Rituals, family connections, and BoRakgadi

Abstract

ABSTRACT African feminists and decolonial scholars have shown the importance of centring African socio-cultural context in our study of African societies. This includes the signifying of African languages, rituals, and roles of individual members at different times and places. They argue and have provided evidence to illustrate how not doing so can be detrimental to our analysis. To illustrate the significance of reading African socio-cultural contexts as a text for understanding these societies, this article examines how ritual in relation to the role of BoRakgadi (paternal aunts) in African societies foregrounds the idea of women as important players in these communities and families. To foreground this argument, the article provides a brief literature overview on rituals to show its significance in building societal connections and belonging. The article then goes on to illustrate how the multiple roles played by BoRakgadi in family and societal rituals provide a lens into how African women have and continue to have a vital role in communities and families. In conclusion, this article illustrates how using gender as a lens should not take away from the context-specific ways it acts in various times and places, but rather it should be used as a lens to unbundle these particularities.