Widowhood Practice in Africa: X-Raying the Devaluation of Womanhood via Religio-Cultural Lens

Widowhood Practice in Africa: X-raying the Devaluation of Womanhood via Religio-cultural Lens is the focus of this research. Widowhood experience is generally considered to be a difficult life event which constitutes a source of emotional and psychological stress which requires a period of time to overcome. This is further complicated by the inability of family members and society to realistically assist the widow through the mourning process. Apart from the fact that the window is usually disadvantaged in the distribution of late husband property, some unpleasant widowhood practices in Africa includes shaving of hairs, wearing of black/white clothes, widow cleansing, sleeping and sitting on floor or mat, being refrained from bathing for a number of days, seclusion and being made to swear with husband’s corpse, among many others. This paper investigates reasons for widowhood practices in Africa, various form of harmful widowhood rites and the challenges of widowhood practice to women in Africa. It particularly examines the influencing factors for the widowhood practices in spite of modernization. These directly and indirectly have negative effects on widows and their children. This research made use of analytical method as well as books, journals, internet sources. This research therefore recommends qualitative education for the girl child at early stage, enlightenment programme and vocational skills acquisition for all women, particularly widows as means of reducing, if not totally eradicated the harmful rites, unjust discrimination and inhuman treatments against widows.