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Samuel Ravengai Own Correspondent
Stephen Chifunyise’s play, “Muramu”, grapples with the issue of sexuality, especially as it is understood in the traditional Shona society.
Like in other plays written by the same author that deal with traditional issues in the domestic setting, there is a character who stands as a symbol of each of the persuasions that dominate the play.
Tete represents tradition and her niece, Tendai represents modernity. Chipo and her husband, Farai, are supporting characters who force the protagonist, Tete, and her antagonist, Tendai to act and/or react.
The domestic space becomes a battle ground of ideas on how sex and sexuality are understood and contested in the traditional and modern sense.
The term muramu is understood differently across various Shona ethnicities. Among the northern Shona, the elder or younger sister of one’s wife is a muramu while the southern Shona reserve muramu for the wife’s young sister.
This is the sense in which Chifunyise uses the term muramu in his play.
The term also applies to the younger or elder brother of one’s husband, although amongst the southern Shona only the former would be a muramu while the latter would be babamukuru.
In eastern and northern Shona ethnicities one’s wife’s aunt is also a muramu.
In any event where one calls another a muramu, there is a special relationship, sometimes with sexual innuendoes. This special relationship of joking, censure, counselling and fondling is called chiramu.
In olden days, this relationship was sanctioned by both the patriarchy and matriarchy provided the rules of the game were not violated.
In its traditional sense, it was a training ground for young girls to resist the sexual advances of abusive men. The training was provided by babamukuru (sister/aunt’s husband). He would claim that his wife’s younger sisters were his wives and ran after them even in the presence of their parents.
He showered them with praise and admiration to make them feel special. The young girls through this joking relationship felt confident, valued, respected and sometimes stimulated. Regrettably, this game sometimes included fodling the muramu’s breasts, although she was trained to run away and scream if babamukuru went off bounds.
If a muramu fought back and used inappropriate language to rebuff babamukuru, there was no offence. It was a joking relationship.
The joking game was not only physical, but included counselling where babamukuru would provide sexual knowledge to the young girls and helping them understand issues of marriage. In the past, the Shona cultural practice of teaching responsible sexual knowledge by brother-in-law was perfectly fine.
Sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature or conduct based on gender or sexual orientation affecting the dignity of women.
In the context of chiramu, the players are surely related by affinity and marriage and may live as members of the same household such as in the case of Tendai and Farai in the play, “Muramu”.
In the play, Chipo and Farai have been married for two years. During this period, they have decided that they would not start a family until they are financially stable.
However, in Chipo’s family, there has been a history of late conception amongst her aunts. This two-year break is then interpreted by Chipo’s clan as her inability to conceive. A clan gathering takes place and Tete is given the mandate to deliver Tendai, a 19-year-old girl to Farai so she could help Chipo by supplying babies.
Neither Chipo nor Tendai are consulted about this arrangement underlining the patriarchal nature of this society.
When Tendai and Tete arrive in Harare, Tete coaches Tendai on how to play chiramu. However, Tete has an ulterior motive; using tradition to get Farai to impregnate Tendai in order to save Chipo’s marriage which they assume is in crisis because of “barrenness”.
On the part of Tete, there is clearly a breach of tradition and the boundaries of chiramu. She would like Tendai’s rights to be violated for “a moral good”.
However, Tendai is equal to the task. She has learnt all about sexuality, sex and the violation of rights at school and challenges Tete on her outdated ideas.
Not knowing Tete’ schemes, Farai decides to play chiramu with Tendai.
However, Tendai refuses with her modern body. “My Shona tradition says no one has the right to touch my body against my wishes. My Shona calls that sexual abuse . . . You are an educated man. I do not expect you to follow outdated traditions that violate our rights as women,” she confronts Farai.
What is interesting is that while Tendai is firm in rebuffing Farai, the two enjoy each other’s company and keep on engaging in sexually explicit code. Tete enjoys this chiramu relationship, but for unethical reasons.
Whereas under normal circumstances, Tendai is supposed to go and report this “sexual harassment” to the police or to refuse any further engagement with Farai; she enjoys the whole concept of chiramu and agrees to go shopping with him under strict orders from Tete.
Tendai accepts Farai’s gifts, allows him to feed her with ice-cream and to touch her on other less sexual parts of her body. This she enjoys thoroughly and reports the news with happiness to Tete. Throughout the play she enjoys playing the chiramu relationship with her brother-in law, Farai, but she knows her boundaries and makes them known to him.
By the end of the play, Farai confesses to his wife that he played chiramu with Tendai, but that ended with moderate touching, joking and laughing. However, as for what would be termed sexual assault, Tendai refused to cooperate.
For that reason Farai concludes, “but your sister would have none of that (sex). That girl is tough, she challenged me on the chiramu behaviour, the chiramu relationship and the chiramu touch. Your sister was clear about what she is, what she wants to be and that she will never accept what Tete brought her here to do. She was firm, direct and empowered. That is all that happened. Honestly! I respect your sister”.
In the play “Muramu”, chiramu is affirmed, but its pervasion is censured. There is something good in chiramu in terms of building relationships and knowledge and it has to be practiced in total respect of women’s bodies and rights.
Tendai is the dramatic device that provided checks and balances. Tete’s scheme fails and in the process she learns valuable lessons about engaging other women in decision-making.
Winky D, on his video titled “Chiramu”, also shows what happens in a set-up where chiramu is played and the song gives insight into what Chifunyise explores in his play. — Panorama.co.zw
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