The Afro-surrealist approach to literature takes from the belief that one can use their past experiences to change the present and hence free themselves from any shackles of servitude, and in the context of this study, it is meant to offer perspectives on how black women across African and African-American cultures use their experiences of love, family and class to change the oppressive institutions in their lives and access freedom. Given these perspectives, the corpus text is discussed taking into account the importance of experiences and ties with the community, for change and progress.
The existing problem relates to biased criticisms claiming that works such as So Long a Letter and Their Eyes Were Watching God produce liberated women disconnected from the traditional world. The objective of this paper is to show that the nonconformity of females in quest for freedom vis-à-vis established institutions mirrors the Afro-surrealist use of the past experiences to create liberating values intrinsically connected to the contemporary world. The ideologies of freedom sustained by Afro-surrealism and feminism are used to discuss how the female protagonists use love, family and class, initially oppressive to them, to liberate themselves and how they extend this freedom to their community.
Keywords: Afro-surrealism, African woman, community values, feminism, freedom.