His Only Wife

Afi Tekple is the protagonist and first-person narrator of His Only Wife. She is a dynamic character who evolves over the course of the novel. When Afi begins her story, she is a young woman attempting to fulfill her familial and cultural responsibilities. She agrees to marry Aunty Faustina Ganyo’s son Eli even though she barely knows him. She hopes that doing so will make her mother proud and change the opinions of those who “once thought nothing of her” (11). Furthermore, she wants to repay her family’s debts to the Ganyo family. Accepting the arranged marriage is Afi’s way of accepting her role as a young woman in her traditional Ghanaian society.

Despite Afi’s compliance, she is a bold, self-possessed, and strong-minded character. She voluntarily quells these facets of herself when she marries Eli and leaves her family and home in Ho to start a life with him in Accra. She quickly realizes that marrying Eli and living in the city does not mean pursuing her desires. Rather, she is expected to spend her time caring for the house and Eli when he decides to visit the flat. Afi does fall in love with Eli once they start spending more time together.