
































The Sense in the Snail Sense Feminism: A Study of Ifeoma Okoye’s “A Strange Disease”
and “From Wife to Concubine”

Ebele Okpala

Abstract

Most African societies seem to be culture oriented. Despite Western civilization and influence,
the impact of traditional beliefs, myths and religion, according to a significant number of
researches, are prevailing. The rights, positions, and experiences of female gender in most
African countries have remained a major concern of most scholars, who have in many ways
highlighted the hostile nature of some cultural structures as they affect the females in patriarchal
societies. The study attempts to lend support to Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s Snail Sense. Using
content analysis approach of qualitative research method and the theory of snail sense feminism,
the study examines Ifeoma Okoye’s “The Strange Disease” and “From Wife to Concubine” to
capture the challenges and adversities of the female characters, to buttress the need for snail
sense in patriarchal societies. The findings revealed that based on traditional practices and beliefs,
female characters, especially widows, are subjected to marginalization and intimidation. The
main characters, in line with Snail Sense feminism, advocate diplomacy and successfully
overcome their impediments. Snail sense should be encouraged amongst women as a survival
strategy in male dominated societies.

Keywords: Culture, Women, Patriarchy, Snail sense, Feminism.

Introduction

The society customarily assigns matrimonial roles to the women and the more domineering roles
of the bread winner and family head to the men. In Africa, some women’s duty is just to bear
children, tend the home and assist the husband (239). Budua, in Ama Ata Aido’s Anowa, puts it,
women “marry a man, tend a farm and be happy to see her peppers and her onions grow. A
woman should bear children, many children, so she can afford to have one or two die” (21).



These roles are assigned by culture and inculcated early. Chidinma Daniel-Inim adds that in a
patriarchal system:

The man wields the power and the authority that organizes the social structure. He is the
authorizing force behind the social, political, economic and religious decisions in the society.
Thus, while the man from childhood is indoctrinated with a superiority complex, the woman is
merely treated as inferior to the man while the male child is taught to aspire for great
professionalism, the female child is indoctrinated with the idea that she could never survive
outside the kitchen. At home, she is made to do most of the household chores while the boy plays
ball in the field. Decisions that bother on her happiness are considered only after the boy’s
comfort. (224)

According to Ibigbolade S. Aderibigbe, the dynamics of the relationship between gender and the
role, have often been employed as the defining factor for the status of the male and female.
One’s anatomy ultimately determines one’s social status (686). Justina Okoye asserts that gender
is a culturally shaped group of attributes and behaviours allotted to male and female beings (6).
In African literature, girls are often portrayed as quiet, ladylike, pretty, polite, weak, emotional,
and passive. These qualities often translate into roles such as teachers, nurses, clerical officers
which reinforce the idea that girls are traditionally responsible for the domestic chores. Emphasis
is laid more, for the girls on good behaviour, cleanliness, obedience and hard work which aims at
creating harmony in future homes (Apena 282). The female is always reminded of her natural
roles as a wife and a mother. These roles saddle her with the responsibilities of producing,
nurturing children, and taking care of the home.

Right from childhood, she is constantly reminded of these duties; so that by the time she reaches
adulthood, she comes to accept them as her reason for living.

She may be:

denied property rights because she is unfortunate to be born a woman. She is made to
observe the levirate tradition if she has the misfortune of losing her husband. She could
be made to marry to provide funds for the sustenance of the male siblings in the family
and bears the burden of giving birth and ‘backing’ the child… while fetching water or
firewood. Meanwhile, the man can relax at a palm wine joint to await his food. (Chiluwa
III)

A woman should perform her traditional roles efficiently; she is expected to love her husband,
respect him with all due submission and devotion, whether he loved or ill-treated her. When



children come, part of this devotion would be transferred to their nurture and upbringing. If food
is not enough for everyone in the house, she would ensure that others eat while she gladly goes
hungry. Women are judged by their physical features rather than by their achievements, ability or
skills. A man’s appearance could be an advantage, but never a hindrance; the attributes that
matter most in judging a man are intelligence, skill and financial standing.

