Perpetuation of Rape Culture within the South African Social Sphere as seen in Mzimi, Die Mensvreter

Mzimi, Die Mensvreter

A critical Analysis

This essay sets out to critically analyse the given extract, Mzimi, Die Mensvreter by Myra Scheepers in order to identify cultural occurrences that can perpetuate Rape Culture. This essay considers the character tropes within the story and explains elements of inequality, misogynistic behaviour and patriarchal constructions that form part of feminist theory and Rape Culture. It does this in order to argue how the different tropes perpetuate female stereotypes, the alpha male construct and sexual violence within a cultural context. The given extract is a folktale; therefore, this essay investigates how these constructions culminate in the South African Social sphere to perpetuate Rape Culture.

Rape Culture can be defined as prevailing social attitudes within a society that normalises sexual assault and abuse. Things such as inequality, misogynistic behaviour and patriarchal constructions are said to form a part of Rape Culture. Examples of how these aspects are appropriated by cultural norms can be identified in Mzimi, Die Mensvreter. The story is a folktale about two young brothers, Zipho and Khulekane, who ask their father if they can go visit their uncle. Their father allows them to go but gives them specific instructions to follow during their journey to ensure their safety. The two brothers do not obey these instructions, and this leads them down the same path as Mzimi the cannibal.

In the first page of the story it is already evident that the children grew up in a patriarchal society. Even though it is their mother’s brother, they only ask their father’s permission to visit him. Their mother is not consulted at all. This subtly reflects a misogynistic mindset that the two boys have been raised with because to them their father’s permission is the only one which matters. This is an example of a patriarchal construction. This societal system is one in which men hold primary power and therefore it would only make sense for the boys to only ask their father’s permission to go on their journey.

After the brothers ask for permission the narrator explains that the oldest of the two brothers, Zipho, is old enough to hunt but his brother is not. However, their father fears for their safety as he knows that the Khulekane is much more reliable and sensible than his older brother. The two brothers are not seen as equals. It becomes evident that within this culture, age plays an important role. Zipho has to be in charge because he is older even though Khulekane would be the better option. Therefore, Khulekane is treated differently and has to be subordinate to his older brother, not based on his own abilities or knowledge but based on age. Khulekane is disadvantaged by inequality based on age. As the story progresses Zipho keeps ignoring his father’s instructions whilst Khulekane is alert and helps them escape from the cannibal. The story makes it clear to the reader that the brothers would have been better off if Khulekane had been in charge.

The stereotype of the alpha male manifests in the character Khulekane and is used as a trope. It can be said that the alpha male stereotype perpetuates “toxic” masculinity. “Toxic masculinity” is often referred to as “traditional masculinity ideology” and it involves a set of behaviours and beliefs that are said to be “masculine”. In What Is Toxic Masculinity? New York Times writer, Maya Salam, writes that these behaviours involve suppressing emotions or masking distress as well as maintaining an appearance of hardness and violence as an indicator of power. Therefore, it can be said that “toxic” masculinity involves anything that juxtaposes “feminine” qualities that are usually linked to weakness. Zipho is temperamental and impulsive. In contrast, Khulekane’s character is cautious and soft spoken. Unlike Zipho, Khulekane can be seen as an example of a type of masculinity that is not toxic.

The brothers start their journey and the narrator explains that Zipho does not even realise that he is getting tired from all the walking because his thoughts are consumed by excitement over the fact that he is “big” and “strong” enough to go on a journey without his father. Words such as “big” and “strong” are often gendered as masculine traits. This is an example of “toxic” masculinity and how it manifests itself within Zipho. He is disregarding the fact that he is tired and needs rest, perhaps in an attempt to preserve his masculine image. His society has already taught him the gender norms and expectations regarding his role as the big and strong older brother. He obsesses over these expectations and it clouds his judgement throughout the story. Zipho and Khulekane reach a crossroad and even though their father instructed them not to take the smooth road – Zipho decides that they should take it because he sees a light up ahead and is convinced that it is their uncle who came to fetch them. Khulekane warns his brother against it by reminding him about what their father said. Zipho is too stubborn and continues to go down the smooth road and because Khulekane wants to obey Zipho’s authority as the eldest, he has no choice but to follow. Like his brother, Khulekane is pressured to make decisions based on societal norms. The two reach a hut and knock on the door expecting their uncle Malume. Instead, they enter the home of Mzimi, the cannibal. Khulekane is suspicious from the get-go and cautions his brother against trusting the dangerous looking man because he is not their uncle. However, Zipho is so focussed on maintaining his masculinity and authority that he chooses not to listen to his brother’s warning. Even when Mzimi feeds the brothers porridge with fleas in it, something which is strange and abnormal, Zipho chooses to eat the porridge as if it is a normal occurrence for children to be fed flea-invested porridge. This can be read as a metaphor for Rape Culture as it illustrates how “toxic” masculinity normalises bizarre behaviour. Zipho rather eat fleas than admit that he has failed as an older brother by not following their father’s instructions.

