Nurturing Women Leaders and the Danger of a Single-Narrative Regarding Them in Memories We Lost and Other Stories

Abstract

Human productions such as literature, film, music, art, science, technology, and architecture among others are outgrowths of human experiences and therefore reflect human desires, conflicts, and potentials. Therefore, critical interpretation of those productions is vital in understanding something about human beings who make sense of the world through telling and listening to stories; which shape their worldview. Memories We Lost and Other Stories is an anthology of fourteen short stories written by fourteen authors from thirteen different countries. From the year 2018 to 2021, this anthology was recommended by the Ministry of Education in Kenya to be studied by Kenyan secondary school students. These were at least 2,931,394 teenagers, who were preparing for their college and university entry exam; the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) national exam in English literature. A critical reading against the grain of this anthology however shows how five of these stories depict a general negative single-narrative of female characters. This presentation has questioned how young minds, especially females, may internalize their position as future women leaders in Kenya after interacting with the narratives. Additionally, it has proposed possible solutions to the established challenges that are likely to hinder the nurturing of sustainable women's leadership