In most patriarchal societies, it is men who control or determine the way women should
look. If men prefer fat women in a particular culture, every woman in that culture would
aspire to be fat. If thinness is preferred, the mania would swing to thin. In the traditional
past, many Nigerian communities preferred their women plump, robust and strong. In
some parts of Eastern Nigeria for instance, young women were isolated in “fattening
rooms”, where they did no work except to eat. At the end of the puberty rites, they
become plump, soft skinned, and ready to be married off. It is assumed that in this
condition, they will please their husbands and bear numerous children. There has been a
change however, in ideas about beauty and femininity, within the last decade. Most men
prefer their women slender. Fatness is regarded as a disadvantage probably because of its
health problems. Thinness for the females has become fashionable and most women are
keen weight-watchers (Adimora-Ezeigbo 8-10).

African traditional society has been conditioned to think of power as male, and that a powerful
woman is an aberration. As a result, she is policed. People tend to ask – “Is she humble? Does
she smile? Is she grateful enough? Does she have a domestic side?” (Adichie 4).

Some organizations like (FIDA) Federation Internacional De Abogadas (International
Federation of Women Lawyers), (GEM) Gender Equality Movement , (NCWS) National
Council of Women’s Society, (WIN) the Women in Nigeria, and (FOMWAN) the Federation of
Muslim Women’s Association of Nigeria under the aegis of the Federal Ministry of Women
Affairs and Social Development (Ezeigbo 71) aimed to promote equality, development and
advancement of all persons especially women in Africa were formed to foster female
emancipation and empowerment. This issue also attracts the attention of African female writers
who have tried according to Nwankwo “to re-write the women back into positivity after the
unwholesome portraiture they received at the hands of the early male writers” (172). These
female writers needed to create a space whereby their voices could be heard and their desires
made known to the world through their persuasive writing. However, according to Daniel –Inim:
“Patriarchy has been a symbol of men’s superiority complex over women. Superiority in the
sense that, men’s words and standards are the accepted societal norms “(224).

Teresa U. Njoku laments that woman’s predicament has been manifesting from the lore of
patriarchy (195). The effect of patriarchal lordship is silencing the woman, muffling or muting
her voice or browbeating her to remain voiceless. Molara Ogundipe-Leslie claims that patriarchy



takes different and complex forms in different societies: it poses a common challenge to women,
silencing them (15). Silence, however, represents “the historical muting of women under the
formidable institution known as patriarchy, that form of social organization in which males
assume power and create for females an inferior status” ( D’Almeida 1). Patriarchy favours men
and subjugates women. One does not expect the contrary since according to Teresa U. Njoku,
patriarchy is a social system controlled mainly by men. It results in sexism which attributes
importance and superiority to the male and inferiority to the female. Men created this system and
women have no hand in the management of patriarchal institutions, which results in their being
marginalized (207).

The Theory of Snail Sense Feminism

Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo formulated her theory in 2012 as a result of an in-depth investigation
in the condition of Nigerian women, their reaction and response to socio-cultural and political
forces that impacted and still impact on their lives. “Snail sense feminism is more realistic,
practical and functional” (Adimora-Ezeigbo 26) than all other theories of feminism, and has
undergone some modification involving the principles of shared values which encourage “one to
be tolerant, to imbibe the virtues of negotiation, give and take, compromise and balance”
(Adimora-Ezeigbo 26). It is derived from the habit of snails. The snail crawls over boulders,
rocks, thorns, crags and rough terrains smoothly and efficiently with a well lubricated tongue that
is not harmed by the harsh objects. Women are implored to adopt a conciliatory attitude towards
men. The Igbo people say:

