The Path of African Women in Fiction: a Critical Analysis of Ngugi's the River between and a Grain of Wheat

African writers involved in the trend of writing to re-establish the socio-cultural identity of Africa countries have not failed to mention the status of women in African communities. On the one hand, for some writers, the status and position of the African women since pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial periods have not changed. They have presented the women as inferior beings in all fields. They have portrayed them as human beings with no authority while men hold all authority. On the other hand, others have symbolised Africa as a woman who is in search of freedom and independence. Thus, they have portrayed mature, independent and capable women taking initiatives in the post-colonial period. The aim of this paper is to critically analyse The river between and A grain wheat and highlight the evolution of women’s status and position in African communities from the pre-colonial to the post-colonial era. With the feminist and post-colonial criticism, this paper concludes that women have moved from the status of a dispossessed person to a status of a leader capable of suggesting and taking the lead of activities for the development of communities