This article offers personal reflections and scholarly observations that identify the significance of maternal and paternal aunties in bogadi and ulwaluko traditional ceremonies. Bogadi is a Tswana marital and thanksgiving ceremony between two families. It is a rite of passage for the newlyweds as they are inducted into marriage. Ulwaluko is an initiation of Xhosa boys into manhood. Through an African Feminist lens and an analytic autoethnographic methodology, the authors narrate personal experiences of their aunties roles in closed ceremonial interactions (...) that highlighted the key role African women play in cultural rituals. Findings show that aunties are revered in African ceremonies. In both bogadi and ulwaluko ceremonies, it was evident that we revere aunties as intellectual and moral gatekeepers during these special cultural events. Contribution: The article adds to the growing literature that seeks to write about African women positively through an empowering lens that shows their agency in cultural settings. (shrink)

Through the use of a netnography research design, this research sets out to explore plausible strategies that can be adopted for adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) for the management of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The research posits that the successful management of HIV and AIDS is hindered by hegemonic masculinities, which accord power to men and subordinate women. Additionally, a number of societal beliefs linked with sociocultural masculine attitudes become repressive to men in terms of (...) their health-seeking behaviour. This results in their disinclination towards disclosure of their HIV status and access to medicinal usage, which consequently affects the health and well-being of their female counterparts. This research acknowledges the importance of ART in managing HIV and AIDS. For HIV-positive persons, ART reduces the viral load and prolongs the timeframe between a diagnosis of the HIV and the AIDS. It prolongs the survival chances of the infected person. In order to promote adherence to ART and to minimise the risk of HIV infection for women, the research advocates for the promotion of prevention altruism as a mechanism for deconstructing hegemonic masculinities to enable the effective management of HIV and AIDS. Contribution: This research recognises the negative interface between hegemonic masculinities and adherence to ART. Hence, the research suggests the practice of prevention altruism for promoting adherence to ART as well as the effective management of HIV and AIDS in a bid to prolong longevity and to promote Sustainable Development Goal 3. (shrink)

The objective of this article is the critical assessment of contractarianism as an alternative approach to the justification of punishment. In doing this, the article focused on the logic, life, language and limit of contractarianism. The article discovered that even though the theory of contractarianism, when viewed from the perspectives of its life, logic, language and limit, is not a completely convincing alternative to traditional theories on the justification of punishment, however, it expresses emphasis on the unambiguous utility of the (...) social contract idea in the justification of punishment. Also, the article discovered that contractarianism, in its theoretical justification of punishment, hinges on contractarian ideals such as human rationality, consent, voluntary commitment, agreement, enjoyments of benefits and the desire to see to the sustenance of society, as a morally acceptable and praiseworthy basis for the justification. Contribution: The article concluded that an essential part to the merit of this theory of punishment is its positive allusion to and plausible accommodation and acknowledgement of the philosophy of preservationism. (shrink)

The COVID-19 period caused a lot of suffering globally, as millions lost their lives while others went through the pain of being infected. The introduction of vaccines to minimise chances of infection and death was a welcome development. However, it was also fraught with its own challenges in the area of sexual health and rights of both women and men. Scholarship on gender and religion noted the way women failed to access contraception in a period in which sexual activity had (...) increased as most couples were together for long periods of time. The introduction of vaccines was accompanied by a lot of misinformation. Lack of clarity on the effect of the vaccines on pregnant and lactating mothers caused a lot of anxiety. This was exacerbated by the information that was being circulated on social media platforms that the vaccines would interfere with individuals’ reproductive capacity. Yet African religio-cultural beliefs and practices place so much importance on both women and men’s ability to have children. In fact, one’s respectability in African indigenous societies is greatly linked to their ability to have children. This article seeks to examine the fears of some Zimbabweans to accept COVID-19 vaccines, establishing how these fears were tied to issues of sexual reproductive health and rights. The article focuses on showing how the terrain of sexual health and rights is a sensitive one which called for caution in a COVID-19 context in Zimbabwe. Data for the article were gathered through informal interviews and social media platforms. Contribution: The article makes a significant contribution to the way COVID-19 interfaced with issues to do with SRHR in Zimbabwe. (shrink)

COVID-19 is a global pandemic that has unmasked the underlying and once-ignored challenges in public health, especially in Africa. The pandemic has adversely disrupted people’s lives where systemic and structural inequalities have taken root owing to the interaction among religious, political, economic, socio-cultural, environmental and other influential factors, resulting in adverse outcomes. These interactions affected not only the psychological, physical, emotional and social wellbeing of all humanity but also their ethical way of thinking. Adherence to the local government ministry of (...) health’s stringent measures, such as voluntary self-quarantine or forced quarantine, may be unattainable. This raises several ethical issues that are not new but which become intensified in pressing situations. Ethically, legitimate public health measures and conservative environmental efforts are easier to voluntarily comply with than being enforced. In this article, a phenomenological methodology was employed to not only debunk the ethical difficulties in adhering to the pandemic’s preventive protocols, but also to reason on the entwinement between the public health and environmental concerns. The article foregrounded that the COVID-19 pandemic is both a healthcare crisis and an environmental ethics challenge. In focussing on how systemic and structural inequalities influence social life, the article argued that public health ethics informs environmental conservation towards a more holistic approach to health and wealth that flows from environmental health ethics. Contribution: The article advanced ongoing discussions on environmental health ethics. Environmental health ethics is a transdisciplinary and integrated approach that upholds sustainable balance and optimisation of the health of people, animals and ecosystems. A sensitisation and realisation of our inter-webbed relatedness to all, is a major step towards sustainable health and wealth. (shrink)

