Transitioning from the Margins to the Spotlight: A study of Emily Oghale God’s Presence Beyond the Boundaries

This study examines how Emily Oghale God’s Presence portrays the place of women in politics and leadership in her creative work. The political landscape in Nigeria is predominantly controlled by men and women seldom assume prominent roles. Achieving gender equality, especially in the realm of politics, poses a significant challenge. The prevalent perception is that women are typically viewed as supporters in politics rather than active participants, thereby relegating women to the background. This form of oppression against women is as a result of the cultural stereotypes dictating that women should occupy supportive roles rather than taking on leadership and decision-making positions. Consequently, engaging in politics or aspiring for political positions is often socially unacceptable for women. Drawing upon womanist theory, this study contends that women can only overcome stereotypes and attain influence by collectively striving for power and advocating for equality, rather than passively waiting for power to be bestowed upon them. Emily Oghale God’s Presence envisions Nigerian women as integral participants in the political mainstream, challenging the cultural stereotypes. Therefore, this study recommends that education and economic empowerment are viable means, through which women can attain equality and liberation from the restrictions imposed upon them by the society.

本研究探讨艾米丽·奥加莱·戈德·普雷斯恩斯（Emily Oghale God’s Presence）在其创作作品中如何呈现女性在政治与领导力领域的地位。尼日利亚的政治格局长期由男性主导，女性极少能担任核心要职。实现性别平等，尤其是在政治领域，是一项极具挑战性的任务。主流社会普遍将女性视为政治活动中的辅助者而非积极参与者，进而将女性边缘化。这种对女性的压迫，源于文化刻板印象——即女性应承担辅助性角色，而非执掌权力、参与决策。因此，女性投身政治或谋求政治职位，往往会遭到社会的非议与排斥。本研究借鉴妇女主义理论（womanist theory），主张女性唯有通过集体争取权力、倡导性别平等，而非被动等待权力被授予自身，方能打破刻板印象并获得影响力。艾米丽·奥加莱·戈德·普雷斯恩斯将尼日利亚女性设想为政治主流中的核心参与者，以此挑战上述文化刻板印象。据此，本研究提出建议：教育赋能与经济赋权是可行路径，女性可借此实现性别平等，摆脱社会强加于自身的种种桎梏。