This phenomenal cycle has been narrated in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart (1958) and Buchi Emecheta’s The Bride Price (1976). Based on Achebe (1986) and other scholars, this paper analyzes the ogbanje phenomenon and draws a parallel between both novels, bringing to light the close bond between ogbanje daughters and their fathers. As a result, the paper points out a connection by unveiling a shared attribute of ‘manliness’ between Okonkwo and his daughter with a focus on the neglect of local traditions. The comparative analysis is intended as a pilot study of a broader investigation of culture in the fields of literary and cultural studies.