Gendered Taboos as an Impediment to African Women’s Leadership: A Decolonial View

Abstract

Human beings come from various backgrounds shaped by their norms, culture, belief systems, age, social orientation and their language. In addition to all these human beings, the common denominator is that they are different in terms of their parity and equality. This difference of human beings in the world has their own knowledge and cultural practices towards contribution of knowledge. Transformation of leadership which is imperative during the decolonialisation projects demands among other things more information about African traditional leadership. The realisation and existence of such leadership cannot be imagined without the indigenous knowledge which was and is still rich with ingredients of growing and leading African people to the right direction. Our South African context demands that women must also be uplifted to leadership roles in society and the workplace, but this usually collides with different African beliefs that still put women secondary to men, for instance, the issue of taboos which mainly promote the subjection of women. For the sake of this research, the focus is on those taboos which portray women as inferior to men in the society. Two cultures were selected for this purpose, Xitsonga and IsiZulu.

An Ecocriticism of One Selected IsiXhosa Folktale as Part of Oral Literature

“…In view of this fact, it could be accepted that amaXhosa folktales, as part of oral literature, serve as educational or didactic instruments, teaching life prowess and practical wisdom. Simultaneously, they captivate audiences, especially amaXhosa children, with engaging oral narratives, making learning delightful and accessible (Baloyi & Dlamini, 2023), on account that they are affluent with ethnological value systems, norms, and traditions. Through the experiences and choices of their characters, these oral stories impart essential life lessons and convey the cultural expectations of the community.…”

Geslagsgelykheid in opvoedkundige ruimtes en praktyke: ’n feministies-pedagogiese ondersoek

“…The feminist pedagogy discussed in this article takes into account the four waves of feminism: the struggle for the vote and property rights for women in the first wave at the turn of the century; the second-wave fight in the 1960s against inequality and discrimination, particularly in the workplace; the third wave in the 1990s which sought to broaden feminism to include the struggles of black and queer women; and the fourth wave, which began with the #MeToo movement which sought to expose and condemn sexual offences and harassment against women (Currier 2020). Scholars such as Baloyi and Phumzile (2022) recognise that the educational landscape in South Africa is still subject to the same ageold prejudices against black women.…”