Daughters of the Goddess

This work sets out to investigate the original understanding of the dignity of women in Igbo worldview. The traditional Igbo society was encountered without preconceptions. Oppression of women was not a fact in Igbo traditional society nor were they mere appendages of men; but they complemented men. Women were rather at the centre of the culture of life, which was writ large on the traditional Igbo ideology, making moves for the preservation and enhancement of life. The woman was likened to the goddess of life and morality. As long as she fitted into this ontological woman-Being, she was fulfilled and dignified since dignity for the Igbo rested on "nd¿ na afa" ¿ life and life fulfilling response-ability. The autonomy of the two gender worlds in Igbo society and respect for women as sharing in the divine motherhood of "Ala" enables their caring and fending for life. It negates the feminist theory of patriarchalism and shows a way out of the chaotic imbalance of gender relations in the contemporary world.