Aunty with a Key: Aunties’ power, status and authority in African traditional ceremonies

Abstract

This article offers personal reflections and scholarly observations that identify the significance of maternal and paternal aunties in bogadi  and ulwaluko traditional ceremonies. Bogadi is a Tswana marital and thanksgiving ceremony between two families. It is a rite of  passage for the newlyweds as they are inducted into marriage. Ulwaluko is an initiation of Xhosa boys into manhood. Through an African  Feminist lens and an analytic autoethnographic methodology, the authors narrate personal experiences of their aunties roles in closed  ceremonial interactions that highlighted the key role African women play in cultural rituals. Findings show that aunties are revered in  African ceremonies. In both bogadi and ulwaluko ceremonies, it was evident that we revere aunties as intellectual and moral gatekeepers  during these special cultural events. 

Contribution: The article adds to the growing literature that seeks to write about African women positively through an empowering lens that shows their agency in cultural settings.