Male Voices in Female Bodies: The Case of Chenjerai Hove’s Androcentrism

Abstract

The article is an analysis of Chenjerai Hove’s three novels in English namely Bones (1988), Shadows (1991) and Ancestors (1996). It argues that while Hove, to some extent, attempts to visibilize women in a predominantly male dominated society, he does not do much to suggest that women have the capacity to fully liberate themselves from patriarchal dominance. Hove is more of a pacifier who is not convincing in his quest for the emancipation of the African woman. This conclusion comes from a close analysis of Hove’s depiction of female characters in the three novels mentioned above.