African female authors have continued to break barriers across the continent and beyond. Without a question, the African culture is rich and diverse, with many colourful stories and myths. These African authors have embraced their rich culture and channelled it into their works of art.
The best way to learn more about African culture is through their stories, which are set in Africa’s continent. African female authors are thriving thanks to their unique writing style, which leaves their readers yearning for more.
The writers on this list use their books to tell the story of Africa from a woman’s perspective. They will help you gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a woman in Africa. Their work also gives insight into the continent’s political, economic, and social existence.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian author from the country’s eastern region. She is one of Nigeria’s most prolific authors. Her works include short stories, novels, and non-fiction. Adichie’s books are said to have introduced a new generation of readers to African literature. With several good stories under her belt, her book “half of a yellow sun” was turned into a film, bringing the author a lot of attention.
Purple Hibiscus, Americanah, The Thing Around Your Neck, and We Should All Be Feminists are just a few of Adichie’s notable works. Apart from her brilliant writing abilities, Adichie is also known for her feministic views and stance, which have sparked debate among Africans, especially in her home country, Nigeria.
Yaa Gyasi
Yaa Gyasi is a Ghanaian- American author who published her first book, Home Going, in 2016. Her debut novel was a huge success, putting her on the map as one of Africa’s most influential female authors. The story takes place in 18th century Ghana, where two half-sisters are born in separate villages.
Effia’s half-sister Esi is sold into slavery by Effia’s husband, while her half-sister Effia becomes a slave-wife. While one part of the novel is set in Ghana and follows Effia and her descendants, the other is set in America. It follows Esi and her children who grew up as slaves.
This is a novel of monumental proportions, spanning three centuries, three continents, and seven generations. Gyasi’s most recent novel, Transcendent Kingdom, was released in 2020, and she is expected to write several more great stories in the future.
Lola Shoneyin
Lola Shoneyin, a Nigerian poet and author from Ibadan, Oyo State, was born Titilola Atinuke Alexandrah Shoneyin. Shoneyin’s debut novel, “The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives,” was published in the United Kingdom in 2010. Shoneyin has developed a reputation as a daring, satirical, and outspoken poet, who is often categorized as a feminist because of her public stance on feminism.
Her notable works include “Woman in Her Season,” a short story, and “Song of a River Bird, Ovalonion House,” poetry. Her book, The Secret Life of Baba Segi’s Wives, is reportedly being considered for adaptation into a Netflix series. It is a fictional tale set in modern-day Nigeria that revolves around a polygamist’s home. The novel delves into the complicated relationships that exist between the wives, their children, and a new wife who is brought into the home.
Marguerite Abouet
Marguerite Abouet is a graphic novelist from Ivory Coast who is best known for her Aya series. Aya of Yop City is the first of six graphic novels featuring 19-year-old Aya, set in the Ivory Coast in the early 1970s. Aya and her two friends spend their last summer as children in this coming-of-age novel.
They contend with intrusive relatives and neighbours, get into and out of mischief, and try to avoid being included in the local tabloid. Although the book is lighthearted, it also addresses issues such as women’s rights and socioeconomic disparities. The vivid depiction of Abouet’s stories is one of the reasons why readers can’t get enough of her work. She is certainly someone to keep an eye on.
Laila Lalami
Laila Lalami is a novelist, essayist, and professor of Moroccan descent. In 2005, she published her first book, which was made up of interconnected stories. Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits, It tracks four Moroccan immigrants as they attempt to cross the Gibraltar Straits in a lifeboat that capsizes off the coast.
The novel has an unusual narrative structure: the first four stories take place as the main characters are crossing the river; the next four stories flashback to the characters’ lives before their tragic journey; and the final four stories flash forward to reveal the four characters’ fates.
Secret Son , Lalami’s second book, is a coming-of-age tale set in the slums of Casablanca. Youssef El Mekki, a young college student, discovers that his father, whom he had been led to believe was a high school teacher who had been dead for several years, is actually a businessman who lives across town.
However, Youssef’s blossoming relationship with his father, as well as his unexpected change of fortune, are jeopardized by the city’s social and political turmoil. In a world deeply divided by political ideology, the novel addresses themes of identity and class. The Orange Prize longlist included Secret Son.
