Renegade/Rouge (Pumla Dineo Gqola), Rebellion/Rebellious femininities (Mazibuko)

This encyclopaedic entry is concerned with explaining what it means for African women to be renegades and/or rebellious. The works of Pumla Dineo Gqola, Danai Mupotsa, Braidotti Roy and Mbali Mazibuko are used as companion texts to arrive at definitions of these terms. To arrive at a reading of rebellion, renegades and rogue, a discussion on power, binaries and agency is included. Examples of women who have been considered renegades and rebellious are made to demonstrate the applicability and relevance of these concepts for African feminists in the continent and diaspora. These examples of rebellious African women are considered figurations. The concepts discussed work as a theoretical framework to language African women who do not always fit neatly into the mould of tradition and thus can be applicable in our everyday contexts.