African authors’ perceptions about female success: analysis of the novel of Jabulani Mngadi Usumenyezelwe-ke umcebo

Abstract

The arguments in this article are based on Usumenyezelwe-ke Umcebo by the respected isiZulu novelist Jabulani Mngadi. The Status Incongruity Hypothesis is used in this article to explore the perceptions of indigenous African authors about women’s achievements in their texts. Mngadi’s novel supports the assertion that indigenous African culture shuns female success. This article examines women’s struggles that arise from cultural expectations that do not accept female success among indigenous African communities. This article found that, firstly, in the West, female achievement belongs to the individual woman, which is in stark contrast to indigenous African communities, where a woman’s success automatically belongs to the man, and, secondly, in many societies, female success is displayed publicly without regard for her personal safety. Finally, in indigenous African societiesm a successful woman is punished by men, and sometimes also by other women. This article observes a gap in the field of feminist studies that analyse isiZulu literary works using the Status Incongruity Hypothesis in creative works such as drama, short stories, folklore and poetry.