By
Obododimma Oha
“Oke” and “nwunye” (two Igbo words that are actually
antonyms) are biological categories. “Oke” means “male” and “nwunye” means
“female.” In the Igbo thinking, they are for each other and should go together
(not the simplisitic view that one entirely belongs to the other). An “oke”
without “nwunye” is grossly incomplete, lacks, and is need of completion. So,
being antonyms does not mean that one does not need the other. It is rather
one’s need of the other that is projected! Maybe that is simplistic, too, and
begs for deeper thinking about “need.” But that also shows how different
cultures treat the antonyms. Not needing the other, being “alone,” may be the
Western preference, but as collocations on the mind of the Igbo, “oke” and
“nwunye” excite thinking about making up or complementarity. The pair walk
along, singing about natural togetherness. So, with this cultural understanding
of the concepts, let us probe further their presence in Igbo discourse and some
contemporary implications for gender.
We have seen that the two concepts are treated as
close companions in Igbo discourse.
As biological categories, they point towards sexual reproduction and are
further identified as indicators of sexual roles. Now with sex changes, it
means that they are being manipulated and made to be what they are not
naturally. Some may be stuck in what is “natural,” while others may think that
“oke” and “nwunye” are mere starting points and that “starting points” cannot
be “end points.” A sound logic, indeed. Yes; that, too, may be about “making up”
and about “roles in creation”!
But “oke” and “nwunye” are not just biological
categories in Igbo thinking. They are also figurative expressions for what is wild as opposed to what is domestic, what is totally useless if planted and what worth cultivating, what can be productive as opposed to what is barren, what is full of life as opposed to what is already dead or dying, what
is discerning or clear-headed as opposed to what is deranged. “Okeness,” in its obvious disadvantage, tries to wickedly
spread its disaster, if it starts from the North, it must get to the South; if
sprouts in the West, it must extend to and colonise the East! And, so “okeness”
is not often desired. It is “nwunyeness” that is in great demand. “Nwunyeness”
stays with you longer but “okeness” is ephermal and goes before the setting of
the sun.
In line with productive and enduring “nwunyeness,” The
Igbo can talk of “nwunye mmadụ”
(literally speaking, “female human being.” Yes, they also talk of “oke mmadụ”
in positive terms, but this is not the opposite of “nwunye mmadụ.” It rather means
“a great person” (great, indeed!) and so is the opposite of pauper. It is male
chauvinism that elevates “oke” in that figurative expression, helping it to be
associated with having as opposed to not having.
Igbo thought values femaleness greatly and one could
see this in the adoration of “mmanwụ nwaanyị” (female masked spirit) that
appears as a scarce commodity and vanishes when you want to catch a glimpse of
it on the village square. Also, “nwunye mmadụ” is highly sought after for
possessing rare genes and skills to build a home. Indeed, a male could be this
“nwunye mmadụ” (which does not refer to the posessession of female sexual
organs). In that case, it refers to a possession of desirable skills, to
enviable attributes. Getting the skills, through something like marriage or
friendship, becomes the ultimate.
It is important for us to understand what “oke” and
“nwunye” are doing in Igbo discourse and not be easily carried away by how
feminism frowns at the use of biological categorization as indicative of gender
attitude. Indeed, “oke” and “nwunye” request us not to be superficial in looking
at African representations of sexuality and being hasty in our conclusions,
because we want what applies to the West to apply to the rest.
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