Stylistic Expressions and Gendered Representations of Femininity in Akamba Pop Music: A Feminist Intersectional Analysis

Ikisiri

This paper examines how stylistic strategies in selected Akamba pop music represent femininity and the gendered marginalisation of women. Employing a feminist intersectional framework, it analyses the use of language, oral literary techniques, diction, and motifs in songs to reveal how women’s identities are shaped, commodified, and constrained by social and cultural forces, especially colonial legacies and patriarchy. The study employs a qualitative research methodology. Purposive sampling was employed in selecting data, whereby eight songs were selected to represent Makueni, Machakos, Kitui, and Nairobi counties. The songs were sourced from the internet (YouTube). Transcription and translation were done thereafter. Using the theoretical lens of feminism and secondary texts, the data was interpreted in line with the main objective of the study. The study highlights how themes such as skin bleaching, sexual objectification, and ethnic discrimination are linguistically constructed to reflect broader gender inequalities