Matripotency

This entry looks at the concept of matripotency, a term coined by Oyeronke Oyěwùmí, a Nigerian philosopher. The concept of matripotency adds to African decolonial thought. It also adds to contemporary African philosophy. Through her writing, Oyěwùmí questions Eurocentric ideas that have been imposed in African societies. Although Oyěwùmí focuses on the Yoruba kingdom in Nigeria, her decolonial work addresses the African continent. This is why her work is best suited to decolonise feminism by looking into real and true African meanings to African social organisation. This is very useful in generating African knowledge written by Africans themselves instead of Western ideologies created by Western scholars on African societies. Oyěwùmí’s work focuses on the concept of motherhood, social practices, the African family structure, and culture as a decolonial weapon against imperialism. Her theories bring about the understanding and consciousness of the impact of Western dominance in African societies. The themes that she focuses on are what will enable me to locate and define matripotency by recognising and taking into consideration African experiences and knowledges.