Ire ome ka ejula ji aga n’ogwu – meaning “The snail crawls over thorns with a fine and well
lubricated tongue”. Moreover, the snail carries its house on its back without feeling the strain. It
goes wherever it wishes in this manner and arrives at its destination intact. If danger looms, it
withdraws into its shell and is safe. This is what women often do in our society to survive in
Nigeria’s harsh patriarchal culture. (27)

The snail may not be a strong creature physically and can be crushed easily, yet it mounts fences,
climbs up and down rocks, thorny and spiky surface with ease. It does not confront objects but
negotiates its way past any obstacle. Women may imitate this wise, sensitive, resilient and
determined creature to be able to survive in a society that devalues women. This is because:

No matter how gifted a woman is, no matter her ingenuity and political exploits, she can
only be recognized in the society as a good and caring mother. Any other ambitious
image a woman portrays outside this stereotype model earns her derogatory names like
iron lady, domineering lady, or even the Biblical notorious name –Jezebel. (Nwosu 2)



The women should learn survival strategies to be able to overcome some of the impediments
before them. They should not see this as a weakness or cowardice but rather a way of
strategizing to complement the man and join forces with him for the benefit of all. Adimora-
Ezeigbo suggests that a good education will be an added advantage for women. If a woman is
educated, the family in particular and the country in general are educated and empowered.
Women cannot be empowered unless they have access to good education.

During the pre-colonial and colonial eras, some of the issues like childlessness, male child
preference:

Our ancestors in Igbo land adopted the options of ‘female husband’ and male daughter to
ease the pain and get around the ‘problem’ of not having a male child and solve the
‘problem’ of inheritance. In this way they were able to secure the family investment and
properties …. (Adimora- Ezeigbo 31)

In contemporary society, Christianity frowns at such practices and condemns polygamy. Most
Islamic feminists equally decry polygamy. What can be done to tackle the situation? Adoption or
Vitro-fertilization? How do young working mothers negotiate with their husbands to share the
burden of housekeeping and childcare? How does a young wife who is also a mother run her
home and keep her job when child-minders or domestic helps are hard to come by? How can she
cope? (Adimora-Ezeigbo 33). The woman has to negotiate with her husband, as negotiation,
most times, is more effective in achieving success in human relations than confrontation. The
ability of the snail to smoothen rough surfaces to enable it to make movement easy is what
matters most.

The theory lays much emphasis on individual success and development. The individual must
empower herself before she can empower others. If a woman succeeds, the success of the family
follows naturally. Many scholars, however, criticize that the snail in Adimora-Ezeigbo’s theory
is a sluggish creature and therefore should not be a good symbol worthy of emulation in
women’s struggles for emancipation. Some critics argue that African women need to be vocal
and revolutionary in their demand for equity and justice in their society. They believe that it will
be difficult to achieve emancipation without being confrontational. After all, there is always a
trace of revolt and revolution in every struggle against oppression. In fights, for instance, there
are elements of force applied and quarrels do not occur in undertones. Thus, the struggles against
patriarchal oppression should be sweetened with a pinch of radical salt (Chiluwa 105).



Adimora-Ezeigbo assures that special attributes of snail-determination, effective skills and
sensitivity have nothing to do with its speed of movement. With these qualities, the snail
overcomes all its obstacles. In same manner, African women are implored “to be wise, sensitive
and proactive in their quest for justice and self-actualization” (37). Emancipation should not be a
fight for equality with men through the “dishing out of blows and slaps”. It cannot also be
achieved through hatred of anything that has to do with men or throwing them out of their
political offices and occupying their positions. “The ability to tolerate and incorporate
differences, spells a step forward in the pursuit of equality, the dethroning of patriarchy and
bringing about a cessation of the subjugation of females” (Chiluwa 107). Snail sense feminism
advocates discretion and diplomacy by women in the pursuit of self-actualization.

