Constructions of Traditional Womanhood in Botswana Myths and Popular Culture

Abstract

Mythic-historical narratives, oral legends, popular culture, and traditional marriage rituals offer African traditional forms of performance that shed light on the nature of sexual politics in Africa as well as practices of black female expression and popular resistance. These performance forms contribute to the circulation of negative constructions of black African women. This article sets up a genealogy of the image that begins with oral narratives and continues through portrayals of actual women. It examines misogynistic and stereotypical depictions of women in the Botswana collective cultural imaginary and in transnational forms of representation.

Key terms: Botswana popular culture, feminine identities, exoticized sexuality.