The chapters in this volume foreground the ambivalent role of religion and culture when it comes to African womens health and well-being. Reflecting on the three major religions in Africa, i.e. African Indigenous Religions, Christianity, and Islam, the authors illustrate how religious beliefs and practices can either enhance or hinder womens holistic progress and development. With a specific focus on Zimbabwean womens experiences of religion and culture, the volume discusses how African Indigenous Religions, Christianity, and Islam tend to privilege men and understate the value of women in Africa. Adopting diverse theological, ideological, and political positions, contributors to this volume restate the fact that the key teachings of different religions, often suppressed due to patriarchal influences, are a potent resource in the quest for gender justice. In sync with the goals for gender justice and women empowerment envisioned in the United Nations Agenda 2030 and Africa Agenda 2063, the contributors advocate for gender-inclusive and life-enhancing interpretations of religious and cultural traditions in Africa.
Introduction: Women and Religion in Zimbabwe and the Role of Men
Ezra Chitando, Sophia Chirongoma, and Kudzai Biri
Chapter One
Harnessing Ndau Religious and Socio-Cultural Beliefs and Practices for Celebrating Women Power in Zimbabwe
Macloud Sipeyiye&Elias G. Konyana
Chapter Two
Rural Women Utilizing African Indigenous Religion(s) in Environmental Conservation: A Case of Mutasa Area in Mutare
Tracey Chirara
Chapter Three
Reconfiguring Lost African Religious Tradition: A Feminist Inquiry into Pre-colonial Gender Construction and Its Impact on Shona Society in Post-colonial Zimbabwe
Dudzirai Chimeri
Chapter Four
African Traditional Religious Women and Reproductive Health: The Case of Mutasa Rural in Mutare
Tracey Chirara&Tabona Shoko
Chapter Five
Woman thou art Cursed? The Case ofSARE in Shona Culture
Mavis Muguti&Tawanda Mbewe
Chapter Six
Imagining a Church with Equal Opportunities among the Clergy: A Theological and Cultural Dilemma in the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe
Martin Mujinga
Chapter Seven
Leadership Struggles in the Church: Interfacing and Theologizing the Leadership of Women Clergy in the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe (MCZ)
Peter Masvotore& Lindah Tsara
Chapter Eight
From Exclusivism to Inclusivism: The Reformed Church in Zimbabwe (RCZ) Rules and Regulations Relating to Women
Simbarashe Munamati
Chapter Nine
Untying the Cords of Patriarchy: A Critique of Violence against Women and the Role of Pentecostal Women in Leadership Positions in Zimbabwe
Kudzai Biri
Chapter Ten
Cultures, Women and the Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe
Francis Machingura& Joyline Gwara
Chapter Eleven
Unlocking Judges 13 to Advocate for Womens Leadership in a Patriarchal System
Menard Musendekwa
Chapter Twelve
Teacher, This Woman Was Caught in the Very Act of Committing Adultery (John 8:4b):The Bible, Community, and Genderization of Sin; A Dialogue with the Social Identity Theory
Isheanesu Sextus Gusha
Chapter Thirteen
Young Christian Women as Agents of Sustainable Development in Zimbabwe: A Case Study of Murinye District, Masvingo
Sophia Chirongoma
Chapter Fourteen
Womens Sexuality: A Tool for Media Advertising in Zimbabwe?
Chipo Mable Hatendi&Tapiwa Praise Mapuranga
Chapter Fifteen
Religio-Cultural Ideologies, Women and the Economy: Gender Inequality in the Mining Sector in Zimbabwe
Tariro Zhou
Chapter Sixteen
The Currency that Buys Peace: Reparation in Gabriel García MárquezsThe Sad and Incredible Tale of Innocent Eréndira and her Heartless Grandmother(1972) and Charles Mungoshis Sacrifice (1997)
Barbara C. Manyarara
Chapter Seventeen
Towards Women Empowerment in Africa: Insights from the Capability Approach
Kevin Shijja Kuhumba
Chapter Eighteen
Help/Hindrance? The Role of Religion in Womens Participation in Politics in Zimbabwe
Kudakwashe Bryson Kabaira&Blessed Simbarashe Matsita
Chapter Nineteen
Ring or Title: Examining the Role of the Church in the Land Co-Ownership Clause Advocacy in Uganda
Christine Nakyeyune
About the Contributors
