X-raying the implications of conflict management, justice and human dignity of women under war situations in the African literary context

ABSTRACT

There is a popular saying that, ‘war hits home when it hits women and girls.’ Apart from the factual meaning of war hitting the home where women and girl children stay for protection during conflict situations, there is also the obvious fact that women and girl children constitute the basic domestic stronghold of the society. Their vulnerability makes them susceptible to war situations in wide-ranging ways because of the basic gender roles and responsibilities. This has prompted an adoption of the Five United Nations Security Council Resolution on, ‘Women, Peace, and Security of the ECOSOC Resolution on mainstreaming a gender perspective in all policies and programmes in the United Nations (2004). This resolution focused on accountability for perpetrators of all forms of injustices, abuses, as well as sexual violence in conflicts. It also stresses on women's political and economic empowerment. This scholarship explores in multi-dimensional ways the social and psychological implications of war and strife on women in two African novels; Chimamanda Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun, and Chukwuemeka Ike's Sunset at Dawn. It argues that in Africa, chaotic war situations stress and encumbers women in multiplicity of ways and that they suffer greatest health and social inequities, human rights violations and death in conflicts situations.

KEYWORDS:

• Conflict management
• justice
• human dignity
• war
• women

Acknowledgments

Thanks Teju Olaniyan and Adam Brett for your patience and prodding.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ngozi Chuma-Udeh

Ngozi Chuma-Udeh is an associate professor of Comparative Literature at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (Former Anambra State University), Nigeria. She presently holds the dual post of the Orator of her University Community and the Dean, Faculty of Arts. She is an author, a poet, and a dramatist. Ngozi's dream is to pursue a most distinguished and remarkable career in creative writing as well as the studying and teaching of World Literature.