Re-reading Matsemela Manaka’s eGoli, Domba, and Goree

Foregrounding Black Womanhood and Feminism in Black Consciousness Theatre Discourse

Abstract

The influence of the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) was profound in politics and cultural expression in South Africa during apartheid. Although there were only a handful of playwrights aligned to the Black Consciousness (BC) ideology, including Matsemela Manaka, Maishe Maponya, and Zakes Mda, their plays have become part of the South African canon. Ever since he wrote eGoli in 1978, Manaka’s plays have received much scholarly attention for embodying the ideas of BCM to resist apartheid. However, the way in which his plays dealt with issues of gender has not received much attention, which presents an opportunity for re-reading a selection of his plays. The focus of this article is to explore how aspects of womanism and Black feminism influenced Manaka as a playwright and, specifically, how these were a feature in his plays. Considering the critique of sexist practices within organisations aligned to BC ideology (for example, the South African Students’ Organisation), the article reflects on Manaka’s plays from the perspective of womanism, Black feminism, and Bosadi theoretical approaches, to discuss whether BC sexist tendencies permeated his plays or whether these plays represent an emerging discourse on Black women’s contribution to BC.