Prison or re-colonization? an Afrocentric explanation of the African hut

Abstract

The hut as a domain has largely been demonized and crusaded against by especially feminists for its alleged imprisonment of the African woman. It is argued that it limits her freedom and creativity and stigmatizes her as a weaker, atrophied, inactive and less significant being. Using Afrocentrism and Africana womanism, the paper argues that such perceptions, whilst they may apply to Europe, are largely misconceptions of African realities which trivialize women's domestic responsibilities and miss out on the African kitchen as a hub of activities that are integral to African life, invariably elevating the position and image of the African woman. The hut is Africa's cradle of humankind where cultural activities and divinatory practices take place. In the eyes of feminists and other Western oriented people, the hut is one of the ways through which African women are condemned to subservient, atrophied, docile and less significant roles.