Kwasuka-sukela: A New Paradigm for the African Stories of Women in Futhi Ntshingila’s Shameless and They Got to You Too

Kwasuka-sukela’ (In the beginning) is a captivating introductory formula used in Inganekwane zesiZulu. Inganekwane is an umbrella term for a ‘fictitious narration’, a form of storytelling which is usually told around the fire or at home just before bedtime and opens a world of imagination that captivates the minds of listeners. This chapter explores the continuity of the tradition of Inganekwane by South African women story tellers by analysing the fictional stories told by Futhi Ntshingila, a black woman born in Pietermaritzburg in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. In her novels Shameless and They Got to You Too, Ntshigila creatively brings to the fore the issues of gender, race, and power which are very sensitive in South Africa due to the continuing institutionalised forms of oppression. Through content analysis and a race-class-gender intersectional analysis informed by a feminist perspective, this chapter will analyse Ntshingila’s depiction of the issues of gender, power relations, violence, forgiveness, and reconciliation in her portrayal of the female characters in her books. This investigation will be executed through the lens of two young black female protagonists, namely, Thandiwe, an orphan from a rural background, and Zoe Zindi, a daughter of liberation struggles activists. Both women respectively engaged in sex work and home care services embody the dignity of black South African women. Their reflections offer complementary perspectives on the violence of Apartheid and the challenges of the post-Apartheid democratic dispensation.