Khulekane manages to convince Zipho that the man is in fact, not their uncle. The two are petrified when they spy on Mzimi as he is eating a child. They react by running away from the hut but Mzimi notices and starts running after them. Khulekane remembers that their father gave them two magical eggs for emergencies and uses them to aid in their escape. Zipho does not realise that Khulekane used the only two magical eggs they have and due to a false sense of security he slows down and gets captured by the cannibal. Back home, Khulekane finds the women of the village alone. There is a big wedding planned for the day and all the men have left to fetch the bride to make sure she gets to the wedding safely. Only the women and children remain. It is worth noting that the women are left behind along with the children. By leaving the women alone with the children it is suggested that women are just as subordinate to the men as the children are. It also illustrates the gender roles that they have to adhere to within this society. Women are the homemakers and the caretakers.

The narrator states that the “strongest hunter” is marrying the “prettiest girl”. The descriptive words used to describe the soon to be wedded couple is stereotypical. The girl is described as pretty, and the man is described as strong. Nothing says that the strongest hunter is a man, but the word “hunter” is used synonymously for the word male. This suggests that only men can be hunters. These stereotypes further exemplify the gender roles that are the norm within this society. The genders become dichotomised, men are seen as the strong hunters and women are seen as something to be looked at. It is worth noting that throughout the story the women are only referred to as “mothers”. This reduces the women to nothing more than their gender roles. Gender roles are enforced through socialisation. In Uncovering Rape Culture: Patriarchal values guide Indian media’s rape-related reporting, Deepa Fadnis (2017:4) explains that socialisation instils essentialist notions of gender, which ascribe different characteristics to men and women on the basis of biology. Therefore, socialisation refers to the different traits for which men and women are rewarded as well as the different expectations placed on each. In this specific society, the men are expected to protect the bride whilst the women are expected to stay behind and make sure everything is ready for the wedding.

Mzimi enters the village and asks the women for water and food. It could be argued that Mzimi would not have received such a warm welcome if the men had been present because the women abide to the expectation that women are the caretakers and need to be respectful towards men. However, they find Mzimi’s bag suspicious and quickly deduce that there is a child in danger. Again, the trope of women as caretakers become reinforced by the fact that they are only alarmed by the monstrous stranger once it becomes clear that a child is in danger. The women devise a plan to save Zipho. They use the stereotype of women as caretakers to their advantage by asking Mzimi to fill a bucket with water by the river in exchange for food. The bucket, however, has a hole in it. It can be said that Mzimi agrees to help the women because of his own need to prove his masculinity. As a male he might feel societal pressure to carry the heavy bucket of water for the women. While Mzimi is distracted the women free Zipho from Mzimi’s bag and puts a snake and beehive in it instead. Near the end of the story the mothers trap Mzimi in a ring of fire. This ending can be read as subverting the gender norm/societal expectations of women because they take care of the threat on their own without the intervention of any men. Therefore, fulfilling the role of the man as protector. The end of the story further supports this lesson that women can be protectors just as well as men. The children listen to grandma tell the story about Mzimi around the campfire. They are scared afterwards but grandma reassures the children that she will make sure that Mzimi’s spirit will not go live in their heads as she smears some ash on the children’s heads. The story concludes with a grandma acting as a wise protector for the children, not simply a passive caretaker.

Mzimi’s character can be read metaphorically as a sexual predator. His behavior is seen as wrong within his society and he is secluded because of it. Near the end of the story, just before his demise, Mzimi is attacked by bees. The bees make a nest in his backend and children start to flock towards him in attempts to get some honey. One girl sticks her hand in the beehive to grab some of the honey, but her hand gets amputated by Mzimi. This could be a metaphor of the consequences of acting without consent. Consent is said to occur when one person voluntarily agrees to the desire of another. Mzimi did not give consent to the girl to allow her to grab honey. Mzimi himself acts without consent when he abducts children to eat. The actions of the little girl turn the tables which suggests that anyone can become a victim of harassment.

By doing a critical reading of Mzimi, Die Mensvreter by Myra Scheepers it can be said that the story exemplifies how traditional/cultural gender roles perpetuate Rape culture in the South African context. The story shows how elements of inequality, misogynistic behaviour and patriarchal constructions become the norm within a society through socialisation. It also illustrates how socialisation affects decision making by making the reader realise that everything could have been avoided if Khulekane was in charge instead of Zipho. But because of tropes involving misogyny and the alpha male Zipho had to be in charge as he is the eldest. The story adheres to gender roles by describing the male characters as strong hunters who go on journeys whilst the women are reduced to their looks and functionality as homemakers and mothers but the ending challenges these norms by making the women of the village the heroes of the story. The story also makes a bold statement by making the villain of the tale, Mzimi, a victim himself. The ending illustrates that actions carry consequences.