The Strategies of Survival by Women in Manu Herbstein’s Ama: A Story of the Slave Trade

Abstract

This study investigates women’s quest to survive in a slave environment which is highly patriarchal in Manu Herbstein’s Ama: A Story of the Slave Trade (2000). The goal is to project the resilience of women as they craft strategies to preserve their humanity despite facing abuses and discriminations in their hostile and oppressive society. There are two categories of women who are highlighted in this novel: One, the female victims of slavery like the protagonist, Ama, who is surrounded by violence and mistreatment, and yet does not remain passive but strive to assert her dignity and humanity. The second females are the participants, who though live in a patriarchal society, do not submit to male domination but have economic power and contribute to decisions and politics in their society. Using the African feminist approach, this study interrogates what it is to be a woman in pre-colonial Africa, at the peak of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. The study points out the strategies of survival adopted by women, and concludes that despite the perceived vulnerability of women, their humanity is foregrounded in their unflinching strength, courage, and industriousness.