Gendering Leadership, Mediating Feminist Political Futures: Mawugbe and the Decolonial Proposal in ‘In The Chest Of A Woman’ (2008)

A careful reading of Efo Kodjo Mawugbe’s In the Chest of a Woman reveals two predominant issues in relation to the style and ideology of the text: female sexuality and politics. This notwithstanding, the burgeoning literature on Mawugbe’s play has overlooked the radical ways in which the playwright reframes the discourse on the participation of women in politics by the intimate metaphorical connections he makes regarding Ghana’s uneasiness with evolving genders.

A careful reading of Efo Kodjo Mawugbe’s In the Chest of a Woman reveals two predominant issues in relation to the style and ideology of the text: female sexuality and politics. This notwithstanding, the burgeoning literature on Mawugbe’s play has overlooked the radical ways in which the playwright reframes the discourse on the participation of women in politics by the intimate metaphorical connections he makes regarding Ghana’s uneasiness with evolving genders. This paper is thus guided by two pivotal questions; how can the African woman fully participate in politics and inscribe her claims within a male-dominated domain? What proposals does Mawugbe offer amidst the call for empowerment and structural change? Situating the discussion within the context of decolonial thought and feminist literary theory, this paper demonstrates how Nana Yaa becomes Mawugbe’s articulation of mediated relations towards women’s inclusion and recognition in political leadership. The paper concludes that the play summons a new feminist politics by interrogating the historical precedence of the pre-colonial tradition and initiation, through radical imaginations, a new locus for rethinking gendered politics and women in leadership, particularly within the Ghanaian geopolitical space. The paper is significant for policy formulation and feminist pedagogy.