RE/PRODUCING MOTHERS: STRUCTURE AND AGENCY IN GAMBIAN KANYALENG PERFORMANCES

Abstract

Kanyalengs are women united by problems with fertility and/or child mortality. Their collective performances invert traditional female roles and are intended to ameliorate the hardships associated with the inability to meet expectations for a large family. Kanyaleng membership can be beneficial as it allows women to temporarily flout the conventions that give their lives structure and meaning while also confining and limiting them. However, kanyalengs’ experiences also underscore the limits of Gambian women’s ability to access social and economic power outside of motherhood. The use of food in kanyalengs’ performances calls attention to women’s roles as producers of food and reproducers of children.