Gender Perspectives in Kalanga Oral Literature

Gender studies are contemporarily viewed as cross-cutting issues affecting humanity interaction. The divisions are not fixed in biology, but relations are constructed in terms of power and dominance that structure the life of men and women based on socio-cultural values. Feminism is one of the perspectives that serve as lens in viewing gender relations though it is widely regarded as alien to African traditional societies. However, the infiltration of feminist ideas continue to impact on traditional societies leading them to view their cultural practices with a second eye. The study acknowledges that there are variations in how men and women are viewed in Kalanga communities. Scholarly activities opened a window on gender equality, gender equity and gender-based violence. These different views, somewhat negative towards women affect male-female behaviour patterns displayed in all spheres of life. The behaviour variations are conveyed to the two social groups through forms of folkloric wisdom. It is also in these apparent dissimilarities that women are regarded as weaker, physically and emotionally and incapable of rationally contributing to the building of the Kalanga culture. The study employs content analysis of purposively selected examples of folktales, proverbs, taboos and traditional songs. Semi-structured interviews, document analysis and oral-literary work were used to solicit information that explain the different practices between men and women. Africana womanism theory guided the discussion. The ideology applies to all women of African descent since it is grounded in African culture. The findings confirmed that women have a lot to overcome to be recognized in societal activities of a high level. However, adopted from the demands of Africanness, the study concluded that Kalanga traditional women and men are social counterparts working in distinguished areas of society to complement each other in order to sustain familyhood ties.