The bible and women in the African Apostolic Church of Johane Marange in Zimbabwe (original) (raw)

2021, Bible in Africa studies

African women are the backbone of the family; they are the ones who give birth, raise and care for the children when sick and in some cases, they are the sole providers. There is truth in the Shona saying; "Musha mukadzi," (home is wife!), for without her there is no future for the family. However, central as they are, women are usually relegated to the margins when it comes to decision making. It is here that the family now belongs to men. The justification for women's subjugated position is often sought in the Bible and within 'culture'. Women are thus, dispossessed of their worth by these two forces against the reality that they literally run the family. It is from this context that this chapter investigates the impact of the Bible and culture in the industry of impoverishment of women in the African Apostolic Church of Johane Marange (AACJM), not only in real economic terms, but also in decision making. I argue that their deprivation of voice in many spheres, including marriage, sex and in the general running of the family, contributes to poverty, and puts the girl child at great risk of HIV because she is usually deprived of formal education and, as per church tradition with 'biblical and cultural' blessings, is married off at an early age. Thus, I argue that unless we target the African woman for empowerment through suggesting a biblical reading of the Queen Mother motif, not as a source of evil, but of life, the future of Africa is in limbo.