Representations of masculinity in the contemporary oral praise poetry of Zulu men

Abstract

In the izibongo analysed in this article, the vast majority of male izibongo have at least one mention of male virility and sexual attractiveness; for many, that is the main theme of the poem. The penchant for including these types of references, enables males to entrench these qualities as those which are seen to be not only praiseworthy, but also desirable arid the mark of a man. Since it is mainly men who compose their own praises and those of their contemporaries, they are in a sense able to influence and control their environment by reinforcing the desirability and acceptability of these qualities in their society by consistently including them in their personal praise poetry.