Author: Margret A. Ogola
Publisher: Focus Publishers
Year of Publish: 1994
The River and The Source is an exemplary book wrote by Margret Ogola. The author is well known and has received various prizes due to her noble works. In 1995, she received the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature. She also won Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for the best first book in African Region.
Additionally, the author received the Familias Award for Humanitarian Service of the World Congress of Families. The author is exceptional and determined to achieve excellence. The book was written and published in 1994 and categorized under African Literature. There is a translation into several other languages. These include Italian, French, and Spanish.
The book revolves around four generations of women in an African society. The primary focus is on the Luo Culture in Kenya and the various social changes that occur through certain time dispensations. These are witnessed from the incredible portrayal of the characters by Margret Ogola. Akoko is the main character in the novel. She is born at a time when the people in the society put into consideration the tremendous traditional African beliefs and cultures. The author portrays Akoko and her children through the 20th century. We get to know aspects such as maintenance of African social fabric, the dogmatic alienations African women go through, and many more.
The River and The Source has a feminist approach, which is exceedingly evident. It brings narration of the journey in the growth of women’s rights for an African woman. The author portrays the woman as strong and independent. They do not have to look down on men to be successful. The novel aims at empowering the woman from several aspects. These include the traditional practices which seek to disempower and discriminate the women. She shows how it can be easy if men and women worked together for mutual empowerment. They do not have to perceive each other as competitors but need to help each other work on various aspects.
Notably, the book artistically shows the reader the predicament of the African woman. Also, it shows her strengths and the power to perform when given an opportunity at any given time. From Akoko, we can identify the challenges which face the women in the three generations. Their experiences of being oppressed and overcoming challenging situations are similar. The author portrays how best the women are strong to deal with all problems no matter how hard they are.
The women discussed in the novel tend to adapt firstly to the challenges. They afterward transform and can deal with all the challenges that they face at any given time. For instance, after Akoko loses her husband, she is bold enough to fight for her wealth, which the brother-in-law wants to take from her. The author uses education, tradition, love, suffering and loss, friendship, conflict, and many more aspects to reach the reader well. These aim to model a fantastic tale for the readers and significantly impact their daily lives. In its creation, the book does not have any bias at any level. It looks into both positive and negative issues concerning the African culture. Also, there is the impact of colonization and even individual adaptations to all the changes.
The author sets male chauvinism regarding marriage in society. After Akokos’s wedding, childbearing’s role is set as solely the woman’s duty in the traditional society aspect. Akoko is reminded to sire children for her husband repeatedly. When she cannot produce children at a high rate, her mother in law tells her son to marry a second wife. However, he stands against the idea of having a second wife and maintains having Akoko.
Male chauvinism is also evident to the reader through Otieno Kembo. He, Otieno Kembo, grabs Akoko’s wealth upon the demise of her husband. However, she acts immediately. She decides to fight against this kind of oppression and acquire what rightfully is hers. Therefore, she opts to contact the colonial government in Kisumu for them to help her out. As evidenced, Akoko ends up becoming a significant agent of transition in the society
Additionally, the idea of polygamy elaborates in the book. The author portrays this using chief Owuor’s younger brother, Otieno Kembo. Otieno Kembo marries many wives as compared to all his brothers. He also shows greed character when he decides to inherit Akoko’s property after her husband’s death.
The book provides significant analysis of the modernization and change concepts. In this section, the women let go of the male ethnocentricity, which is protected by the societal traditions that are oppressive. For example, the girl child can acquire education.
Elizabeth Awiti becomes the first woman to receive instruction. Her children and grandchildren follow her footsteps and acquire modern education as well. Therefore, it breaks the norm that some things are done and solely available to the boys in society.
Additionally, the novel brings about the aspect of responsible parenthood in society. Beginning from the parents of Akoko, the parents have taken massive responsibility in their children’s upbringing. They ensure that they teach their children what is perceived to be right in society. Responsible parenthood is also evident when Elizabeth and her husband accept the role of caring for their family.
Despite the family situation, most parents in the novel have showcased the nature of a responsible parent. Death and grief is another significant theme that is evident in the novel. It begins with the end of Owang’ Sino, Akoko’s son. It occurs after being choked by a fishbone. There is also Akoko’s death, which significantly shows the end of an era. Also, there is the death of Elizabeth Awiti, Akoko’s daughter. Several people have died in the novel, each having their death attributed to different causes.
The River and the Source is the ideal book for you. It has various themes that suit the flow of the novel. These themes include male chauvinism, marriage, and responsible parenthood. Also, there is colonization, religion, conflicts, and friendships. The author is a well-known writer who produced exceptional work. The writer has acquired several prizes for having a fantastic job. You can be sure to learn more details once you purchase the book. It is readily available at several points. Hence you can acquire it at any time to achieve an extensive reading of the book’s contents. With the translation to other foreign languages, the book is open for use by many users. The author of the book is one determined person who strives to achieve excellence in all her works. It is always in her writing or day to day activities.
