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Gender, Racism and the Media
In Southern Africa
By Nora Appolus
Historically, women in Southern Africa, like elsewhere in Africa,
faced several obstacles to their emancipation and development.
Chief among these obstacles and challenges were the traditional
and cultural constraints, which mapped out well-defined roles for
women. This situation was further exacerbated by brutal colonial
systems in place in Southern Africa, in particular in South Africa,
Namibia, Zimbabwe and Angola, whose far-reaching ramifications
were felt in other countries of the region.
Under these colonial systems, women were relegated to nothing
more than child-status: to be seen and not heard. Their cultural
and traditional base was also slowly broken down, thus eroding
their ability to fall back on their traditional lifestyles and
values.
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Although colonialism in Southern Africa brought about a
culture of reading and writing and ushered a new era of
newspapers and later radio, followed by television,
women in general and black women in particular, had no
access to any of these media. They were silent witnesses
to this powerful tool being manipulated to the advantage
of the colonial masters and men.