Lulama

CHARACTER ANALYSIS-

Some background about the situation of Africa and the women there-

The women's stories reflect great strength and courage in keeping their families going and serving their community. The two eldest women had very different life experiences. For one woman there were childhood influences that opened up educational and other life opportunities and a way out of poverty. The other woman experienced early widowhood and the loss of her cattle. She accepted a life of poverty and saw no change possible in her lifetime. However, even with poverty and deprivation, there was a will to live and habits of survival that offered hope.

(The stuff in red are some of the characteristics and difficulties that my character has gone through.)

She is a strong willed, determined, 'nevr give up' kind of woman.
She married at a very young age, but her husband went away, like many of the men in those times, migarting from place to place in search of work and a better life. Thus, she had to take on the role as head of the house and take care of her children all by herself.

EXTRACT- Furthermore, many rural African women were without husbands for long periods, since the latter served as migrant labourers in cities. Their prolonged absence left the women to fend for themselves and their children. Many of these migrant husbands simply stopped sending money home or earned too little to be able to afford doing so. This, together with the landlessness and joblessness of the homeland system, forced many African women to make their own decisions about family maintenance and reproduction.

Her husband was propbably one of the men who had gone out to seek work, and then never came back. Thus putting her in a situation where she had to fend for herself.

She then married a second man, I am not sure of why. The reason could be anything, but one manages to fit into the situation the best. Maybe there was another man in the village who wanted her after her husband left her. After all, throught the play she does go yapping on and in about ones husband choosing you, not the other way around. It seems ironic that even though she is a strong willed and independant, she submits to the age old tradition of submitting to ones husband! That just goes to show how uneducated and traditionally influenced she really is.

Her second husband turned out to be a good for nothing. So she had to be the 'man of the family' and go to Durban to work. Durban, even in that time was a city, with quite a few oppertunities to work and earn money in. Why her 2nd husband could not work... Hmmm, mystery to me!! Too lazy? disabled?

USEFULL URL's-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCLSAYWMptc

http://db.jhuccp.org/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?BU=http://db.jhuccp.org/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll&QF0=DocNo&QI0=114057&TN=Popline&AC=QBE_QUERY&MR=30%25DL=1&&RL=1&&RF=LongRecordDisplay&DF=LongRecordDisplay

http://www.sarpn.org.za/documents/d0000104/page2.php