ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the contributions of earlier studies of women’s songs undertaken within South Africa and across the African continent. Beyond the borders of South Africa, scholars have documented songs and the occasions on which these are likely to be sung. A study by Barber suggests that Nigerian society resembles Zulu society in several ways. Zulu culture, like that of Nigeria, locates men’s poetry in the public sphere and women’s poetry in a private domain. Several studies have been published of songs rooted in different community traditions. It drawn on international and local studies to show how diverse communities of women use songs to reconcile themselves to their daily life experiences. What these studies make clear is that there is a reason behind every song – a social pressure or a desire to affirm certain traditional values – that drives the women to speak out, even if they can only do so indirectly.
