Narratives of Embu Rural Women: Gender Roles and Indigenous Knowledges

Abstract

This research was an entry point for unpacking the complex nature of the often invisible and unacknowledged participation of African women in sustaining their communities through their accumulated indigenous knowledges. Embu rural women in Kenya use various herbs for preserving food and curing stomach ailments, headaches, or fever. This knowledge had been passed from generation to generation. The article provides a space for women’s narratives that highlight their daily routines. It also interrogates gender roles in relation to food processing practices and women’s knowledges. The article concludes with a discussion on the centrality of rural women’s roles, indigenous technologies, and knowledge in sustaining their communities.