Women emancipation in Buganda folktales.

Abstract

This study examines the emancipation of women conveyed in Buganda folktales. Folktales promote women's rivalry and mask men's culpability in oppressing women by setting the stage for their jealousy, enmity and competition. Attention is drawn away from men's wrong doing toward women by depicting women as conniving evil doers who sometimes use men as pawns to implement their plots. The women are deserving of punishment while men go free from any penalty. This study therefore sets to examine the relevance of folktales to the promotion of women emancipation in Buganda by demonstrating how folktales can open a window of understanding of women emancipation, a community's social norms, values, concepts and ideas with a view to drawing implications for a positive change on the role of women in society. This dissertation investigates how eight Buganda Folktales, namely, Lukomera, Nsagi Njabala, Kabaka Alagira Walukagga okuweesa omuntu, Ssemaka ne Bakyala be aAbabiri, Omwami eyalya ente ya Nnaggomola, Nnaggamba ne Mukyala we Omugole,,and Kaleeba Struggle how men and women are portrayed not forgetting the gender roles.. To stand better chances of analysing the different categories of women represented in selected Buganda Folktales, this study has employed the different theories which give a great understanding of men and women portrayal and their gender roles which are The objectives of analysing women Emancipation Buganda folktales. The findings of the study highlight clear depictions of women in Buganda Folktales showing their roles, how they are perceived by society and what they actually are, considering the drastic changes in their lives. The study recommends policy makers to make woman emancipation a reality by ensuring an environment free from violence and oppression against women. The study recommends the government of Uganda to strengthen women in the art of gender and politics. They should be put in governance positions either by election or appointment.