Women in Patriarchal Societies

Justina Okoye, in her review of different types of gender violence and their impact on women,
observes that patriarchy uses violence against women as a legal tool to subjugate women and
uphold men’s dominance over them. She points out that female discrimination starts from birth
and continues the rest of their lives. The second-class status allotted to the female gender, resigns
them to the dictates of culture. Like some other scholars, Okoye supports that female subjugation
has its source in religion and tradition. Des Obi Obioma and Boniface Ifesinachi Ogbenna also
support that violence against women is tied to the history of tradition and religion. They also
recommend economic empowerment of women through education, employment or skilled labour
which will accord them more dignity. Florence Orabueze regrets that despite the provisions made
by the United Nations, to protect women all over the world, the African woman is still subjected
to discrimination. She is at the bottom of the scale and oppressed by virtually every member of
her society. She therefore commends the African female writers who produce counter-hegemonic
texts in pursuit of the freedom of the African woman. These writers use recurrent themes like
motherhood, marriage, widowhood, polygamy, prostitution, child-trafficking, childlessness and
widow inheritance to condemn the derogatory attitude towards the African woman. (29-72)

She also posits that women are truly subjugated and enslaved in the African cultural milieu. In
offices, junior female workers are subjected to sexual harassment. They are sex objects who may
offer their body to ensure they are not treated unfairly or discriminated against. In their
matrimonial homes, the married women are degraded and oppressed, their husbands batter them
and the precepts of Islamic religion, permit such punishment. The traditional structure in
traditional African societies is very strong because, during the colonial period, British colonial
authorities established a plural legal system in which British law operated alongside indigenous
customary law and religious law in certain areas. African customary law or religious law
governed issues such as marriage, divorce, custody, burial and inheritance and to date many
African states have retained the structure of parallel legal system (Johanna 291). These among



other factors confirm why gender justice has not been fully achieved. Adimora-Ezeigbo in an
interview quoted in Iwuchukwu, maintains that:

Our society is highly patriarchal, and for a woman to survive here, she really has to be
hardworking, resilient, tolerant and accommodating, and that is the life of the snail. … I
believe that is what women in this country should be doing. We are trying to help build
our society, our families, but we don’t have to be confrontational. Any woman who
thinks she can confront men will certainly fail. No one can do it alone. We need men just
as they need us. The relationship is basically complementary. There is need for men and
women to work together to achieve a better society, in the family, at work places, in
politics, everywhere. Besides, our culture does not allow confrontation with men
(Interview with Chucks Oluigbo. (284)

The desired change in favour of women could be achieved through negotiation and not physical
combat or confrontation (Iwuchukwu) 283. Snail sense feminism is conceived to reflect her life
and the lives of women around her. It is culture-oriented and differs from American, European,
or Asian feminism. It is designed to help women actualize themselves through emancipation and
empowerment (Iwuchukwu 283), in a society that permits widow inheritance, obnoxious
widowhood rites, and female genital mutilation.

Snail Sense Feminism as the Alleviation

In “A Strange Disease”, Enu is being pestered by Onumba, her brother-in-law, to become his
third wife. Enu is a young widow, who may be lonely at times and needs companionship. She
may desire financial help and assistance in her farm, but a number of factors put her off Onumba.
He is presented as “an insidious man who didn’t take kindly to any word or actions he felt were
humiliating to him and he would harm her and her two teenage sons if she refused his proposal.
(27). His attitude and the consequences of the proposal is summed in by Ebube:

Why is Onumba in your house every evening these days? … This handshake is passing the
elbow and is beginning to look like kidnapping. Does he want to marry you? Yes, Enu said
quietly. Marry him if you want to be in hell fire for the rest of your life” Ebube said. Marry him
if you want to lose your sons’ share of family land to him. That is all I want to say for now. You
don’t tell a clever child to come out of the hot sun. (30)

Ebube is portrayed as a seventy-five years old neighbour, who knows the custom as well as the
people in their community. She understands very well that their culture welcomes widow
inheritance as well as polygamy (7) but the prospective suitor is depicted as “selfish, high handed
and un-trustworthy man who beats his wives for the flimsiest of reasons” (31). Apart from
battering, just like her late husband, Enu also considers the rivalry with other wives. The first
wife has warned her to leave Onumba alone, “Marry him and I’ll make you miserable” (31). She
also worries about the possibility of becoming a widow again and going through the grief, the
horrible mourning rites.



