Author(s): Irene Nchang Ngwa, Adamu Pangmeshi, Divine Che Neba

Abstract: This paper interrogates the construction of gender category, gender variance and performance context in Bafut and Kom tales from the North West Region of Cameroon. Drawing from field interviews, questionnaire, live performances, and textual analysis, it further examines how gender identities are represented and negotiated in Bafut and Kom oral tales. Anchored on gender theory and cultural criticism, the work demonstrates that gender within these tales is not a fixed biological constant but a performative and culturally mediated category. In both Bafut and Kom societies, orature functions as a social archive that mirrors power relations, cultural values, and contestations of identity. The analysis reveals that while patriarchal structures remain influential, oral tales often provide subtle counter-discourses that elevate women’s roles, question male dominance, and celebrate gender complementarity. Through the fusion of performance, tradition, and social analysis, Bafut and Kom tales emerge as key sites for understanding the dynamics of gender in Bafut and Kom in particular, and transformation in African oral cultures, respectively.

Keywords: Gender Category, Gender Variance, Performance Aesthetics, Cultural Relativism and Cultural Criticism.

Article Info: Received: 07 Mar 2026; Received in revised form: 04 Apr 2026; Accepted: 09 Apr 2026; Available online: 13 Apr 2026

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.112.66