African literature is full of examples of the difficult situation that African women have suffered during the political and social changes experienced by the continent after colonialism. In Ama Aito Aidoo's short story "Two Sisters" and "Wedding at the Cross," the lives of three different women are explored as they navigate a world dominated not only by the men in their lives, but by the ever-present feeling of colonialism. The women of Mercy and Connie from Aidoo's "Two Sisters" represent some of the hardships perpetrated by the rigid social structure they live in and the oppressive force of the men in their lives. Similarly, in “Wedding at the Cross,” the main female protagonist, Miriamu, is forced by social pressures to take on the role of obedient housewife, and suffers a loss of self after her husband becomes consumed by achieving success in Africa postcolonial. Through these stories Aiddo and Thiongo'o represent African women and their struggles as well as their journey to assert themselves independently of the men in their lives and society in a time when the continent itself was grappling with its own identity in the aftermath to the Western revolution. colonization. Women in Africa have historically been oppressed by their society and “have fought patriarchy and male privilege for centuries” (McFadden). In the two stories this fact is reiterated from the beginning when the reader is made aware of the way in which African society has shaped itself around the ideal that men are superior to women. In “Wedding at the Cross” the speaker opens by emphasizing how “kind” Miriamu's family is, her husband being “a successful lumber merchant; and she, the obedient wife who has done her duty to God, husband and family” (1038). Their society values ​​women and… middle of paper… changes and cannot gain control of their lives if they do not speak out and stand up to their oppressors. Miriamu “raised her head. . . with pride” to support what he wanted and believed in. The stories “Two Sisters” and “Wedding at the Cross” are full of examples of powerful laborers and Western colonialism in the lives of African women, but they also provide examples of women rising above these oppressors. Ama Aito Aidoo and Ngugi Wa Thiong'o give a portrayal of the societies that have hindered and oppressed African women in postcolonial Africa. Through the actions taken by the characters, the authors offer commentary on the social situation and how women can change their position. The stories describe the daily lives of the women and accompany the reader through their journey towards independence from men and Western colonialism.