In Igbo traditional society, women are not permitted to be custodians of family land. If Enu
marries Onumba, he would automatically be the overseer of her late husband’s share of the
family land until her children come of age. With his type of personality and ambition, he may
appropriate the land or change the boundaries to his own advantage. Land in Igbo land, is a very
important asset. Some part could be sold to raise capital for her sons’ business or used as
collateral for a loan to start a business (31). Once she consents to marry Onumba, that means that
Onumba owns her as well as all she has including her sons’ share of family land. How will Enu
resolve the long-standing dilemma? How can a defenceless widow reject such a proposal from a
dangerous man without being confrontational? This is where snail sense makes sense. She has
tried many tricks to stop him from coming to eat dinner in her house every evening. One evening
she deliberately over salted the soup and on another evening, she added so much pepper in the
soup yet Onumba on each occasion, ate the meal without complaining and continued his late
evening visits (28). He is a diehard and can intimidate Enu.

Catherine Acholonu is of the opinion that a rich and educated woman who is outspoken,
hardworking and fearless can hardly be oppressed by a member of society (111). It is obvious
that the population of the group described by Acholonu, who no longer carry foo foo to men
discussing important matters (Nnolim, quoted in Angela Fubara 245), is very small, and as such
might not influence much change in female marginalization. A woman, like Enu is a widow, who
prepares “onugbu soup as a treat to herself for working hard all day in her cassava farm (26), can
easily be intimidated and oppressed by any member of her society. Moreover, the children are
not of age to protect her from the oppressive structures of the “tyrannical custom that allows a
man the liberty” (Orabueze 114) to do what he likes.

Onumba is not moved. He does not care how a helpless widow provides what he comes every
evening to eat. In the conventional belief that Nwoke adi njọ (a man is rarely terrible), he
expresses lack of decorum and courteousness in a house where he does not provide anything, as
he queries Enu. “I hope there’s enough dry fish in that soup… The foo foo is taking you ages to
cook … I hope you have enough of it to fill these valleys in my body?” (28).

When Enu said that dry fish is very expensive and that she doesn’t have money to buy, his
response is “if you agree to be my wife, I’ll overwhelm you with fish” (28). In disapproval Enu
murmured to herself, “How much do you give to your wives? (29). This implies that his greed,
selfish desires, and his unwillingness to part with money has no bounds.

The death of a husband creates a big vacuum. Due to lack of emotional/financial support,
appropriate monitoring and absence of the man of the house, intruders may begin to encroach.
Enu has a number of problems since her husband died. “Two of her husband’s relations
including Onumba had encroached on her husband’s farmland” (29). Onumba has never
expressed a word of affirmation, sent a gift or service to show love or genuine intentions. Enu is
not a kid, and cannot be deceived, but her greatest problem is fear. How does she bell the cat? In
line with snail sense feminism, she becomes protective and carefully rejects the proposal without



being confrontational. Enu uses correction fluid, her niece, who is studying at a university, has
left in her house and put patches on her belly and pubic area. She quietly says to Onumba, “I
cannot be your wife, even if I want to … It’s for your own good, Onumba, that I don’t become
your wife” (33). The tact in the snail sense is accented in the following dialogue:

