Metaphoric Representation of Barrenness as Witchcraft in Kunle Afolayan’s “Anikulapo” and “The Rise Of The Spectre”

Abstract

This study interrogates the gender ideological underpinnings of the traditional African belief which construct barrenness as a metaphor of witchcraft. Leveraging insights from a curated selection of works in the field of gender studies on witchcraft in Africa, the paper illuminates the complex social behaviour of women and response-trigger curated by the patriarchal society by exploring the Yoruba ideology on barrenness. Taking a drive from Òsòròngà (a negative and destructive women evaluation) against ajeism (a positive labelling of motherhood), the work delves into responsibilitisation as a concept of performativity. Shaping informed feministic identity construction on barrenness as a metaphor of witchcraft, the work sees witchcraft as a mere patriarchal historical fantasy and as such, renegotiates witchcraft as motherhood. Drawing upon the seminal theory of Barley (1988) “Cultural Pragmatics”, this paper scrutinizes two poignant literary narratives of Kunle Afolayan Anikulapo and The Rise of the Specter - offering a dive into the social discourse on witchcraft. The findings show that barren women over the years have become symbols of self-actualisation, self-empowerment and self-love. It compellingly argues that the negative witchcraft undertones discernible in these texts are anchored in entrenched social and historical contexts, rather than prescriptive mandates of social responsibilitisation.