CHAPTER 5: ANALYSIS OF SELECTED TEXTS
5.4 Synopsis of the drama, Ababulali Benyathi (Mngadi, 2008)
5.4.4 Evaluation
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her husband to show the chief some respect. The author turns her into a heroine that runs away from the situation when the situation becomes problematic. She escapes to her place of birth and only returns when the fighting factions are ready to reconcile.
5.4.3.2 MaNgema
A teacher by profession MaNgema has absolute respect for Zulu tradition. She has a profound knowledge and understanding of the functioning of the traditional Zulu structures and its protocols. She is depicted as an intelligent woman whom the chief consults from time to time yet she remains on the periphery. Because of this we see her offering words of wisdom in the most respectful way whenever she is called upon to do so. In her role as the wife of a chief she does not rebel against the fact that her advice to her husband is limited to their household. In fact, she endorses her position by withdrawing from the presence of men whenever Dlamini, the induna visits their home. In this context, Burman (cited in Chukwuma, 2012:95) who views traditional womanhood as “both a site for strength and a site for struggle” is correct. While portrayed as the voice of reason in the private sphere she is not vocal in the public domain, attesting to Robbins’ (2000:59) view that “woman is a mass of contradictions”. Her contribution is welcomed and acknowledged privately yet not in public.
Mathye’s (cited in Machaba, 2011:16) observation is that “novelists depict female characters against the backdrop of patriarchal cultural, traditional, social and ideological norms that lead to the oppression of women. She also finds that male authors reflect a bias in favour of patriarchy by depicting female characters that cling to traditionalism” like MaNgema. What is interesting is that the chief takes MaNgema’s advice as opposed to MaShezi whose husband does not find her contribution valuable.
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control over both the speech and actions of his/her characters. Differrent types of characters are created, used and disposed at the writer’s will and purpose”. In many African texts, the female gender is stereotyped. Fonchingong (2006:136) contends that “male writers who investigate women also assist in supporting an institutionalized and one-sided vision of female heroism in African fiction”. This point further endorses the fact that the presentation of the female gender is mostly biased.
The storyline of this drama is based on actual incidents that took place in South Africa in the mid-1990s. This was a period of bloodshed caused by lack of tolerance in South Africa and in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in particular. This was because of the clashes between the new democratic form of government and the traditional system to which communities were accustomed to. This drama offers a different perspective of female characters in contemporary African literature where some characters are bold in communicating their opinions. According to Hadjitheodorou (cited in Phindane, 2012: 208) “traditionally the main objective of marriage was for a woman to secure a home where she would enjoy the priviledges and benefits of motherhood. In this drama the author portrays two females as stabilizing forces in the nation building effort”. They proved that one did not need to be a warrior to bring about much needed harmony in one’s community. Women should not always be seen as passive creatures whose role is to have babies and perform household chores. Rather, they must also be seen as matching men in their ability to undertake similar adventures, albeit adopting different avenues.
Like Chinua Achebe in Anthills of the Savannah, Mngadi does open up some spaces for women as intellectuals who are vocal and active people in the community.
Achebe situates his female character Beatrice at the centre in his story to underscore the fact that a woman can be a source of strength and hope in the face of conflict and adversity. Equally, Mngadi provides MaShezi with a similar role where she plays an important role in resolving problems facing her community.
Mngadi, however, differs from Achebe in that his women characters remain in the background. In spite of the fact that they are assertive women who want to be the pillars of a harmonious, peaceful and stable community, the author silences them by refusing them to voice their brilliant ideas. Both MaShezi’s and MaNgema’s views are confined to their families.Their husbands recognize their value in the private domain, but overlooks their influence in the public domain. The community is not yet
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ready to listen to women’s views, let alone being addressed by a woman. At the end of this drama, the two women are vindicated in their pursuit for peace.
South Africans boast of having achieved liberation, however male supremacy is still a dominant factor in this drama. Women’s voices are mainly ‘visible’ in the private spheres of their homes. How can a man who is democratically elected threaten to beat up his wife? This is proof that liberation on paper does not necessarily change the mindset of its citizenry. Women still have no place except escaping back to their homes as MaShezi did.
The important question to be answered is whether the portrayal of women images in this drama is reality or idealism? Wellek and Warren (cited in Chukwuma) assert that:
Truth in literature is the same as truth outside of literature i.e. systematic and publicly verifiable knowledge. The novelist has no magic short cut to that present state of knowledge in the social sciences which constitutes the
‘truth’ against which his world, his fictional reality, is to be checked (Chukwuma, 2012:27)
As Nnoromele (2010:182) states, “the concept of the ‘universal woman’ does not exist. The reality for African women is neither standardized nor embodied in a single identity. The female existence is as multifaceted as the women’s different backgrounds and intrinsic personalities”.
Davies (1988:86) is of the opinion that “the artist has the power to create new realities” and that women are “neither victors nor victims but partners in struggle”.
However, Masuku (2005:186) concedes that, “accepting change is difficult, especially for men who are culturally groomed to believe that they are superior to women. The majority of men feel insecure about change, especially change that rearranges the power structure. This then leads to resentment and anger, bloodshed and ultimately a breakdown in society”. They do not realize that culture is dynamic and they also need to adapt to the changing circumstances. Masuku strongly believes that male and female writers should represent women more positively and that this ideal can be achieved only if they become progressive feminists, committed to a just society. Robbins (2000:68) on the other hand, argues that, “it is probably
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irrational to expect that any theoretical approach to literature can bring about absolute change in human conditions. She further maintains, however, that a critique that exposes a problem is still worth persuing even, if it cannot change the world. It is a tool, a part of an ongoing process and not an answer in itself”.
In Ababulali Benyathi, Mngadi seeks to make sure that his women characters do not metaphorically lie low but that in reality they become ‘invisible’ despite the value they add in the unfolding events in their community.