Letter," by Mariama Ba, "Devil on the Cross," by Ngug" wa Thiongo, and "July's People," by Nadine Gordimer. Specifically, it will discuss and explain gender and family in "So Long a Letter," the aspects of Colonialism and Imperialism in "Devil on the Cross," and cultural freedom and integrity in "July's People."

THREE AFRICAN NOVELS

In "So Long a Letter," Mariama Ba writes of Ramatoulaye, a Senegalese schoolteacher in her 50s, whose husband decides to take a second wife without Ramatoulaye's knowledge. Of course, the new wife is younger and prettier than Ramatoulaye, and her husband's selfish move devastates her. The book is written in the form of a touching and emotional letter to her best friend from childhood, someone she feels she can trust. "We walked the same paths from adolescence to maturity, where the past begets the present" (Ba 1).

Family and gender are two of the most important...
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