Introduction & Overview of Anowa by Ama Ata Aidoo

Anowa Introduction

Anowa is the second, last, and most accomplished play written by Ghanaian playwright, poet, short story writer, and novelist Ama Ata Aidoo. Anowa was first published in 1970 and had its British premiere in London in 1991; Aidoo had begun writing Anowa in the late 1960s. Aidoo based the play on regional legends and folktales, some of which were about the "disobedient daughter." In such stories, a young woman refuses to marry a suitor, resulting in disaster. Aidoo gave such stories her own twist, incorporating a more complicated portrayal of gender and drawing parallels with contemporary Ghanaian history. At the center of the play is the title character, Anowa, who finds her own husband and remains true to her own ideals, resulting in an unhappy marriage and conflict that leads to death.

Set in the 1870s, many critics believe that Anowa underscores the similarities between the slave trade...
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