Research Paper on "Utopia From the Perspective of an African Female"

Research Paper 10 pages (3718 words) Sources: 8

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Utopia

According to Webster's Dictionary, Utopia is a place of ideal perfection especially in terms of laws, government, and social conditions. The idea of a Utopian society, though subconsciously sought after for centuries, was brought to light by Sir Thomas More's work entitled, Utopia. In his work, More defines the idea of a perfected society from a male European perspective defined by the values of the 16th Century Renaissance period. More's society consisted of the basic elements -- a structured government, a social order, and a family structure all of which are defined by the values of the 16th Century Renaissance period. However, Utopia is not restricted to only one view; it can adopt the perspective of any gender, culture, value, or system of government. Although it would be impossible to generalize the beliefs of each individual in a given nation, it is possible to make observations based on the literature and any other such art from various regions to form a collective idea of what a Utopia is -- from an African woman's perspective. The purpose of this essay is to present this perspective.

1. Her Utopia in Terms of the Laws and Government

An African woman's utopia in terms of the law and government is a government that operates for the good of the people. It is not a system that is power hungry or elitist, but a system that is balanced and creates opportunity for all classes. It is a government that values democracy and upholds the principle that the people make the government, not that the government makes the people. Her utopia in terms of politics would be a government that acts with its people in mind, much unlike that which is described by Donald Gordon's book, Understanding Contemporary Africa. Gordon describes the economic condition and the government following the period in which Africa obtained its independence.

According to Gordon, African states were in a state of economic decline in the 1970s. (D. Gordon 80). During the mid to late 1970's, a combination of internal and external political and economic factors moved the content from decline to crisis. (D. Gordon 80). At the core of the crises was the fact that the elite class held the power, and the money was unequally distributed to them. (D. Gordon 80). Still, despite their power, the elite class was unproductive in distributing the money. The ultimate result was that the concentration of money in this class prohibited growth in the other classes and in the African states in general. (D. Gordon 80).

In fact most of the money that was spent by the elite class was not spent on capital investments which would help the economy in general. This essentially contributed to the steady economic decline of the economy (D. Gordon 80). The African economic stagnation and descent was as follows: There was an economic growth rate of approximately 1.3% in the year prior to independence, economic growth dropped .2% yearly from 1965 to 1984 after Africa achieved its independence (D. Gordon 80). In the years of 1980 to 1985 Africa's real gross domestic product fell an average of 2.3% yearly, and by the mid-1980's, the "Great Descent" had become an internationally recognized tragedy of economic proportions (D. Gordon 80). By 1985, the number of "absolute poor" had grown to 180,000 million people or 47% of the population (D. Gordon 81).

The African woman's utopia in terms of government would unlike the system that existed here, but will be thoroughly trained and conditioned to solve economic, political, and social problems before they escalate. Through strategic planning and implementation, her utopian government would be able to avoid a "Great Descent" and the extreme poverty that is described by Gordon. Her utopian government would help ensure a vibrant economy and marketability through a system of mandatory education and job placement for all children. Her utopian government would operate under system of mandatory payment of taxes, the revenue of which would go towards funding schools and job placement programs.

Even in her utopian government, if every decision that is made is not an absolutely perfect one, her utopian government will be equipped to solve all problems as they occur without letting them become too extreme or catastrophic on the country as a whole. Her utopian government would operate on a system of risk management, which anticipates the problems before they arise and plans ahead of time how to handle problems. For example, if within her utopian government, if a budgetary shortage problem is imminent, her utopian government will be prepared to address the problem by finding ways to generate more income before it affects severely effects the economy or the availability jobs.

Gordon describes how a system of corrupt politicians led to the severe economic problems in Africa after it achieved its independence. "In many states corrupt practices among strategically placed politicians and bureaucrats became so habitual as to become institutionalized (D. Gordon 80). Under these circumstances citizens expected to pay bribes and they viewed politicians' raiding of government treasuries as simply the way things were done" (D. Gordon 81-82).

Her utopian government would not tolerate corrupt politicians. All politicians would be elected by the people and a system would be effective immediately allowing the people to remove corrupt politicians from office if it is determined that they are not serving the people. To keep the balance of power between the people and the politicians in check, all politicians' decisions would be reviewed periodically to ensure that their power is kept at a level that ensures that they are serving the needs of the people while keeping the economy healthy and functioning.

Furthermore, in her utopian government the African woman's professional presence would be fairly represented which is much unlike the scenario that April Gordon describes in her book, Understanding Contemporary Africa. Gordon describes an African woman's position in politics following the period of independence as one of slight and displacement. Since independence, women have been excluded from most of the important political decisions in government and politics in African states (a. Gordon 284). No women have served as heads of states and women have only served in 6-8% of the legislative positions in Africa (a. Gordon 284). In only four states -- Rwanda, Cameroon, Malawi, and Senegal -- have over 10% of legislative positions filled by women and only 2% or less of women fill positions at the cabinet level. (a. Gordon 284).

Needless to say, the African woman's utopia in terms of employment in the government or in politics would be a government of equal opportunity. It is a government where she would believes in her abilities and confidently advocates for her right to serve her government in the event it is threatened. In her utopian government, she does not adopt an attitude of acquiescence to a system of male domination as described of by Gordon -- "many Africans male and female have come to accept male dominance in general" (285). In her utopia, she adopts an attitude of determination and willingness to persevere in spite of any perceived discrimination, but she does so with grace, poise, and tact.

2. Her Utopia in Terms of Love

An African woman's utopia in terms of love values her beauty and individuality. She would not be validated by a man's love for her, but for her love for herself. In her utopia, she endures love's challenges graciously and finds strength from within. She remains aware that there are those near her on whom she can call for support -- those that she knows are her friends. In love, she is one with her husband. She is his partner because she feels it, and he reminds her of this through his actions.

In So Long a Letter, the author Mariama Ba, is critical to the understanding placed on women in many African societies and questions the way women have been depicted traditionally by male writers (Ajayi 35). Ba wrote, "The woman writer in Africa has a special task to present the position of women in all aspects (Ajayi 35). With this in mind, Ba presents a protagonist, Ramatoulaye, as a multi-dimensional character faced with different struggles and tragedies in her life, but finds strength and endurance in her Higher Power and her through her friendship. In So Long a Letter, Ramatoulaye begins her letter by reaching out to her friend after just losing her husband to a heart attack. Her co-wife is present at the funeral and the protagonist is rightfully relieved when she returns to her home. (Ba 4, 8). Ba then describes how she, as a post funeral tradition, must regretfully sacrifice her belongings to the family of her husband for failure to do so will result in her being considered stingy and being shunned by his family. (Ba 4).

As Ramatoulaye recounts her experiences during her husband's funeral and immediately afterwards, the reader can feel her anguish as she describes her displacement from what was her married life with… READ MORE

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