Mema by Daniel Mengara

Mema's sharp tongue and apparent barrenness make her a target for scorn and ridicule in her hamlet. When she eventually has four children, her husband dies in a witch doctor's refuge, followed by her daughters. Her in-laws accuse her of being a horrible witch who gave up her husband and children to the evil spirits. Despite this, Mema's tenacity and courage drive her to fight for her sons' and family's rights. In this novel about a practical African culture, her acts have little to do with Western feminism, and the idea of resistance to colonialism is abandoned in favor of a conflict between new and old values. The author shows that a story about the impact of psychological and social pressures on Africans can also focus mainly on conflicts within African society.