What do you mean by “for my own good?” I have a disease and I don’t want to pass it on you,
Enu whispered as if someone else could hear her. What disease is that? … Enu lowered her voice.
I don’t know what it is called … The doctor called it a strange disease or something like that. I
didn’t quite understand him. Is this a joke, Enu? It’s not a joke. I’m dead serious. … Come.
Follow me. Onumba followed her into the house. See, Enu said, removing her wrapper and
standing stark naked in front of Onumba. Raising the lamp in her hand up to her middle, she said,
see the white patches all over me here. She touched her pubic area. The doctor says that any man
who touches me gets the disease. And he said the disease is worse for men. Onumba quickly
stepped backwards away from Enu. Did the doctor say you can get the disease by eating food
cooked by the person suffering from it?... I didn’t ask the doctor whether you could or not.
Onumba hurried out of the house without saying goodnight. (34)

What could have sent Onumba away from Enu’s life if not the special attributes of snail? How
else could she have rejected the proposal politely and seriously? Which strategy could have
saved her from the wrath of Onumba?

Enu’s attitude recapitulates the impeccable role of the symbolic eneke nti oba in Achebe’s work
(Iniobong Uko 85), who has devised a survival strategy of flying without perching since men
have learnt to shoot without missing. Unlike other feminist theories, the use of tolerance and
discretion as advocated by Snail Sense feminism is more realistic in their struggle against
patriarchal subjugation.

In same manner, Arit also recovers her marriage certificate and her block of flats from Paul, her
brother-in-law in “From Wife to Concubine”. The author exemplifies what becomes of a woman
who loses her husband prematurely, especially in a society that detests inter-tribal marriage. The
agony of such a woman becomes unbearable when she is deprived of what rightfully belongs to
her. Who will fight her battle? The people that opposed her marriage to Paul because she is from
another ethnic group? One asked Fred, to her hearing “Fred, I wouldn’t have minded that much if
you had gone all that way to get yourself a beautiful wife instead of one as ugly as a chimpanzee.
If you have made up your mind to eat an animal as ugly as a toad, why not eat a fat one to
compensate for the toad’s ugliness?” (68). Like every other widow, she was subjected to
dehumanizing widowhood rites and was not allowed to express any opinion about the burial of
her husband, even when she provided the money needed (68).

Paul, his brother-in-law is like Onumba who according to the author, confronting him is “as
foolhardy as deliberately walking into the path of a lion” (66). He lives with his third wife, his



first two wives had left him one after the other, leaving all their children behind (69). Paul
bluntly declared to Arit,

As for the block of flats at Onitsha, you have no claim to it whatsoever. You are not
married to Fred. You can’t inherit his property, neither can your children. You were just
his concubine and concubines don’t inherit properties under our customary law. Maybe
you want the customary court to tell you that before you believe it. It will be in your best
interest not to contest this. Save whatever money you have for your children. (70)

With the disappearance of her marriage certificate and other important documents, she is left
with no weapon to fight her course. Realizing that Paul can easily crush her, she decides to give
up believing that a rat cannot do anything to an iron pot. She suddenly resorts to the wise habits
of a snail to overcome her challenges. She claims she knows all about Samuel’s death, about his
accidentally shooting himself. This disarms Paul and he leaves the living room. After a few
weeks, Arit receives her marriage certificate by post. She lives in her flat and collects rent for the
other three flats. Paul has ceased to raise issues about acquiring the block of flats.

Conclusion

Tradition, in most patriarchal societies, permit widow inheritance, polygamy and some other
spiteful and obnoxious rituals that debase female persona. The belief and acceptance of these
cultural values are so strong that the law is almost rendered helpless. Enu and Arit may represent
the majority of the women who are not rich, educated, opinionated or fearless as described by
Acholonu, and therefore could be subjugated and oppressed by any member of their society. Enu
and Arit are widows whose children are still very young. They are vulnerable and may not be
able to hold their possession or fight for their rights. They could be crushed easily like a snail,
that is not a strong creature, yet they are able to negotiate their obstacles diplomatically. The
study recommends tolerance and principles derived from the habit of snails for the survival of
women in a male-dominated society.



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