African Widows

Although widows constitute a quarter of the adult female population in many African societies, they have not been the focus of detailed, cross-cultural research. This is the first comparative anthropological study of widowhood in Africa, comprising ten case studies that cover a broad spectrum of societies in different parts of the continent. This volume shows clearly that widows are not passive objects of male transactions; they have interests and options, and make choices affecting their own lives. Ties to children, access to productive sources, and rights to housing are shown to have particular importance for widows' residential and marital decisions. This book provides a needed corrective both to the male perspective on kinship and to women's studies that deal almost exclusively with the adult married woman. In contrast to the traditional anthropological emphasis on widow remarriage and the functions such marriages have for the maintenance of marriage alliances, these papers deal with the women themselves and the quality of their lives. The introduction surveys the literature, examines the factors affecting the widows' strategies, and shows how accepted anthropological concepts of marriage, affinity, and community look different when considered from the perspective of widows. There is a foreword by Mariam K. Slater.

Although widows constitute a quarter of the adult female population in many African societies, they have not been the focus of detailed, cross-cultural research. This is the first comparative anthropological study of widowhood in Africa, comprising ten case studies that cover a broad spectrum of societies in different parts of the continent. This volume shows clearly that widows are not passive objects of male transactions; they have interests and options, and make choices affecting their own lives. Ties to children, access to productive sources, and rights to housing are shown to have particular importance for widows' residential and marital decisions. This book provides a needed corrective both to the male perspective on kinship and to women's studies that deal almost exclusively with the adult married woman. In contrast to the traditional anthropological emphasis on widow remarriage and the functions such marriages have for the maintenance of marriage alliances, these papers deal with the women themselves and the quality of their lives. The introduction surveys the literature, examines the factors affecting the widows' strategies, and shows how accepted anthropological concepts of marriage, affinity, and community look different when considered from the perspective of widows. There is a foreword by Mariam K. Slater.

This book was inspired by real-life events experienced by one young widow from Southern Africa, who at the age of thirty lost her husband. She felt as though she had been abandoned by the wayside holding three young children. She had no tangible support from the family she was married into. As she traversed through this lonesome, slippery journey, she encountered a myriad of storms that forced her to totally surrender everything, including herself and her children, to the Lord. Through this simple act of giving up and submitting all her circumstances to the Lord, she was granted wisdomwisdom with which to handle the grim challenges and storms that confronted her. From the very onset she soon learnt that the relentless hate and hurtful situations that she faced were to be responded to with heartfelt forgiveness, love, and humility. The Lord also provided this widow with a measure of faith much bigger than the size of a mustard seed. She did not just see mountains being moved; storms were conquered and oceans were opened for her and her children to go through. She and her sons were raised from the bottom of the lowest dump heap and raised to levels that she could have hardly even ever dreamt or imagined possible. An African Widows Journey drives home the message, Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Ps. 30:5).

Publisher description

Get a fresh perspective on how older women adapt to life without a spouse! Widows and Divorcees in Later Life: On Their Own Again examines new perspectives on the problems older women face adjusting to life without a spouse. The book examines the transition from the togetherness of marriage to the solitude of being suddenly single, exploring how older widows and divorcees adapt. A multidisciplinary panel of practitioners, researchers, and academics addresses the challenges facing elderly women after a divorce or the death of a spouse, including issues of physical and psychological well-being (clinical depression, nutrition), economics (reduced Social Security benefits, loss of pension income, health care costs), social support (public policy, counseling), and living arrangements. Widows and Divorcees in Later Life: On Their Own Again presents fresh insights into the challenges single women face as they age, including disability and chronic health problems, threats to economic security, and the need for assistance with normal activities of daily living. The book examines the increased hospitalization risk for widowed older women, the protective efforts of social contacts, the impact of minority group status on projected retirement income, care arrangement choices, coping with bereavement, and the changing balance between co-residence with families and institutional care. Interviews, data projections, and research studies offer particular focus on women of Mexican-American and African-American descent, and women living in England and Wales, Africa, and the north and south Pacific. Widows and Divorcees in Later Life: On Their Own Again addresses: the importance of family support the importance of religion and spirituality in coping with loss maintaining social connections maintaining independence the baby boom cohort and much more! Widows and Divorcees in Later Life: On Their Own Again is an insightful examination of the concerns, issues, and problems facing older women who live without a spouse but within specific social and cultural networks from which they receive support.

Recently widowed, Angelina Ibe, a smart, evangelical Christian and school teacher goes on an early morning evangelising mission and intentionally kills a python, one of the major totems in her community, Umuocha. This abominable act – at least viewed from the community’s perspective, brings her into direct collision with Umuocha’s guardians of tradition, led by the arch-conservative prime minister of Umuocha, Mazi Ikenga. Inevitably, the Igwe (King) of Umuocha, formerly a lawyer with a thriving practice in England, is embroiled in the drama. Whose side will he take and how far does Angelina’s battle go? Find out as you read this epic battle of wills that pits Angelina against time-honoured patriarchal institutions and individuals, determined to get their way by every means and at all cost.