Global capitalism and the commodification of breastfeeding: An investigation of its impact on the African conception of family life and motherhood

Abstract

Breastfeeding in public has become a contentious issue in contemporary society. Mothers are often subjected to unfair discrimination and harassment for simply responding to their maternal instinct to breastfeed their infants. The unwillingness of society to accept public breastfeeding as a natural, non-sexual act is partly influenced by the imposition of a pornified and hypersexualised Western culture, which was imported to Africa through colonisation. This culture was enforced by the apartheid regime and is now perpetuated by Western media. The imposition of the modern nuclear family on Africans, and the coerced aspiration to subscribe to bourgeois values, has eroded the moral standing of the African family and its cultural values. Western-centric perceptions of African women have altered the experience of motherhood for many, commodifying the practice of breastfeeding. As a result, the use of bottles and infant formula is often perceived as the preferred method, while breastfeeding in public is viewed as primitive, immoral and unacceptable. Methodology: A qualitative (normative) research design based on a thematic analysis that relied primarily on online peer-reviewed academic data sources was adopted for the study. The aim of this normative study was to answer the question of what ought to be done to preserve the dignity of African mothers and to protect their right to breastfeed in public. The African philosophy of Ubuntu was employed to advocate mothers’ right to breastfeed in public. This moral philosophy posits that the Western perception of a person seeks to isolate people from their environment and culture, thereby undermining the process of acquiring humanity, which fosters social cohesion. The Ubuntu philosophy embodies the aphorism, “umuntu ngumuntu nga bantu” (“a person is a person through other persons”), which signifies people’s interconnectedness and interdependence. The application of the key principles of Ubuntu, such as “survival, the spirit of solidarity, compassion, respect, and dignity” as identified by Mbigi Lovemore (1997), and aphorisms like “feta kgomo o sware motho” can improve human interaction and unite the public to support the South African government’s efforts to increase the rate of exclusive breastfeeding and to reduce infant mortality

Go nyantšha letswele phatlalatša go fetogile taba yeo go ngangišanwago ka yona setšhabeng sa mehleng yeno. Gantši bommagobana ba kgethollwa ka mo go sa lokago le go tlaišwa ka lebaka la go no arabela tlhago ya bona ya go ba bomma ya go nyantšha masea a bona letswele. Go se amogele ga setšhaba gore go nyantšha letswele phatlalatša ke tlhago, ga o akaretše tša thobalano (non-sexual) go huetšwa seripa ke go gapeletšwa ga setšo sa Bodikela sa go amantšhwa le thobalano (pornified) le go ba le kgahlego ya go fetiša go tša thobalano (hypersexualised), seo se tlišitšwego ka Afrika ge go hlongwa dikoloni. Setšo se se phethagaditšwe ke mmušo wa kgethollo gomme bjale se tšwetšwapele ke bobegaditaba bja Bodikela. Go gapeletšwa ga botee bja lapa la sebjalebjale go Maafrika, le kganyogo ye e gapeletšwago go thekga mekgwa ya balatedi ba setšo (bourgeois), go sentše maemo a boitshwaro a lapa la Afrika le mekgwa ya lona ya setšo. Dikgopolo tša Bodikela tša basadi ba Maafrika di fetotše bokgoni bja go ba mma go ba bantši, di dira gore setlwaedi sa go nyantšha letswele se dirwe kgwebo. Ka lebaka leo, tšhomišo ya ditami le maswi a lerole a masea gantši e tšewa bjalo ka mokgwa wo o ratwago, mola go nyantšha letswele phatlalatša go bonwa bjalo ka mokgwa wa sekgale, mokgwa wo mobe le wa go se amogelege. Mokgwa: Tlhamo ya nyakišišo ya khwalithethifi (tlwaelo) ye e theilwego godimo ga tshekatsheko ya tabakgolo yeo e ithekgilego kudu ka methopo ya datha ya thuto yeo e sekasekwago ke ditsebi inthaneteng e amogetšwe go nyakišišo ye. Maikemišetšo a nyakišišo ye e be e le go araba potšišo ya seo se swanetšego go dirwa go boloka seriti sa bommagobana ba Maafrika le go šireletša tokelo ya bona ya go nyantšha letswele phatlalatša. Filosofi ya Afrika ya Ubuntu e šomišitšwe go thekga tokelo ya bommagobana ya go nyantšha letswele phatlalatša. Filosofi ye ye botse e šišinya gore kgopolo ya Bodikela ya motho e nyaka go arogantšha batho le tikologo le setšo sa bona, ka go realo e nyatša tshepedišo ya go kgoboketša batho, yeo e thekgago kgokagano ya leago. Filosofi ya Ubuntu e akaretša seka se, “umuntu ngumuntu nga bantu” (motho ke motho ka batho), seo se laetšago kgokagano ya batho le go ithekga ka ba bangwe. vi Tšhomišo ya melawana ye bohlokwa ya Ubuntu, go swana le “go phela, moya wa botee, kwelobohloko, tlhompho, le seriti” bjalo ka ge Mbigi Lovemore (1997) a boletše, gomme dika tša go swana le “feta kgomo o sware motho” di ka kaonafatša tšhomišano ya batho le go kopanya setšhaba go thekga maitapišo a mmušo wa Afrika Borwa a go oketša palo ya go nyantšha letswele fela le go fokotša mahu a masea.

