Gender Representations of Females in Batswana Music: “Cultural” Sexism, Aesthetic Principles and Conflict of Social Values in Musical Performance Costuming

Abstract

This article discusses the outcome of a study that investigated a Batswana cultural practice in the musical arts through performance costuming for females. The study focused on the musical practice and showed how it could be understood to promote sexism and patriarchal notions. The Batswana people, or Tswana for short, are located in the North West province of South Africa. The discourse in the article is presented against the backdrop of benevolent sexism (BS) and patriarchal theories. Sexism constructions in cultural and musical costume practices in the music of the Batswana people have not received any known research attention. The extant research centres on issues other than the subtle use of costumes as a cultural weapon of sexism against females in patriarchal communities. These issues include gender responsibilities and dominations, sexual dominations, patriarchal control, and so on. The current article illuminates the aesthetic principles of musical performance costuming as well as what the authors describe as “cultural” sexism underlying the musical practice, to assess its connection to BS and patriarchal practices of Batswana people. The authors also argue a possible connection of the cultural practice to notions which conflict with the intentions of the musical arts practice. Using field and participant observations, interviews, secondary sources and descriptive content analysis methods, the authors reveal notions of cultural sexism and patriarchal domination through the costumes worn by females in the Batswana music culture.