Imicabango yababhali base-Afrika ngempumelelo yabesifazane: kuhlaziywa inoveli kaJabulani Mngadi ethi Usumenyezelwe-ke Umcebo

Abstract

Imibono evezwe kule atikeli igxile enovelini yesiZulu, Usumenyezelwe-ke Umcebo eyabhalwa nguJabulani Mngadi ongomunye wababhali abahloniswayo kwezobuciko besiZulu. Ithuluzi lokucwaninga elibizwa ngokuthi yiStatus Incongruity Hypothesis yilona elisetshenziselwe ukuveza imizwa yababhali mayelana nempumelelo eyaziwa ngokuthi ingeyabesifazane emisebenzini yobuciko. Inoveli kaMngadi ikuveza kucace ukuthi amasiko abomdabu base Afrika awayeseki neze impumelelo yabantu besifazane. Le atikeli ihlose ukwedlulisela umzabalazo wabantu besifazane enkundleni yamasiko nalokho akulindele kubo. Okutholiwe ekucwaningeni wukuthi: (1) eNtshonalanga impumelelo yomuntu wesifazane ithathwa njengeyakhe yena siqu, kanti emiphakathini yabomdabu base Afrika impumelelo yomuntu wesifazane ayithathwa neze njengeyakhe uqobo kodwa njengeyalowo muntu wesilisa omphethe; (2) emiphakathini eminingi emhlabeni impumelelo yomuntu wesifazane ivele inekelwe izwe nje kungabe kusanakwa nokuphepha kwakhe, okukugcina wukuthi (3) emiphakathini yabomdabu yase Afrika umuntu wesifazane oyisihlabani uyajeziswa ngabantu besilisa nabanye abantu besifazane. Atikeli ivumbulule ukuthi kukhona isikhala esikhona ezifundweni zeFeminism ngaphansi kwalesi sihloko sayo nokuthi lesi sikhala singavalwa ngokuthi kusetshenziswe iStatus Incongruity Hypothesis ukuphenya imisebenzi yobuciko besiZulu efana namanoveli, amadrama, izindatshana nezinkondlo.

African authors’ perceptions about female success: analysis of the novel of Jabulani Mngadi Usumenyezelwe-ke umcebo

The arguments in this article are based on Usumenyezelwe-ke Umcebo by the respected isiZulu novelist Jabulani Mngadi. The Status Incongruity Hypothesis is used in this article to explore the perceptions of indigenous African authors about women’s achievements in their texts. Mngadi’s novel supports the assertion that indigenous African culture shuns female success. This article examines women’s struggles that arise from cultural expectations that do not accept female success among indigenous African communities. This article found that, firstly, in the West, female achievement belongs to the individual woman, which is in stark contrast to indigenous African communities, where a woman’s success automatically belongs to the man, and, secondly, in many societies, female success is displayed publicly without regard for her personal safety. Finally, in indigenous African societiesm a successful woman is punished by men, and sometimes also by other women. This article observes a gap in the field of feminist studies that analyse isiZulu literary works using the Status Incongruity Hypothesis in creative works such as drama, short stories, folklore and poetry.

Imithombo