Ukuncancisa esidlangalaleni kuye kwaba ngumba oxhalabisayo kuluntu lwangoku. Oomama badla ngokujongana nocalulo nongcungcuthekiso olungafanelekanga ngenxa yokulandela nje ithuku lemvelo labo lobumama lokuncancisa iintsana zabo. Ukungafuni koluntu ukwamkela ukuncancisa esidlangalaleni njengento edaliweyo nengekho ngesondo, kuyinxenye yokuphenjelelwa kokunyanzelwa kwenkcubeko yaseNtshona enemifanekiso yamanyala/iphonografi kunye nokubaxwa kwezesondo, eyaziswa eAfrika ngobukoloniyali. Le nkcubeko yanyanzelwa ngurhulumente wocalucalulo kwaye ngoku iphenjelelwa ngamajelo eendaba aseNtshona. Ukunyanzeliswa kwendlela yokuphila kweentsapho ngokuzimeleyo yanamhlanje kuma-Afrika, nomnqweno onyanzeliswayo wokwamkela iinqobo zodidi lobungxowankulu (bourgeois), kuye kwaphelisa ukuphila kwentsulungeko yeentsapho zama-Afrika kunye neenqobo zawo zenkcubeko. Iingcamango zaseNtshona zabasetyhini baseAfrika ziye zatshintsha amava okuba ngumama kwabaninzi, zirhwebisa ukuncancisa. Ngenxa yoko, ukusetyenziswa kweebhotile kunye nobisi olungumgubo lokondla iintsana kudla ngokubonwa njengendlela elungileyo. Ngelixa ukuncancisa esidlangalaleni kubonwa njengento yakudala, kungasulungekanga kwaye kungamkelekekanga. Isikhokelo sophando: Kolu phando kusetyenziswe uyilo lophandontyilazwi (normative) olusekelwe kuhlalutyontyilazwi lomongo obeluxhomekeke ngokuphambili kwimithombo yedatha yezemfundo ehlolwe ngoontanga kwi-intanethi. Injongo yolu phando lwe-normative ibikukuphendula umbuzo wokuba yintoni ekufuneka yenziwe ukugcina isidima soomama baseAfrika nokukhusela ilungelo labo lokuncancisa esidlangalaleni. Kusetyenziswe ifilosofi yobuAfrika yoBuntu ukukhuthaza ilungelo loomama lokuncancisa esidlangalaleni. Le filosofi yentsulungeko ithi, ingcamango yaseNtshona yokuba ngumntu ifuna ukubekela abantu bucala kokubangqongileyo nakwinkcubeko yabo, ngaloo ndlela ijongela phantsi inkqubo yokuba kunye koluntu, nto leyo ekhuthaza ukusebenzisana kwalo. Ifilosofi yoBuntu iqulethe intetho ethi, "umuntu ngumuntu nga bantu", nto leyo ebonisa unxibelelwano nokuxhomekeka okanye ukuthembela kwabantu omnye komnye. viii Ukusetyenziswa kwemigaqo ephambili yoBuntu, efana "nokusinda, umoya wokumanyana, imfesane, intlonipho, kunye nesidima" ngokuchazwe nguMbigi Lovemore (1997) ngolwimi isiNgesi xa esithi “survival, the spirit of solidarity, compassion, respect, and dignity”, kunye nentetho efana nale "feta kgomo o sware motho" kunokuphucula ukusebenzisana kwabantu kwaye kudibanise uluntu ukuxhasa iinzame zikarhulumente woMzantsi Afrika zokunyusa iqondo lokuncancisa esidlangalaleni kunye nokunciphisa ukufa kweentsana