Virginia Egbujor

Footprints of the Amazons Virginia Egbujor

Publisher Marketing: The Title of the novel typifies the mythical independent females; said to have ruled the Amazon region of the South American rain forest many years ago. The novel is set in a remote part of Eastern Nigeria. It is depicted as an emerging and progressive story dating from the nineteen and twenty centuries, till the present time. Here; the great grand daughter tells her friend a lengthy story of how her great grandmother dedicated her efforts to foster the emancipation of the women of her time; and laid the groundwork for future actions to empower them, to free themselves from subjugation and relegation, engendered by the traditional norms. Ego, the wife of the Warrant Chief of Aboshi tried using her charm, accommodation of others and industry to boost self sufficiency and confidence of her co-wives in the chief's harem and the wider town and nearby ones. She, to a reasonable extent fostered the education of both male and female children, significantly, lowered 'death at child birth syndrome' and in direct cooperation with the respected Sister Mary Slessor, originally from Scotland in the united kingdom; known to have stopped the ritualistic killing of twins and other multiple births. Ego in alliance with outside assistance like the missionaries and through education and reliable health care, went a long way in achieving her selfless ambition; of freeing the woman from being mere property owned by the man. The novel surveys the past, present and future ramifications of the universal fight to empower and emancipate the woman; from childhood to mature age. It also streamlined the contributions required of the woman in order to realise the projected laudable aims.