This paper critically explores how Zawadi Yamungu’s song “Ngimuhle” serves as a medium of African feminist emancipation by affirming Black pride and bodily autonomy through musical expression and lyrical resistance through the application of the African feminist theory and Steve Biko’s Black Consciousness thought. The paper has two main objectives. First, to explore how “Ngimuhle” reclaims African beauty and promotes Black pride through lyrical expression and cultural aesthetics within the framework of African feminist thought. Second, to analyse how the song articulates bodily autonomy and resistance, highlighting how Zawadi Yamungu’s performance challenges patriarchal control and affirms Black women’s agency. Methodologically, the paper is underpinned by the qualitative research approach supported by the interpretive paradigm. Data was collected from Zawadi Yamungu’s song “Ngimuhle” lyrics, which served as the main source of data. Data was thematically analysed with two major themes emerging as findings. The themes relate to (1) reclaiming African beauty and Black pride and (2) the voice of the decolonial African woman. The recommendations advanced in this paper are threefold and pertain to (1) the integration of African feminist artists into higher education curricula, (2) archiving Afrocentric female voices, and (3) conducting more research on feminist musicology in Africa.
Sandile Ntethelelo Gumbi (Mon,) studied this question.