Forging Strong and Purposeful Husband-and-Wife Relations: An Africana Womanist Study of Love in Kireni Zulu’s Songs “Zveimba” and “Ndichakuvaraidza”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6565/11190Keywords:
Africana Womanism , ubuntu , family-centredness , husband-wife relations, Marabi music , Kireni ZuluAbstract
In many African societies, the relationship between a husband and a wife is a matter of interest to many in the grand scheme of things. Mutual investment between wife and husband is celebrated for the immense value that goes with it, while lack thereof is debilitating. This article comparatively engages Kireni Zulu’s songs “Zveimba” (Marriage issues) and “Ndichakuvaraidza” (I will comfort you). Mutual cooperation between marriage partners is extolled as the magic formula to more humane life conditions born out of love, peace and harmony in the family. On the contrary, a schism is castigated as an impediment to human progress. Critical engagements in this paper are decidedly Africana womanist.
Metrics
References
Aldridge, D. P. 2007. “Black Male / Female Relationships: The Lens Model.” In Contemporary Africana Theory, Thought and Action: A Guide to Africana Studies, edited by C. Hudson-Weems, 57–64. Asmara: Africa World Press.
Asante, M. K. 1998. The Afrocentric Idea. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.
Asante, M. K. 2003. Afrocentricity: Theory of Social Change. Buffalo, NY: Emulefi.
Auret, D. 1990. A Decade of Development, Zimbabwe 1980–1990. Gweru: Mambo Press.
Ayisi, E. 1997. An Introduction to the Study of African Culture. Nairobi: East African Educational Publishers.
Bâ, M. 1989. So Long a Letter. Johannesburg: Heinemann Educational Publishers.
Chinweizu, I. 1990. Anatomy of Female Power: A Masculinist Dissection of Matriarchy. Lagos: Pero Press.
Chivaura, V. G. 2001. “The Art of Dialogue on Male-Female Relationships in African Culture: Implications for Black Writers on Human Factor Development and Social Progress”. The International Journal of Africana Studies 6 (1): 22–29.
Gordon, L. R. 1997. Existence in Black: An Anthology of Black Existential Philosophy. New York, NY: Routledge.
Hudson-Weems, C. 2008. Africana Womanism and Race and Gender and the Presidential Candidacy of Barack Obama. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse.
Iliffe, J. 1987. The African Poor: A History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511584121. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511584121
Karenga, M. 2016. “A Rightful Reading of History: Culture Consciousness and Struggle.” Los Angeles Sentinel, May 5, 2016. Accessed November 21, 2022. https://lasentinel.net/a-rightful-reading-of-history-culture-consciousness-and-struggle.html.
Muwati, I. 2018. Introduction to Singing Nation: Music and Politics in the “Decade of Crisis” in Zimbabwe, 2000–2010. In Singing Nation and Politics: Music and the “Decade of Crisis” in Zimbabwe, 2000–2010, edited by I. Muwati, T. Charamba and C. Tembo, xiii–xxii. Gweru: Midlands State University Press.
Muwati, I., C. Tembo, and D. E. Mutasa. 2018. “Woman with Voice: An Analysis of Female Agency in Dino Mudondo’s Song, ‘Jatirofa’ and Josphat Somanje’s ‘Handibvume.’” South African Journal of African Languages 38 (2): 203–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2018.1463713. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2018.1463713
P’Bitek, O. 1986. Artist the Ruler: Essays on Art, Culture and Values. Nairobi: Heinemann.
Peterson, B. 2001. Monarchs, Missionaries and African Intellectuals: African Theatre and the Unmaking of Colonial Marginality. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press.
Pyper, B. 2005. “‘To Hell with Home and Shame!’: Jazz, Gender and Sexuality in the Drum Journalism of Todd Matshikiza, 1951–1957.” In Gender and Sexuality in South African Music, edited by C. Walton and S. Muller, 19–26. Stellenbosch: Sun ePReSS.
Ramose, B. 1999. African Philosophy through Ubuntu. Harare: Mond Books.
Schiele, J. H. 2013. Human Services and the Afrocentric Paradigm. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315043500. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315043500
Schimdt, E. 1996. Peasants, Traders and Wives: Shona Women in the History of Zimbabwe, 1870–1939. Harare: Baobab Books.
Sipeyiye, M., and E. G. Konyana. 2018. “Instant Prosperity and the Shona Socio-Cultural and Religious Values in Kireni Zulu’s Song, ‘Nyaya Yekunhonga.’” In Singing Nation and Politics: Music and the “Decade of Crisis” in Zimbabwe, 2000–2010, edited by I. Muwati, T. Charamba, and C. Tembo, 315–31. Gweru: Midlands State University Press.
Smitherman, G. 1977. Talkin and Testifyin: The Language of Black America. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press.
Sofola, Z. 1993. Foreword to Africana Womanism: Reclaiming Ourselves, edited by C. Hudson-Weems, xvii–xviii. Troy, MI: Bedford Publishers.
Wheeler, B. A. 2007. “Africana Womanism, an African Legacy: It Ain’t Easy Being a Queen.” In Contemporary Africana Theory, Thought and Action: A Guide to Africana Studies, edited by C. Hudson-Weems, 319–32. Asmara: Africa World Press.
Discography
Zulu, K. 2005. Marabi Music. Harare: ZMC.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Accepted 2022-09-22
Published 2022-12-24