CONFLICT OF INTEREST IN LANGUAGE, MARRIAGE, RELIGION AND CULTURAL EMPATHY: THE AGONY OF THE PROTAGONIST IN SO LONG A LETTER

Abstract

This paper examines the conflicting interests of actors in Mariama
Ba’s 1981 Senegalese epistolatory novel: So long a letter, as it affects the
interest of the protagonist within the conceptual discourse on
language, culture, religious hegemony and marital vow. The paper
explores the literary use of language (French Language) in presenting
issues such as cultural problem and conflict of interest with emphasis
on the African patriarchy system which applauds masculine
domination of the female gender in marital relationship, and the
attendant threat to the feminine interest. In this article, the focus is
on the African culture, religious sentiment in which women find
themselves entangled, while men are set loose or free by the same
religion with reference to the cultural practice or traditions of the
Senegalese community.