Abstract
This paper proposes to comparatively analyze two works written in African languages, namely Sembène’s movie Moolaadé (2004) and Momanyi’s novel Tumaini (2007), to examine the functional use of African languages in the expression and production of a feminist discourse in African creative arts. I argue that the utilization of Bambara in Moolaadé and Swahili in Tumaini opens up African women’s cultural worlds and employ African heritage knowledge to provide an African insider perspective and active involvement in the ongoing campaign to eradicate female circumcision. By portraying ordinary women as agents of transformation, the authors counter stereotypes of African womanhood as victims, showing their great potential in engendering change within their societies.
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Lugano, R.S. (2020). Voicing the Silenced Through African Tongues: An Examination of Moolaadé and Tumaini. In: Lisanza, E., Muaka, L. (eds) African Languages and Literatures in the 21st Century. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23479-9_7
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