15 - Spiritual Challenges of Widowhood Symbolism in an African Religio-cultural Setting: A Christian Theological Perspective

Summary

Introduction

… Africans celebrate life, and preserve it by hedging it with taboos. The African concept of life is essentially religious, because they see the world as a vast spiritual arena. For them, life is precious. There are certain happenings which can make the attractions of life difficult, but at the same time enjoyable. A case in point is widowhood.

The widow is perceived as taboo … She is subject to hopelessness, punishment, neglect, contempt, suspicious about her treachery, or lack of good care. She is perceived as threatening to other couple's relationships and suspected of adulterous living. The result is that a widow is usually a neglected and deserted lonely woman. These perceptions of widowhood become strategies of emotional and spiritual violence.

In every African society, hearing the “saga of the widow” is not pleasure-giving. Although there are many cultural variations within widowhood rites in the same country on the continent, the stories, when told, are not different. The African widow does not only suffer emotional and psychological trauma, she also goes through untold spiritual violence.

Widowhood, as practised among many traditional African societies, places the widow in bondage whether she is a Christian or non-Christian, literate or illiterate, young or old. For the Christian widow, the burial and mourning ceremonies she goes through do not augur well for her spiritual well-being, as she is sometimes coerced to perform certain rituals that are contrary to both biblical faith and the Christian Church's principles. Widowhood therefore presents real-life and spiritual challenges, not just to the Christian widow, but more importantly, to the whole community of believers—the Church.