Investigating othering in Because Pula Means Rain, A Beautiful Place to Die and A Cowrie of Hope

Abstract

This thesis offers an in-depth analysis of Othering of people living with albinism, inclusive of blacks, men and women in Because Pula Means Rain by Jenny Robson, A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn and A Cowrie of Hope by Binwell Sinyangwe. These three texts were selected using purposive sampling because they are related to the subject of Othering which is being analysed in this thesis. The characters in the novels frequently experienced Othering in their communities. Thus, the novels were found to be suitable to be used in this study. The post-colonial theory was used to analyse the subject of Othering of people living with albinism. The qualitative literary design was used to interpret the Othering of people living with albinism. Qualitative content analysis was used to interpret the findings of the study. The study revealed that patriarchy is the main reason why women are othered in African communities and the most powerful tool that can be used to empower women and transform their lives is education. The study also revealed that people living with albinism are othered in African communities because of the traditional African beliefs that uphold that people with albinism are born as a result of a curse or a punishment from God. And then finally, the study revealed that blacks are othered by the white people because the whites believe that they are more superior than the black people. Unfortunately, due to the effects of colonialism, blacks tend to abide by what the whites have made them to believe about themselves (blacks). In a nutshell, the study realised that Othering of other people in the society is a primitive and barbaric act that should be stopped because this act affects the socio-economic lives of those who are othered. To add on to that, it should be noted that the world has transformed into a global village, and, therefore, it is absurd to find that there are some people who are made to live outside the mainstream of the society which bars them from getting the same opportunities that are enjoyed by those who are living in the mainstream of the society. Surely, for this world to be a better place, there should be inclusivity of everyone in everything, regardless of the person’s race, sex, religion, skin colour and other socially constructed discriminators.