The Socio-culturel And Linguistics Significance Of Fe'efe'e Women's Song Performance: The Case Of Ko Cak Fhʉ̄ Ndak Hɑ̄

Abstract

This paper attempts to shed light on how women use figurative language through songs and dances in the Fe’efe’e traditional community to speak out their cries and yearnings. With the example of the ngwe song and dance named Ko cak fhʉ̄ ndak, we demonstrate through ethnography of communication and speech act theories that since time immemorial, in Africa, in order to maintain social harmony and stability, women have been using strategies to express their thoughts in public in contrary to what views from outside and from the West have been stating. The ngwe is a perfect illustration of women’s potency in the African society. This ngwe has been in Fe’efe’e women’s hands a strong weapon to curse, praise and criticise the shortcomings of their society through the use of vivid and rhetorical or poetic language known as stylistic devices. The ‘ngwe’ song used for illustration expresses the pragmatic use of language as it is geared toward performative acts aiming at influencing the audience or the listeners.