Gender Portrayal in Ekegusii Proverbs

Abstract

This paper analyses the depiction of men and women in proverbs in Ekegusii, a Bantu language spoken in the western part of Kenya. The analyzed proverbs show the perceptions held by the society about males and females. There are proverbs that show what is considered to be the appropriate character for males and the value of males. Conversely, there are proverbs that show the character/ nature of females and the value of females. In addition, there are proverbs that make reference to males and females when giving advice and warnings. Besides this symmetrical representation, there are proverbs that make reference to both genders (in the same proverb) with the aim of underscoring gender differences, as there are those proverbs that make reference to both genders (in the same proverb) but with the aim of downplaying the gender differences. While it may generally appear that women are represented negatively in some proverbs, the women can use the negativity in those proverbs to their advantage. That is, the proverbs which would have been a tool of silencing and subjugating the women can instead serve as a form of emancipation for them.