Northern Nigerian Literary Gender Discourse and the Dialectics of Tradition and Contemporaneity in Linda Jummai Mustafa’s What If…

This article examines the contribution of Northern Nigerian women to the development of Nigerian literature using Linda Jummai Mustafa’s What If… as a text of reference. The article discusses the contributions of previous Northern Nigerian women to the burgeoning Nigerian literature in relation to issues of Western education, culture, religion, and traditions that have served as encumbrances militating against the development of literature from the Northern region. The article examines various strands of feminist theories and settles on postcolonial feminism in the analysis of the text. Relevant materials were obtained from the internet while hard-cover books were also consulted as secondary materials. The primary text is subjected to critical analysis by focusing on the thematic foci, characters’ development, and narrative styles of the author. It is discovered that new female Northern Nigerian writers are more critical than their senior colleagues as Linda Jummai Mustafa deploys her work to challenge the institutions of marriage, religion, and culture contrary to the status quo. She also challenges patriarchal dominance among the people of Northern Nigeria. She concludes that for women to contribute their quota towards the development of the society, they must be educated. Therefore, she condemns issues of illiteracy among women, terrorism, and spread of HIV/AIDS, rape, and child/forced marriage, among others.