Her Story in His Story: Examining Gendered Undertones in Ahmed Yerima’s Igatibi

Fadare, Nureni; Akpah, Bartholomew

أطراس
Volume 7, Numéro 2, Pages 171-184
2026-07-15

Her Story In His Story: Examining Gendered Undertones In Ahmed Yerima’s Igatibi

Authors : Fadare Nureni . Akpah Bartholomew .

Abstract

African playwrights consistently explore issues of gender and history in their works. This paper examines the roles women have played in shaping African history, referencing Ahmed Yerima’s play Igatibi. Ahmed Yerima is well known in the Nigerian drama scene; however, there has been limited scholarly investigation into the contributions and historical roles of women in his plays. This study aims to address this gap by exploring the authentic roles of women in traditional society, emphasising their position as custodians of culture and tradition. Using theories of Womanism and New Historicism, the study, through a close analysis of Igabiti, highlights the significance of women in traditional African society as custodians of culture and discusses Ilorin's history. The research investigates how the playwright employs literary elements such as proverbs, songs, dance, and myth to reveal the history of Ilorin’s traditional religion and women’s contributions. The conclusion is that women play diverse roles in the historical development and progress of society, especially in Ilorin’s traditional society.