Why and to Where does Ajany Run? Culture and Femininity in Yvonne Owuor’s Dust
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Date
2021-09-09
Authors
Mbith, Esther K.
Karumba, Julia Njeri
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Abstract
Launched around the time Kenya was marking fifty years of
independence, Yvonne Owuor’s Dust has been described as
a ‘cultural inheritance.’ It portrays a collection of colourful
characters who laugh at themselves in their search for some
sense of belonging. This paper is a critical interrogation of
how culture and gender shape the identities of characters in
the creative works of East African writers. The present
analysis focuses on the character of Ajany, in Dust. Ajany is a
timid character who always lurked in Odidi’s shadow. Initially
she has no sense of self and seems to be on a journey in
search of her identity. She makes international contact
mentally, physically, philosophically, intellectually,
psychologically as well as emotionally. Among what is
affecting her self-realisation is the collective culture of her
people and her gender. The study thus interrogates the
contribution of femininity to the identity that Ajany
eventually acquires. Since Ajany has interacted with different
cultures in the search for self-realisation, the study also
examines the effects of the different cultures on Ajany’s
character. The study is based on ideas of hybridity advanced
by Homi K. Bhabha.
Description
A Research Article in the Eastern African Literary and Cultural Studies
Keywords
Culture, East Africa, Femininity, Gender, Hybridity, Identity, Kenya, Literature, Running
Citation
Esther K. Mbithi & Julia Njeri Karumba (2021): Why and to Where does Ajany Run? Culture and Femininity in Yvonne Owuor’s Dust, Eastern African Literary and Cultural Studies, DOI: 10.1080/23277408.2021.1939936