Gendering social destiny in the proverbs of the Baganda: reflections on boys and girls becoming men and women

Abstract

This article examines the portrayal of boys and girls in the oral literature of the Baganda. It assesses the near-indelible impressions that oral literature creates, and how they impact on gender relations. In particular, it looks at the way these impressions lay down rules of social behaviour that determine how boys and girls eventually view each other as wives, husbands, parents, political leaders and owners of resources. It therefore underscores the vital role played by oral literature, and particularly the proverbs, in the social and psychological construction of communities. The main argument of this article is that the unequally gendered relationships among the Baganda have their foundation in early childhood and even infancy. Children begin in these early stages of life, to develop life-long attitudes towards themselves and each other, which attaches socially ascribed – and prejudicial – meaning to gender. Predominant amongst these prejudices is the idea that it is more socially rewarding to give birth to a baby boy than a baby girl. The proverbs consistently depict the boy and his mother in privileged positions. The girl, on the other hand, is looked at as material property to be acquired and disposed of; and her mother is considered as socially worthless. A related idea is that the beautiful girl has many social advantages over a woman who is less beautiful – the ‘ugly’ one. Major among these advantages is that her beauty constitutes a social passport to the resources automatically held by men. The proverbs in this category firmly suggest that a woman's worth is measured by her beauty, while that of a man is measured by his lineage and abilities. These interrelated ideas run through all the oral literature of the Baganda, but it is proverbs that are used to illustrate the discussion in this article.