No matter the time period, women around the world typically dream of the day of having kids and being married. This dream was no different for African women. The concept of being a wife and a mother, particularly in African villages, consisted of cooking, cleaning and raising children, particularly little girls so the ongoing cycle of marriage and motherhood would continue. Within being a wife and a mother, the idea of African womanhood strongly formed but wouldn’t be acknowledged until faced with slavery’s complications.
During the 15th century, being a wife and mother was different for many Africans. Marrying a man from an African village meant that you wouldn’t be the only wife, but would still be in close range with the village you grew up in, or a nearby village. Marrying a white man meant you moved away from home, wasn’t actually consider a wife and birth mixed-race children. Even though many African women did get married and experience motherhood, there were African women who experienced motherhood because they were raped. Either path taken shaped not only the woman’s life, but their children lives as well.
Marrying in a man in an African village was normal for African woman. Your duties as a wife and mother remained the same. Mothers had to focus their attention on their little girls because they were to repeat the cycle of marrying and having children. In Homegoing, after being sold off to marry a white man, Effia had to move away from home and become accustomed to a new life. Effia wasn’t considered a wife; white men that married African women were referred to as wenches. Furthermore, she was now living with a man who viewed her cultural norms and activities as black magic. After giving birth, Effia duties involved making sure her mixed-race child was aware of both cultures he was a part of.
African womanhood plays a major role in slavery; African women played a major role in slave communities, taking care of children that weren't theirs and being the backbone of African culture. The concept of African womanhood was not acknowledged because they were simply complying with social expectations. It was normal for women to aspire to become wives and mothers. This wasn’t recognized until hardships caused by slavery because people started to see African mothers having resilience. No matter what they went through and how severe it may have been, these African women ultimately did not stop their fight in staying true to who they are and insisting that their descendants did the same.
I would argue that women's integral role played in society was recognized before slavery began. I believe that, for the most part, women's strength and just how much they do for their family was at least widely known about, but maybe not as appreciated as much as it should be/have been. In regards to Homegoing, Esi and Ness are two women, mother and daughter, who are resilient and who fight to pass down knowledge to their children and do their best to provide a better life for them, despite being punished for this behavior. Both Esi and Ness are whipped for speaking in their native tongue and for leading their child to freedom, respectively. This resilience and wanting a better life for the next generation can still be seen today in African American communities.
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