Rituals, family connections, and BoRakgadi

ABSTRACT

African feminists and decolonial scholars have shown the importance of centring African socio-cultural context in our study of African societies. This includes the signifying of African languages, rituals, and roles of individual members at different times and places. They argue and have provided evidence to illustrate how not doing so can be detrimental to our analysis. To illustrate the significance of reading African socio-cultural contexts as a text for understanding these societies, this article examines how ritual in relation to the role of BoRakgadi (paternal aunts) in African societies foregrounds the idea of women as important players in these communities and families. To foreground this argument, the article provides a brief literature overview on rituals to show its significance in building societal connections and belonging. The article then goes on to illustrate how the multiple roles played by BoRakgadi in family and societal rituals provide a lens into how African women have and continue to have a vital role in communities and families. In conclusion, this article illustrates how using gender as a lens should not take away from the context-specific ways it acts in various times and places, but rather it should be used as a lens to unbundle these particularities.

KEYWORDS:

• Ritual
• African women
• family
• BoRakgadi

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Father’s younger brother.

2. Father’s older brother.

3. People in IsiZulu.

4. Humanity in IsiZulu.

5. Paternal aunts. Bo implies multiple. This is father’s sisters and is also used in reference to father’s female cousins. The husband to the father’s sister is also referred to as Rakgadi, suggesting that the roles and obligations of the Rakgadi are automatically imbued to the husband on marriage.

6. Paternal aunt or father’s sister in SeTswana, SeSotho and SePedi, singular.

7. Paternal aunt or father's sister in ShiVenda.

8. Singular Person in IsiZulu.

9. Kgotla is a gathering of a community to discuss community issues, to deal with infractions of shared laws and to offer solutions? In some contexts, Kgotla is defined in similar terms as a court of law, it is the highest institution for creating and maintaining order in a community.

10. Singular person in SeSotho/SeTswana.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Grace Khunou

Grace Khunou is a professor and currently Director Scholarship Change in the Department of Leadership and Transformation, Unisa. She engages in research with a focus on the Black condition. She writes creatively and academically and has published numerous articles and book chapters in national and international publications. Her Google Scholar citation index is currently 15 with over 700 citations. She has supervised over 40 research students and was awarded the post-graduate teacher award of the year (2020).