In this essay, Petrusso analyzes how Aidoo depicts male-female relationships of different generations in Anowa.

Many critics have commented on the fact that though Anowa is set in what later became Ghana in the 1870s, some of the issues and ideas Aidoo has woven into the story are thoroughly modern. Anowa's individuality and complex, often problematic relationship with both her parents and husband are often mentioned. Another is the depiction of several generations and how they handle conflict in different ways. The play is built around male-female relationships, implicitly contrasting different generations.

In Anowa there are three main couplings: The Old Man and Old Woman (also known as Being- The-Mouth-That-Eats-Salt-And-Pepper), the elder generation; Badua and Osam, the parental generation; and Anowa and Kofi Ako, the younger generation. This essay discusses these relationships and how they form the core of the play.

The oldest couple in Anowa are...