“Women are Different”:

colonialism and the education of Igbo girls in the literature of Flora Nwapa

Abstract

The article proposes an analysis of the experience of Nigerian women in the 20th century, highlighting especially the contribution of Igbo writer Flora Nwapa to the understanding of this context. Inspired by the need for a historical approach to Africa that values endogenous perspectives, the text uses the dialogue between History and Literature as a methodological basis. The essay focuses on the analysis of the novel “Women Are Different” (1992), specifically on how Flora Nwapa perceived the role of British colonialism in the education of Igbo women, highlighting their agency in the face of social transformations in their communities. The structure of the article is divided into two main parts: the first addresses the education of Igbo girls in the colonial context, while the second discusses the implications of colonialism on the formation of Nigerian elites, highlighting how Flora Nwapa interpreted these impacts and the pursuit of an emancipation that recognized their cultural roots.