Chapter I THE PROBLEM Introduction African literature has tended to reflect the cultural and political phases of the continent because African fiction has been very much influenced by culture and politics. Beginning from the colonial days, African fiction spans the succession of cultural clashes and political crises which have beset the continent. For the countries in Africa, the experience of colonialism plays an important role in the process of understanding their history. Postcolonial studies
Within the Igbo culture, there are some basic sacred and secular beliefs which provided meaning to causes of disease such as infertility. So, the causes of infertility are better understood within the context of the people concerned (Jegede, 1998). Similar view had earlier