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CULTURE-SWAZILAND: Seeking Equality From Gender Biased Ancestral Spirits
By James Hall
MBABANE, Jun 30 (IPS) - An early dusk falls on wintry Swaziland, the time
for the head of the traditional homestead to lead the family in prayer to
the ancestral spirits. The household head kneels at the umsamo, the sacred
spot on the far wall directly opposite the door of a hut designated for this
purpose. The other family members kneel in a semi-circle on either side.
"Emadloti (ancestral spirits), we greet you, we hail you, we welcome you . .
."
The speaker is always a man. He may be the husband, grandfather, or
eldest male relative. In this patriarchal society, where women are legal
minors, no woman assumes the duty of speaking to the ancestral spirits on
behalf of the family.
"Theologically, this makes sense," Sarah Nkhambule, a theological student
at the University of Swaziland at Kwaluseni, told IPS. "The ancestral
spirits come in both genders, but they are believed to respond to
strictly-observed ritual. The ritual to call them must be done precisely as
it has been done for generations, or the ancestors will not respond, it is
feared, and they will not honour any petition made to them."
On a national level, the king of the Swazis is the star attraction at the
most sacred event on the Swazi calendar: the Incwala, or rite of the first
fruits. The king assumes the role of the headman of the tribal family. Tens
of thousands of Swazis, from bare breasted maidens to warriors hefting
cowhide shields, cram into the main cattle byre of Ludzidzini royal
residence to lend him support. But this is the king's show. He dances, and
his subjects follow. He touches the sacred black bull that the boys then
chase and beat with their fists until it is dead, its various parts to be
utilised during the month-long rite.
Doused with medicinal herbs and seawater collected by a water party led
by the Bemante priests of the Ndwandwe clan, the king speaks to the
ancestors at the beginning of the harvest each summer. He asks for good
rains, prosperity, and peace, while his subjects sing out to the ancestors
to endow their leader with long life.
"Where are the women in all this? They are present in the cattle byre,
but they have no priestly or administrative function. They do not go with
the warriors to collect the sacred herbs, although Swaziland's top
herbalists are and always have been women," said Nkhambule.
Swaziland is a very conservative society, proud of its traditions, and
grateful for a quirk of location and history that permitted this
single-tribe nation to retain its customs and beliefs undisturbed through
the era of European conquest of Africa and a subsequent century of
colonialisation. Women's total exclusion from high duties in traditional
religious structures is largely seen as a continuation of the past, rather
than discrimination.
"But that might change. Women are guaranteed equality in a new national
draft constitution. Equal opportunity is being enshrined in the highest law
of the land. It is just a matter of time before a woman with a religious
calling becomes a priest," said Monica Lushaba, an abuse counselor in the
industrial centre Matsapha.
The draft constitution recognizes Christianity as the state religion. But
most Swazis are respectful of their ancestors, and Christianity as practiced
in the country contains elements of traditional African beliefs and
practices. No pastors, priests or religious leaders in Swaziland are women.
The Swaziland Council of Churches counts no women members at all.
"Women are actively involved in church activities, but not in leadership
positions," said Reverend Jabulani Dlamini, who runs a rural church in
Mliba.
If, as Monica Lushaba predicts, women will one day wish to become
pastors, they will be confronting social as well as religious conventions.
"It is all about trust. A congregation will form a bond with a women, who
has probably achieved a religious degree and has served in a lesser
capacity, and they will support her as their pastor, even in the face of
disapproval from national religious elders," said Dlamini.
Enoch Simelane, a pastor in Mbabane, had a different view. "The Bible
strictly regulates the roles of the sexes. Our king has said this recently.
It is an affront to God to put women in roles of leadership."
Sarah Nkhambule responded, "For generations, Swazi women were suppressed
in the name of tradition. Now that the country has been Christainised, the
Bible is being used as 'proof' of God's intention to keep women subordinate
to men. But most people reject such thinking if it is in conflict with their
own beliefs."
Gogo Ndwandwe, a senior diviner-healer called a sangoma, said, "The
healer's job is to communicate with the ancestors. They guide us in curing
our patients. There are more women sangomas than men, and it is we who kneel
at the sacred spot in the hut, and talk to the ancestors of behalf of all
who are present. Why should it be different in an ordinary house?"
Once that bridge is crossed, Gogo Ndwandwe said, and women assume the
household head's place in petitioning the family's ancestors, it would
probably reflect women's wider equality achieved in elsewhere society. "It
is only a matter of time. But the ancestors, they listen to anyone who takes
the time to speak with them," she said. (ENDS/IPS/AF/SA/CR/JH/SM/03)
= 06300610 ORP001
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(END/2003)
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