The study explores the maternal health delivery system of Johane Masowe Chishanu of Chitekete (JMCC), Gokwe in Zimbabwe. The Church is growing tremendously and has become popular, owing to its approach to maternal health. The study aimed to find out how the JMCC’s approach to maternal health relates to the biomedical delivery system. We wanted to find out how the JMCC handles this delicate balance in their search for maternal health services with a view to tapping from their experiences in (...) recommending integration between the two systems. The study is both empirical and theoretical. It employs qualitative phenomenological exploration and, makes use of the existing literature on the JMCC’s approach to maternal health issues. The theory of changing beliefs and enduring faith underpinned the study. Past researches on African Independent Churches (AICs) in general tend to focus on how their beliefs and practices influence negative health-seeking behaviours. They have often concluded that AICs are through and through part of the problem in health matters and not part of the solution. The study explores the extent to which the JMCC is positively reinterpreting its beliefs and practices in order to handle the sensitive maternal health issues in the context of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Contribution: Researches have been conducted on maternal health systems and the pandemic of HIV and AIDS in apostolic sects in Zimbabwe in general, and the main focus has been on the Johanne Marange Apostolic Church. Little has been written on the Johane Masowe Chishanu’s (JMC) maternal delivery system, especially about the JMCC, Gokwe. (shrink)

This article focuses on breast cancer as the second most prevalent cancer in Zimbabwe. However, despite several local studies on breast cancer and its risk factors, the incidence rate of the disease in the country is increasing. This article sought to establish the level of awareness of the risk factors of breast cancer among female students. The study was carried out at Great Zimbabwe University, an institution of higher learning in Masvingo province, Zimbabwe. A mixed methods approach was employed involving (...) a focus group discussion comprising eight key informants and online individual questionnaires with open and closed questions used to capture attitudes of female students towards breast cancer. Risk factors were categorised into age, family history, reproductive factors, oestrogen, and lifestyle. There were also some cultural beliefs like bewitchment and myths about black brassieres causing breast cancer. Thus, there is need for educative campaigns to disseminate breast cancer information, especially promoting regular screening and awareness of predisposing factors. Additionally, more regular and in-depth studies on breast cancer in Zimbabwe are imperative as our results show a higher prevalence rate than current official statistics. The research provides relevant information for pastoral caretakers handling trauma in the discipline of practical theology. Contribution: This article represents an intersection between practical theology and basic health care. Insights resulted from this study provide a baseline upon which to develop ways to reduce prevalence of breast cancer. The research can also be utilised by specialists in pastoral care and women theologies. (shrink)

This article unravels the destructive practice of bribery, which is ingrained in South African culture. Through the scenarios in the public transport industry and literature review, the article reveals that indeed bribery is a reality to reckon with. It is observed in all tiers of society such as politics, businesses and religious circles. Bribery explained as a ‘brown envelope syndrome’ is rife in the South African socio-political landscape. The objective of this article is to enlighten the readers that bribery from (...) socio-theological perspectives is ethically unacceptable. It promotes corrupt political accountability, economic inequality, social disrespect and religious hypocrisy. The article starts with personal scenarios and then delves into the definition of bribery as payment in a form of money, favours or gifts, to influence a decision, to receive favours in turn, facilitate fast delivery of goods, gain an unfair advantage, avoid legal prosecution or to supply substandard products or services. The second part of the artilce discusses how bribery clashes with Christian ethics as pointed by Jesus in Mark 7:21–22, as bribery lies buried in human hearts and manifests itself in different sins. There is a clear biblical condemnation of bribery as detestable, and that by all means possible, it should be proscribed. Bribery in political circles is known as ‘brown envelope’, which means the currency exchanges between the corrupt and the corrupted. Solutions suggested is that citizens in their national democracies should break out of the shell and become vocal against bribery. The church should emerge behind the trees and come up with prophetic discernment, wisdom and be vocal against bribery. Personally, those exposed to bribery situations must maintain wisdom and learn how to refuse offers without endangering themselves. This research unravels bribery and its devastating effects of promoting corrupt political accountability, economic inequality, social disrespect and religious hypocrisy. Contribution: This article calls for communities and churches to be vocal against bribery and encourages personal accountability when confronted with bribery offers. (shrink)