NOTE: These reflections are influenced by an unpublished manuscript, which is a work in progress aimed at tackling the fundamental problem of femicide in post-Apartheid South Africa.
The Book Title: Provocative Thoughts by Pamela ‘Pam’ Dyantyi.
The concept of womanhood has been challenged due to the epidemic of femicide within the post-Apartheid South African landscape.
As a young woman navigating the difficulties of this nation during the tumultuous post-Covid period, coupled with the alarming increase in violent crimes against women, being a young woman here entails enduring a relentless state of distress and trepidation. Women, especially Black women, represent the most susceptible demographic grappling with the issues of gender dynamics and transformations that remain unaddressed in South Africa.
My connection to the world and society has been influenced by an intersectional identity that marginalises Black women.
Black women face oppression due to their ethnicity, socio-economic conditions, and the ongoing victimisation of hypersexualisation. This narrative is evident in history: Sarah Baartman stands out as one of the most recognised Black women in South African history, yet her notoriety stems solely from her sexualised portrayal. The objectification of Black women for male pleasure has been a longstanding issue, tracing back to the era of colonial slavery, where Black women were enslaved and exploited for the sexual gratification of their masters. Four centuries later, this identity continues to be socially and culturally imposed upon me, thereby influencing my relationship with society.
Furthermore, femininity has consistently been depicted as the subject of the male gaze, characterised as weak, irrational, and lacking critical thinking skills. Consequently, their role within the social structure is defined; they are expected to focus on interpersonal responsibilities, such as raising children and being supportive wives to their husbands.
In contrast, masculinity is portrayed as rational, logical, and critical, with men often occupying authoritative positions across various facets of life, including the regulation of women’s rights and bodily autonomy. Thus, social order in any society is delineated along gender lines, with one’s gender influencing the specific challenges and struggles one must face.
In such circumstances, women represent one of the most vulnerable demographics in the post-Apartheid context. This reality has prompted a reevaluation of the concept of womanhood in contemporary South Africa. The conditions imposed upon us as women compel us to confront restrictive definitions of what it means to be a woman.
NOTE: These thoughts were informed by work done in the Politics 3 lecture by Corrine Knowles in her course, The Politics of Knowledge and African Feminist Theory. Institution: Rhodes University.
