Abstract
<jats:p>This chapter analyses Christina Sibiya's mediated autobiography, Zulu Woman, challenging Eurocentric portrayals of African women as passive victims. By interrogating the intersection of tradition, agency, and identity, the chapter re-reads polygyny, not as a monolithic relic of oppression, but as a historically situated socio-cultural system. Utilising Nnaemeka's theory of “nego-feminism,” the study explores how Sibiya exercises agency through negotiation and collaboration rather than individualistic revolt. Ultimately, the chapter demystifies African cultural practices, asserting that Zulu womanhood is a legitimate, assertive performance of identity that prioritises communal harmony and interpretive authority over the Western gaze.</jats:p>