Patriarchy and Intersecting Black Womanhood in Postcolonial Zimbabwe

Abstract

Many African nations envisioned the prospects of true liberation for everyone following colonial independence. For women, this freedom promised an end to their marginalisations that surface through intersecting oppressions of sexism, racism, and classism. Through a thematic analysis of Tsitsi Dangarembga’s This Mournable Body (2018), this article examines how being Black, female, and often poor continues to define women’s experiences in postcolonial Zimbabwe. In addition, African Womanism and intersectionality are employed as theoretical lenses with which to explore how Shona traditions and colonial legacies, such as socio-economic challenges, are portrayed in the novel as impediments to a gender-equal society. The study’s findings indicate that female characters such as the protagonist Tambudzai, Nyasha, Mrs Taka, Netsai, and Mainini Lucia remain confined by rigid gender roles, economic marginalisation, and post-independence disillusionment, which undermine their aspirations and agency. In this way, the study argues that Dangarembga demonstrates how neocolonialism and patriarchal structures jointly perpetuate women’s oppression. The significance of this research lies in its contribution to African Womanist literary scholarship in Southern Africa, and Sustainable Developmental Goal (5) 2030, by addressing the continued subjugation of African girls and women as a result of their intersectional identity. Theoretically, this study reaffirms the significance of employing African Womanism and intersectionality as interpretive perspectives on postcolonial women’s lived experiences as Black, female, and poor.