The Journey Back: Ambivalent (Re)Presentations of Pre-Colonial Women in Post-Independent Shona Novels

Abstract

Myths on gender relations of the African past, invented and propagated by settlers, were imbibed and even disseminated by early Shona writers. Shona indigenous culture, men and patriarchy were always shown to subordinate women’s interests to men’s and to place women in the service of men. After independence, novelists such as Mutasa (in Nhume yaMambo and Misodzi, Dikita neRopa) attempt a reconstruction of the position and image of African women in pre-colonial Zimbabwe. Using the Africana Womanist literary theory, this article is an examination of the (re)presentation of pre-colonial women by the contemporary Shona writer with intent to ascertain its authenticity. It observes that, while the writer’s image of women approximates life of the past, other images still pant to Eurocentric images of African women. Thus, the writer exudes ambivalent (re)presentations of women in his novels. The article urges writers on the African past to keep researching and come up with layers of information on how past life was like as well as the good that can be adopted and adapted for the good of today’s life.

Opsomming

Mites oor geslagsverhoudings uit die Afrika-verlede, deur setlaars geskep en gepropa­geer, is deur vroeë Shona-skrywers opgeneem en selfs versprei. Inheemse Shona-kultuur, -mans en -patriargaat is altyd só uitgebeeld dat dit vroue se belange ondergeskik aan dié van mans stel, en dat dit vroue in diens van mans stel. Ná onafhanklikheid probeer romanskrywers soos Mutasa (in Nhume yaMambo en Misodzi, Dikita neRopa) om die posisie en beeld van Afrika-vroue in pre-koloniale Zimbabwe te herkonstrueer. Met behulp van die Afrikana- swart feministiese literêre teorie, ondersoek hierdie artikel die (her-)voorstelling van pre-koloniale vroue deur die eietydse Shona-skrywer met die doel om sy outensiteit te bepaal. Die waarneming is dat, hoewel die skrywer se beeld van vroue die lewe van die verlede nader bring, daar steeds Eurosentriese beelde van Afrika-vroue bestaan. Die skrywer straal dus ambivalente (her-)voorstellings van vroue in sy romans uit. Die artikel spoor skrywers oor die Afrika-verlede aan om voort te gaan met hul navorsing en vorendag te kom met lae van inligting oor hoe die lewe in die verlede was, sowel as die goeie wat aangeneem en aangepas kan word vir die goeie van vandag se lewe.