The Headstrong Historian

The Headstrong Historian was an exciting story to read. As a story about the Igbo people, their culture would be very new to me. I have read a lot of information online about African cultures, so I knew at least their culture would be very different. I was very much amazed by how the story is written without dialogue. The story tells so much about Nwamgba without her directly saying anything.

One thing about the story that interested me was that the title of the story referred to Afamefuna, the granddaughter of Nwamgba. The story is not about her, but it is about how she eventually came to be. So why was Afamefuna considered a “Headstrong Historian”? Well, it mainly came from her independence compared to most women.

Women in Africa could function independently of the men in their tribes. Nwamgba for example handled her own property after her husband died. She could raise her own child with no one to stop her, and she ignored and threatened the White men who tried to change her. She had the liberty to choose her own husband. She could at least represent herself in society, even if she could not fully defend herself against her husband’s relatives. There were also other women who were independent. Ayaju was a slave wife, yet she was a trader who could go around to other places. There was even a Women's Council where women would gather around and discuss with each other.

Compare this to how Mgbeke, the daughter-in-law of Nwamgba and wife of Anikwenwa is treated. She has no autonomy. She would cry because she could not go to her friend’s wedding because it was of the Anglican faith when Anikwenwa was a Catholic. She would also cry when Anikwenwa would not eat with her. Her entire life seemed to be based on pleasing others, to the point she would be apologetic about things over which she had no control. Her own husband had broken several traditions with the way he married her. The biggest contrast came when Mgbeke broke a tradition. She was beaten up, and while Anikwenwa threatened the village elders, they refused to be intimidated.

Even Afamefuna was not spared this treatment, as her fiancee, George Chikadibia did not care for her opinion to write about her own culture and instead suggested she write about more contemporary topics such as the African Alliances in the American-Soviet Tension. She would later divorce him, as he did not ever seem to be quiet about his days in Cambridge.

Comparing all of the women in this story, they all react to their problems in different ways. Nwamgba tried everything in her power to gain a child, and when her husband died, to make sure their son would take back what they owned. She genuinely loved her husband, even with all the problems it gave her. She was extremely persistent when it came to problems. Ayaju, her friend, was quick to suggest she take a lover to gain a child. As she was also a trader, she seemed to be very free-spirited. Since her husband was not handsome, she did not seem to understand genuine love. 

When comparing both of them to Mgbeke, Mgbeke was more of an object of affection for Anikwenwa. Did they love each other? Mgbeke was certainly loyal to her husband, but when it came to the same problems her mother-in-law had, she was only sniffling and crying. She seemed to be full of, as the story says, “limp helplessness”. Compare this to Nwamgba, who even went to an oracle and was not deterred by the numerous failures. Or Ayaju’s more lively nature and solutions for a child. Mgbeke indeed had a body of limp helplessness.

Afamefuna was a different case from her mother. Afemfuna, as the title of the story says, was Headstrong. When her own husband had told her that writing about primitive cultures was not a worthy endeavor, she knew that it would not last. It was she who changed her pursuit from chemistry to history when she heard how a Nigerian man refused to have anything to do with African History. When her own father did not want her to come back to her grandmother when she was dying because of her exams, she came anyway. Afermfuna, when compared to everyone else, was assertive. She was independent, compared to her grandmother, who still relied on men to do things for her. Compared to Ayaju, she did not look for an easy way out, and instead of staying with a man she did not love like Ayaju, she left. And compared to Mgbeke, when she had trouble in life, instead of letting someone else handle it, she took on the problem herself.

It’s quite ironic how the “civilized” society of the West gave less liberty than the “savage” society of the Igbo people. This story shows us how we can forget the importance of older cultures in pursuit of being progressive. It shows us how older cultures may have aspects of it that modern cultures don’t and that we should look at the past, instead of forgetting it. I think Afemfuna is a perfect example of a Nigerian Woman. She was willing to go back and reconnect to her culture even after having been gone for so long. She was a true symbol of her culture because she sacrificed herself to save the education and dignity of Nigeria in the face of other people.