From illusion to disenchantment: A study of Chika Unigwe’s on black sisters’ street.

Abstract

This dissertation, entitled - From Illusion to Disenchantment: A Study of Chika Unigwe‘s On Black Sisters’ Street,‖ examines how Africans generally think of the West and how such conceptions contribute to their emigration to the West in search for solutions to the various socio-economic and political problems that plague their home societies. The work attempts to show how such African women end up in prostitution and the consequences thereof. The work proceeds to examine the characters‘ self realisation (of past mistakes) and assesses their efforts towards redemption. Finally, the work illustrates how issues of gender and migration can be effectively integrated into the ESL/EFL classroom in order to increase awareness and prevent students from replicating the errors exposed in the text. In view of the above, the work operates on the hypothetical contention that African‘s myth of the West is a pipe dream. Thus, a trip down memory lane can help in the re-invention of the self. Using the feminist and postcolonial theoretical framework the work concludes that most of the ideas people have of the West are false, and that restoration of one‘s identity is possible after its distortion by the harsh processes of migration.