The Dance of Politics: Gender, Performance, and Democratization in Malawi (African Soundscapes)

Election campaigns, political events, and national celebration days in Malawi usually feature groups of women who dance and perform songs of praise for politicians and political parties. However, as Lisa Gilman explains, in The Dance of Politics, "praise performing" is one of the few ways that poor women are allowed to participate in a male-dominated political system in which issues of gender, economics, and politics collide in surprising ways. Along with its solid grounding in the relevant literature, The Dance of Politics draws strength from Gilman's first-hand observations and her interviews with a range of participants in the political process, from dancers to politicians.