By Morgen Makombo Sikwila
Issues of culture and religion remain sources of gender inequality and oppression for most women in Africa. The creation of man in the Bible is used by some African men to oppress women.
Culture refers to the learned and ideational aspects of human society. In this subjectivity, culture carries the illusion of shared concerns and values in the face of the real and contentious divisions that exist among classes, gender, race and ethnic groups.
Religion refers to what people believe in; their spirituality and how this shapes people’s relations with each other and with God-the Almighty.
In this write up, gendèr shall be taken to mean roles that are ascribed to men and women. More often than not, these roles can be presented as if fixed, unchangeable and uncontestable.
According to the Christian Bible, a woman was not created from the dust of the earth but from Adam. A number of verses in the Bible limit the advancement of women in Africa and make male dominance an obstacle to gender equality.
For example, Genesis 1 verse 26 says God created man in his own image. In the same breath, Genesis 3 verse 16 asserts that “…..he shall rule…,” while 1 Corinthians 11 verse 7 to 9 echoes the ideas that “a man…..is the image and glory of God; but a woman is the glory of man.” The verses seem to suggest that men were given power to rule over women.
Yet, the same verses can be interpreted differently by different people. In some African Christian sects the above verses and chapters are often [mis]quoted by men to justify the oppression of women.
In African culture, men exercise their power over women by marrying many wives. And some African settings, a man is deemed to be a real man because he has many wives and children. This assertion is culturally constructed by men because when God created a man, according to the Bible, He did not say, “let us create a human being who we call man when he marries many wives.” The Genesis 3 verse 16 text “…shall rule…” seems to have created a host of problems, for women have to bear being ruled by men holding a Bible as an instrument of oppression.
Those men who have parochial understanding of that verse often refer to it without considering its social, political and economic ramifications or implications. It is in the same verse that makes it possible for some men to discriminate against women so that they fail to make meaningful contributions to their families and communities.
With the sphere of African spirituality, the suppression and exploitation of women goes beyond the grave. The spirit of a dead woman possessing a man (spirit medium), yet women are always possessed by the spirit of the dead man.
Ancestral spirits from the mother’s side are not important as those of the father’s side. Women are not allowed to appease angry spirits; this is done by fathers and brothers. The implication is that boys are able to take the position of their fathers as grown-ups so as to preside over all matters to do with spirit possession and spiritual appeasement with a family.
The very fact that a woman can be possessed by a spirit medium, buttress to the cultural significance of women. Spirit possession bequeaths power to a woman, for example, society ceases to review a woman as a weakling and instead view her as a “super -human being” that operates above other community members.
Yet, to respect and glorify women “only” when they happen to be possessed by spirit mediums, seems to confirm the belief that women can only be given due respect if they do double the work of men orbit they possess supernatural or metaphysical powers that men cannot control or restrict.
In some African cultures, boys are made to pursue education or some careers of own choices so that they are intellectually prepared for being leaders and to lead, thereby receiving powers to rule.
A different perspective can be that, African parents invest in the education of the son believing that he will take care of them when they are old. Some parents in Zimbabwe clearly tell their daughters that they should respect their brothers because they are the fathers of tomorrow.
From a broader perspective, investing in education of a son can be the root cause of some problems between mother in-law and daughter in-law. The conflict between these African women, controlled by the very same oppressive patriarchal structures and they seek to interrogate, denounce and destroy.
The conflict shows the subtle ways in which women respond – consciously and unconsciously to the dominant cultural and ideological structures that constantly strengthen the power of men to control them.
In some Islamic sects in Africa that supports extremism or fundamentalism, girls are not allowed to go to school, and that western-educated girls can actually be punished by death. A devout Muslim man would stop praying when a woman or a donkey appears. This clearly shows how culture and religion are used to exacerbate inequalities between men and women.
In the African traditional culture, if a couple fails to conceive, the woman is identified as the culprit sometimes without an aorta of evidence; not attempt to find the root cause of the problem. The pressure the woman feels can be too much, to the extent of eroding her voice which can be the only tool that she uses to alert society about the presence of social, cultural, economic and political forces that conspire against her progress.
In most African cultures, men are described as hard, difficult and brave. Men are stubborn and not easily deflected from their purpose while women are taught to be humble and respect men. These are mere stereotypes constructed by the patriarchal culture to discourage women from participating in the development of contemporary Africa. In some African societies, women traditionally have no power over their bodies to the extent that they are forced into marriages.
African cultures prevent a married woman from being critical or from challenging her husband on any family issues, including their material well being.
African traditional culture has done great damage to how women should be viewed in relation to property ownership. Women’s domain in some African countries is confined to the domestic sphere – then there is clearly a conscious plan among some men to actually stifle the development of women by viewing them as less enterprising. This widens the gap of inequality between men and women in modern Africa.
In African culture, a married woman is trained to respect and obey her husband as he is said to be the head of the family- a small god sort of. Cultural biases prevent women from reporting injustices and violations especially when this relates to their sexuality.
It is viewed as unnatural and disrespectful for a married woman to decline a husband’s intention of having sex with her. By implication, a married woman has no control over her body in matters to do with sex, but that she has power to decorate her body until she looks attractive so that the body can be ravished by her husband.
African culture exacerbates inequality by promoting violence against women. In some African societies beating a wife is viewed as a sign of love. Yet, domestic violence is one way in which men exercise their hegemonic masculinity over women. Most traditional cultures in Africa are implicated in constructing stereotypes that bring inequality between men and women.
Culture and religion are used to oppress in modern Africa. Bible verses and chapters are used by some men to justify gender inequality in African societies. In the spiritual realm, women seem to be given due respect, but the fact that female spirit mediums are usually possessed by a male ancestor serves to legitimise the power of a male figurehead over women.
In case where young women acquire education, and are poised to pursue rewarding careers, these women are considered as problematic because, according to patriarchal dictates, they are bound to be disrespectful to their husbands. Cultural stereotypes naturalize the social conditions of women and thereby perpetuate gender inequalities between men and women.
Africans should begin to value the contributions of women in society without looking down upon them as soft targets or weaker sexes.
Morgen Makombo Sikwila
MSc Peace and Governance
BSc Counselling Psychology
Diploma in Environmental Health Health
Certificate in Marketing Management
Phone: 0772823282
Email address: morgensikwilam@gmail.com
