The Lives of Women in Zimbabwe
My great hope for African women, South African author Adeola James writes, "is that one day they will come into their own. That is why I chose to write." As African women struggle to claim their rightful place in African society and in the world, women writers, visual artists, and musicians chart the course of this struggle in a rich variety of artistic works. Through prose, poetry, drama, sculpture, painting, music, and many other forms, African women speak their thoughts and share their perceptions about their lives and their societies.
"Our problem," Adeola James writes, in her introduction to In Their Own Voices (James 1990), "is that we have listened so rarely to women's voices, the noises of men having drowned us out in every sphere of life, including the arts. Yet women to o are artists, and are endowed with a special sensitivity and compassion, necessary to creativity" (p. 2).
In many revolutionary struggles throughout the world, women were important characters in the fight for political freedom. In Zimbabwe, as well as in Nicaragua, women played major parts in helping these countries fight the dictatorship that controlled their countries. In the readings, lectures and film regarding this topic, many themes are raised. These include the reasons for women supporting the revolutionary struggle, the specific roles of women who did participate in the effort, and finally, the result for women when revolution succeeded; were women better off due to the revolution? These questions and issues will be addressed by looking at women in Zimbabwe during the fight for political freedom.
Women in Zimbabwe were strong supporters of the revolutionary movement and fighters. In Zimbabwe, colonial rule had been imposed on the natives, and Europeans were benefiting by exploiting those who lived in Africa. Many African men had to move to cities to work for wages, which left many women with the burden of the agricultural work. As the white settlers superior position in society became even more dominant, women began to realize that both the people and the colonial system were significantly oppressing them. They could see that the European settlers to benefit not themselves, but the white man were using their positions as main agricultural workers. Sita Ranchod-Nilsson describes the reason why women supported the guerillas;
Because African women were primarily responsible for agriculture and household subsistence in the countryside, they could identify with guerrilla claims that they were fighting for lost lands and an end to economic hardship(p.
Women had no choice but to follow whatever society told them to because there was no other option for them. Change was very hard for these women due to unexpected demands required from them. They held back every time change came their way, they had to put up with their oppressors because they didn’t have a mind of their own. Both authors described how their society affected them during this historical period.
They both performed tasks for their community. For instance, men used to hunt whereas women gathered and gathered wild fruits. They both showed tasks that could help their communities. Women were valued as they played a central role in their communities. The author narrates the Masai community's culture in Tanzania where she experienced involving themselves with the process of construction. That means that they were engaged in more productive and economically viable activities, not compared to other capitalist societies where the house chore women perform degrade the status of women. In my opinion, women play an essential role in society as much as men do. They complement men, and together they work as a system (Angela, 2011). If women are left out in community activities, the whole system collapses and fails to work appropriately hence it is imperative that they are working together for the betterment of the
As stated before, many women who felt that they were involved in nationalist movements saw these opportunities presented to women. In document 4, Teodora Gomes is able to provide us with information about the opportunities of roles in nationalist party leadership for women. In document 1, Manmohini Saghal shows increased public participation of women. In document 2, Song Qingling even shows that women have taken place in military efforts during this time. In document 1, Manmohini Saghal shows increased public participation of women. These documents clearly show how women saw these movements as opportunities to change th...
...witty comical banter helps spread the understanding of the underlying themes behind the humor. It makes it easier for the artists to connect with the audience about feminism without an aggressive and hostile approach to the work. I believe viewers are more likely to communicate upon the works of the Guerrilla Girls with one another in society when they take on a more comedic approach. This investigation has examined the Guerrilla Girls through direct connection to the inequalities of compliance of power over women in the art world. Several themes were highlighted within society that reinstated these cultural norms of gender and sex within the institutions of art. With a variety of forms used by the Guerrilla Girls to redefine women's identity in history they were able to break down such barriers that stood in the way which denied the prosperity of female artists.
Clenora Hudson-Weems, founder of Africana womanist theory, defines Africana womanism as “an ideology created and designed for all women of African descent. It is grounded in African culture, and therefore, it necessarily focuses on the unique experiences, struggles, needs and desires of Africana women” (Hudson-Weems, 2007). Finding the existing philosophies dealing with women’s issues lacking, Hudson-Weems sought out a new perspective that would reflect the unique experience of Africana women. This paper explores the formation of Africana womanism and how it departs from traditional feminist theory. While Africana womanism claims to better meet the needs of Africana women than traditional feminism, there are a number of fundamental deficiencies in that theory as well. This paper will focus specifically on Black feminism in examining this failings.
For centuries, educated and talented women were restricted to household and motherhood. It was only after a century of dissatisfaction and turmoil that women got access to freedom and equality. In the early 1960’s, women of diverse backgrounds dedicated tremendous efforts to the political movements of the country, which includes the Civil Rights movement, anti-poverty, Black power and many others (Hayden & King, 1965). The Africa...
