wfn.org | African Women Seek to Break Taboos That Hinder Discussion on

["Frank Imhoff" <Frank.Imhoff@elca.org>]

African Women Seek to Break Taboos That Hinder Discussion on Sexual
Matters 
West African Lutheran Churches Host Seminar on Ethical Challenges
Affecting African Women 

ABUJA, Nigeria/GENEVA, 9 November 2004 (LWI) - "Unless we women break
the African taboos of talking about sex, we and our children will keep
dying, especially from HIV/AIDS." Rev. Marie J. Barnett, sub-regional
coordinator for the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Women in Church and
Society desk made these remarks during a theological seminar for the
Lutheran Communion in Western Africa (LUCWA) in Abuja, Nigeria, October
26-28.

Under the theme, "Ethical Challenges Affecting African Women," about 20
women theologians and other women leaders from Lutheran churches in
Cameroon, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo gathered to name,
analyze and strategize on the critical ethical issues that they face in
their churches, families and societies. "As women we generally have not
had a safe space to share and dialogue about these concerns," said
Barnett, a  pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone,
and member of the LWF Executive Committee as chairperson of the Program
Committee for World Service. 

In the course of the three-day meeting sponsored by the LWF Department
for Theology and Studies (DTS), the women frankly named the critical
issues, including many forms of violence against women, and how in
adultery, rape, and bearing children out of marriage it is the women who
are stigmatized and blamed. It is generally perceived that "the man is
always right, and the woman wrong," participants said. When a woman is
widowed, it was observed, not only do churches and society fail to care
for her needs, but in some of the churches, widows are actually required
to give up their church positions.

The women representatives from Lutheran churches in West Africa said
blatant gender inequality and discrimination in patriarchal societies
were some of the main reasons why these practices continue. These
concerns must be challenged, including by confronting male church
leaders, the women insisted. They stressed the need for assertive,
diplomatic efforts to convince churches that do not yet ordain women to
do so, and to enable more women pursue theological education. 

In their reflection on biblical texts in which Jesus challenged various
forms of stigma and crossed boundaries to relate to women, it became
clear that it is Jesus Christ who transforms and empowers African women
today to press for change in harmful cultural practices. Culture cannot
be the last word, the women asserted.

Rev. Dr Karen Bloomquist, LWF/DTS Director and Study Secretary for the
Church and Social Issues, helped in facilitating the discussions. Rev.
Dr Grace Umoren, University of Calabar, Nigeria, also made a
presentation.

The LUCWA sub-region comprises 12 Lutheran churches, nine of which are
LWF member churches. Membership in the body is drawn from churches in
Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Ghana,
Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone. 

The LUCWA gathering was followed by a larger seminar of the Lutheran
Church of Nigeria Women Fellowship, in which these same concerns were
strongly affirmed. (504 words)

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 138
member churches in 77 countries all over the world, with a membership of
nearly 65 million Lutherans. The LWF acts on behalf of its member
churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith
relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights,
communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work.
Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information service.
Unless specifically noted, material presented does not represent
positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where the
dateline of an article contains the notation (LWI), the material may be
freely reproduced with acknowledgment.]

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