POLITICS OF BLAME: EXAMINING PATRIARCHAL SCAPEGOATING IN UKAMAKA OLISAKWE’S OGADIMMA AND ABI DARE’S AND SO I ROAR

Abstract

Patriarchy remains one of the most pervasive systems of social organization in Africa, where gender relations are largely defined by cultural norms that privilege men while subordinating women. One of the strategies through which patriarchy sustains this inequality is the politics of blame, whereby women are unjustly held responsible for personal, familial, and societal failures irrespective of the actual causes. This culture of blame often culminates in scapegoating, where women become symbolic victims who bear the consequences of actions committed by others. This study examines the manifestations of patriarchal blame and scapegoating in Ukamaka Olisakwe's Ogadimma and Abi Daré'sAnd So I Roar. The study adopts Chikwenye Okonjo Ogunyemi's African Womanism as its theoretical framework because of its emphasis on gender justice, cultural consciousness, and the dignity of African women. Through qualitative textual analysis, the study reveals that both novels portray women and girls as victims of rape, infertility stigma, domestic violence, ritual sacrifice, and communal condemnation, all arising from patriarchal systems that shift responsibility from male perpetrators to female victims. The study argues that blame functions as an ideological weapon through which patriarchy perpetuates female oppression and shields men from accountability. It concludes that both Olisakwe and Daré challenge patriarchal ideologies by advocating justice, truth, accountability, and the recognition of women's agency. The study contributes to contemporary African literary criticism by foregrounding patriarchal blame and scapegoating as important thematic concerns in Nigerian fiction.