The traditional women of Africa were “docile, submissive, and hard working.” During the strike, this changed dramatically. Ousmane illustrated this change through the two major confrontations that the women started with the police. The first confrontation was started after Ramatoulaye killed the ram. After the ram’s death, the police came to take Ramatoulaye and the ram meat. Ramatoulaye refused to let them take the ram meat from the children. She justified, “He ate our rice; I killed him. The children were hungry; Verndredi ate the children’s rice.” Although Ramatoulaye was willing to go with the police, the other women did not allow the police to take her. Instead, the women began arming themselves with clubs and bottles filled with sand. Then they attacked. The women’s response confused many, especially the men, because they were not used to women acting this way. Their response was not in line with the traditional gender roles of Africa. In its place, a new set of gender roles were emerging. Another example Ousmane provides was when the women started a fire in there village, in hope of scaring off the police and their
In the developing world women are the most influential to change. Historically women have been the catalyst for change, they are the most influential because they hold the most respect in their communities. Women are able to invoke the most change because historically they are held at such a high esteem in their communities, this can be seen most obviously in African communities. Women’s desire and determination has enabled them to make the most change in their communities. The woman of Liberia, are the most recognized and praised for their part in the removal of their Dictator Charles Taylor. Their attempt and success of the removal of Charles Taylor is documented in the documentary “Pray The Devil Back to Hell”. Their actions in this movement
The evolution of the strike causes an evolution in the self-perceptions of the Africans themselves, one that is most noticeable in the women of Bamako, Thies, and Dakar. These women go from seemingly standing behind the men in their lives, to walking alongside them and eventually marching ahead of them. When the men are able to work the jobs that the train factory provides them, the women are responsible for running the markets, preparing the food, and rearing the children. But the onset of the strike gives the role of bread-winner-or perhaps more precisely bread scavenger-to the women. Women go from supporting the strike to participating in the strike. Eventually it is the women that march on foot, over four days from Thies to Dakar. Many of the men originally oppose this women's march, but it is precisely this show of determination from those that the French had dismissed as "concubines" that makes clear the strikers' relentlessness. The women's march causes the French to understand the nature of the willpower that they are facing, and shortly after the French agree to the demands of the strikers.
Throughout history society has been controlled by men, and because of this women were exposed to some very demanding expectations. A woman was expected to be a wife, a mother, a cook, a maid, and sexually obedient to men. As a form of patriarchal silencing any woman who deviated from these expectations was often a victim of physical, emotional, and social beatings. Creativity and individuality were dirty, sinful and very inappropriate for a respectful woman. By taking away women’s voices, men were able to remove any power that they might have had. In both Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” and Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening”, we see that there are two types of women who arise from the demands of these expectations. The first is the obedient women, the one who has buckled and succumbed to become an empty emotionless shell. In men’s eyes this type of woman was a sort of “angel” perfect in that she did and acted exactly as what was expected of her. The second type of woman is the “rebel”, the woman who is willing to fight in order to keep her creativity and passion. Patriarchal silencing inspires a bond between those women who are forced into submission and/or those who are too submissive to maintain their individuality, and those women who are able and willing to fight for the ability to be unique.
The culprit behind the alteration of women's role in society was the enforced famine, which eventually resulted in the first of the women's rebellions against the French. Because the men were no longer providing money to purchase food, the women became the providers of the family. As their situation worsened and starvation became imminent, the women resorted to breaking the law. What's remarkable in light of the situation is that the women were united in their efforts rather than watching out for themselves. The hunger visible in their children eyes did not cause them to despair and lose their resolve, rather it helped to develop unity amongst them as they faced this hardship together. For instance, when Ramatoulaye killed the ram Vendredi, the meat from its bones was distributed to all those in need. So when the French soldiers came to collect her for breaking a law, they did not face one lone woman but an army of women prepared to fight.
In this narrative, Ngugi pays high tribute to patriotic African woman who truly experienced the struggles of war and revolution. Wambui, for instance, is one the characters that symbolizes patriotism and the importance of woman for the Mau Mau operations. During the rebellion, Wambui, a middle-aged woman, carried massages from the towns to those hiding in the woods. Women just like Wambui, were in charge of very important tasks in the organization, such as being informers and warriors in times of crisis. In one of the scenes, Wambui “once carried a pistol tied to her thighs near the groin. She was dressed in long, wide and heavy cloths…She was taking the gun to Naivasha” (pg. 19). What can deducted from this actions is that woman were used to carry guns in order to help the men to fight the revolution. Wambui is just the representation of a large number of women who served as intermediaries and whose duties were to convey secrets to warriors during the
In the last few readings and cases studies, women and the peasant farmers were the subject and target of much of the white European aggression. The whites saw the women and peasants as minor threats to their occupation of the land and used this idea to further the oppression in African states.
As Virginia Woolf believed, women have always been stripped away of any abilities in the arts because of relative poverty and familial constraints. However, should it be any less that a woman must too endure exhortation from society? In the progressive United States, legal sanctions protect individual liberties, no matter what gender. However, while women can pursue liberties, they are still limited in their ability to pursue artistic genius. The United States may have progressed as a nation since the eighteenth century in every way of life; however, gender issues still emerge in the arts. And women should be entitled to equality in art - as well as life.
It emphasises the need to recognise and respect African diversity in terms of classes, religions, societies and ethnicities. It focusses on participation, the community and collectivism rather than opposing and competing against men and striving for individualism. African feminist focusses less on the woman’s sexual identity, the female body and theoretical debates but rather on culture and power. By strengthening women’s political effectiveness, the African feminist’s aim is to incorporate their views for gender equality into policy and legislation. The African Feminist is heterosexual in nature. In the mind of the African feminist, gender and patriarchy are western constructs - seniority, motherhood and matriarchy are the basis of African social organisation. However, their wish is to reconcile modern roles with traditional roles. The African Feminist finds commonalities among women rather than differences, referred to as the sisterhood of women. However, sisterhood is not accepted as a global construct as it is recognised that black and white women have not been able to reconcile their thoughts in the past. Motherhood forms an important component of African Feminism as it promotes matriarchy and the African woman as a nurturer and mother to the environment. The African woman’s reproductive role is very important and in no way of less importance than any other role. African feminism focusses on “bread and