ABSTRACT
One of the more striking examples of the Africana womanist is found in the works of Paule Marshall, a prominent AfricanCaribbean writer. Marshall’s most successful novel, Praisesong for the Widow, set primarily in the Caribbean, demonstrates the strength and authenticity of the Africana womanist. Marshall’s Praisesong for the Widow, first published in 1984, makes a qualitative leap from the focus on “the antagonisms between Black women and Black men”, which is a recurring theme in Africana women’s fiction, to an emphasis on the significance of cultural retention through the maturation of its protagonist. Strength is important for the Africana womanist, for it has sustained her through generations of trials and tribulations. Marshall demonstrates the reconnection with one’s historical cultural ancestry via her female characters, who clearly embody elements of the Africana womanist in their culturally rich lives.
