In his novel, Anthills of the Savannah Chinua Achebe interprets African

history to re-invent Africa as well to reclaim the lost dignity of his nation.
Anthills of the Savannah gives us a true picture of the post-colonial
African predicament marked by disillusionment and frustration thereby
exploring Achebes regenerative vision of a wide-ranging and egalitarian
society where the marginal people find their space and time to have their
say. To carry on the unfinished task left behind by Ikem and Chris, Achebe
employs a woman character, Beatrice, who becomes a harbinger of a new
hope to delineate and appease an embittered history (220).
Through her character, he presents the new enlightened woman who
would be the companion to man in this continual historic struggle towards
change. Despite her anguish and suffering, Beatrice carries on the
struggle.
Her home becomes the shelter of Emmanuel, Braimoh and Adamma,
members of the common people and a group signifying more varied in
class and ethnic origin. In this group, the barriers of class and gender are
erased
and a new alliance is formed to mould the embittered history around its
core of reality. Indeed, the people, the real victims of the callous system
who are sidelined and silenced must be included and made visible for
social regeneration and progress because it is only when they voice their
depraved and wretched condition that an inclusive vision of a new and
enlightened society could emerge. The group that coheres around
Beatrice is to
be the catalyst of the futureIn this small group, the tendencies to
nepotism and corruption which have compromised elite rulers in the past,
will presumably be mitigated by the advent of womens salubrious force
7. Finally, Achebes vision of a cross-class unity is made visible in the
naming ceremony of Ikem and Elewas child, where people from different
strata come together to bless the newly born child bridging the wide
chasm of ethnic classes and gender differences. It heralds a new
beginning disrupting and subverting not only Western
tradition but also the African. In naming the child, Beatrice herself takes
the role of the patriarch. Truly, she serves as a source of inspiration and
passion to re-write as well adapt her culture for a better future. She
chooses a boys name for the girl child and expounds: AMAECHINA: Maythe-path-never-close. Ama for short
(222). Here, Beatrice our own version of hope coincides with Achebes
insistence on the need of a new set of valuesa new frame of reference,
a new definition of stranger and enemy 8 to eradicate the confusion of
values which afflicts the new nation and also to explore the human
condition. Ikems vision is further reiterated
by Elewas uncle who unites the hope for Kangan with the future of his

niece:
May this child be the daughter of all of us
May these young people here when they make the plans for their world
not forget her. And all other

The concern of my paper is to analyze and explore the concept of New Woman in the
novels of Nigerias well-known writers, The emergence of femaleness
and the woman centered endings of Anthills of the Savannah and Kehinde explicitly show
their struggle is not a crusade for sexual and social justice, but a paradigm that articulates a
still unrealized striving for self-expression. In the Savannah2, Achebe depicts the problems created by

colonization and illustrates

the new role women could play to bring together as many broken pieces of the
tragic history as she can.
Anthills recounts the story of a London-educated Nigerian woman, Beatrice Okah, who boldly opposes
the age-old African tradition the naming of the child only by the father: it is really safest to ask the
mother what her child should be called (206). This breaking with tradition suggests a new beginning,
ignoring Western tradition, and African as well.
Beatrice serves as a passion and inspiration to men around her with her urge
for new culture. Achebes female character rises above the oppressive patriarchy in order to dismiss
male superiority. The focusing is on Achebes portraiture of Beatrices character in relation to
female empowerment.
Anthills of the Savannah thus marks the first ever full-length novel of Achebe where an attempt is
made to transform the status of women from that of object to that of subject.
He upholds feminine values, though women are subordinated to men in the narrative. Her primary
function in the novel is to inspire, support and celebrate great men. It is only towards the end of the
novel, after the demise of the trinity that she attains power as the world crashes around Mans ears,
Women in her supremacy will descend and sweep the shards together (Anthills, p. 98).
The concept of New Woman offers a portrait of one who tries to emancipate her from the restrictive
norms of conduct imposed by the male-dominated tribal set up.
Anthills of the Savannah thus seeks to restore the rightful status to women in African society, and
illustrates a culture in which women must save the country from deterioration. Anthills of the
Savannah explicitly contains commentary on the changing roles of women, and it also emphasizes that
women cannot passively expect men to dismantle their long-standing gender biases.children