The Intertextuality of SiSwati Literature Texts; a Review of Portrayal of Women in Two Short Stories

Purpose: Emaswati literature texts, like other written works of art are cyclical, they resemble each other in different ways. This study is a qualitative analysis of the intertextuality of Emaswati literature texts, it analyses how Emaswati texts permeate each other. The main aim of this study was to analyse the interrelatedness of the portrayal of women in two short stories from Khulumani Sive by Zodwa Motsa, a collection of stories depicting Emaswati cultural values. It synthesizes mainly the social, cultural and political issues depicted in the short stories. Methodology: It is a qualitative analysis of the interrelatedness of Emaswati literature texts. Document analysis was used as a data collection tool. The inclusion criteria were stories prescribed to be taught in the senior secondary school in Eswatini during the period 2021-2024. Purposive sampling was used to select prose fiction; the short story genre, a sample of two stories for the study. These were “Phumani Nelikhambi” and “Sewesitsatfu Lomnyaka” both authored by Thembekile Msibi. Content analysis was used to analyse data. The analysis of the content for the two stories was based on the ideas of the new historicism literary theory which regards that ideologies depicted in literature texts are situated within the surrounding context. Findings: The findings revealed that the two short stories share the same social, cultural and political issues. Amongst others were that most of the responsibility in the home is assigned or expected to be done by women. Also, all the female characters in the stories are expected to adhere to societal conventions that they are to work harder above their husbands and see to it that things are in order. Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy, and Practice: The conclusions drawn from the synthesis of the ideas portrayed in the two short stories were that the two women portrayed as protagonists shared the same fate. They were overburdened with family responsibilities while men were relaxed. Also, their progress and development were confined by societal conventions. The two stories are therefore intertextual. Another conclusion was that Emaswati culture, socialization and political environment greatly influenced the expectations from the two women in the stories. Therefore, the synthesis of the two short stories showed that siSwati literature texts are not only products but producers of culture as well. The pedagogical recommendations are that during the analysis of literature texts, the ideas depicted should be taught and synthesized alongside other works of art available in the society in different forms. Lastly, learners should be taught how to evaluate the ideas depicted in siSwati literature texts as opposed to mastering them.