A Case of African Apostolic Indigenous Churches of Tangwena Area in Nyanga, Zimbabwe
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WOMEN’S EDUCATION AND SEXUAL REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS: A CASE OF AFRICAN APOSTOLIC INDIGENOUS CHURCHES OF TANGWENA AREA IN NYANGA, ZIMBABWE By LINDAH TSARA 216062204 Submitted in fulfilment of the academic requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Religion and Theology, Classics and Philosophy University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg, South Africa October 2019 Supervisor Professor Lilian Cheelo Siwila i Declaration I, Lindah Tsara, PhD candidate, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Faculty of Humanities, Religion and Social sciences, School of Religion and Theology, hereby declare that unless specifically indicated to the contrary in the text, this thesis is my own original work and shall only be submitted for the purposes of the above mentioned degree. Signature of Student: ……………………… Lindah Tsara As the supervisor, I hereby approve this thesis for submission Signature of Supervisor: ………………………………… Pietermaritzburg October 2019 ii Dedication In loving memory of my beloved father, the late Patrick Tsara, who always encouraged me and had enthusiasm to see his children succeed in education, which motivated me to pursue a PhD degree however, he died before I started the programme. My dear father, I have fought the good fight, I have won the race and fulfilled your wish of succeeding in education. I really wish you were there to witness my last graduation with a smile on your face as usual. May your dear soul rest in eternal peace and until we meet again, Amen. iii Acknowledgements My sincere gratitude first goes to my supervisor, Prof Lilian Cheelo Siwila who worked tirelessly and sparingly towards the accomplishment of this thesis. I would not have made it without your professional guidance, encouragement, patience and friendship. I have only managed to finish my thesis within the minimum required time because you always read my chapters (always too long) within the shortest time possible. Thank you too, for enabling me to attend conferences and to present papers in which you sometimes sponsored me using your own resources. Doctor Vengei, Prof Machingura and Prof Taringa, I owe you much for encouraging me to join the PhD Programme and Prof Ezra Chitando for sparing your time in proof reading my thesis. My sincere gratitude goes to my husband Lovemore, Tinashe Timburwa and my daughter, Mukudzei, Nicole for allowing me to study at the expense of your precious time with me, my sisters who played a parental role to my child in my absence, my mother for sparing support for me with the finances despite your old age. Special thanks, especially to Rev Masvotore, Rev Mujinga, Rev Chigova and Terry Mupangwa, Lydia and Elizabeth Nkoma for providing me with courage and encouragement whenever I felt like quitting the programme. I acknowledge the overwhelming encouragement, love and prayers that I received from members of my family. I thank everyone else who contributed to the success of my PhD programme in one way or another including all those who held me in prayer and sometimes fasting. The list is inexhaustible. May God fulfil your every need according to God’s glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19). God bless you all. Finally, God has amazed me throughout my period of study by changing impossibilities into possibilities. It has been a long journey of faith, hard work and prayers but the Lord who started the good work has been faithful enough to bring it to completion. In the fullness of time God if faithful. GLORY TO GOD! iv Acronyms AAC African Apostolic Church AAICs African Apostolic Indigenous Churches ACCZ African Christian Council of Zimbabwe AIC’s African Indigenous Churches AME African Methodist Episcopal BAFC Bonagesi Apostolic Faith Church HIV and AIDS Human Immune Virus/ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ICRW International Centre for Research on Women’s Studies JMAC Johane Marange Apostolic Church SDG’s Sustainable Development Goals TSAC Topia Sungano Apostolic Church UNESCO United Nations, Science, Culture and Education Organisation WILSA Women and Law Southern Africa v Abstract This study uses a post-colonial feminist theory and African cultural feminist hermeneutics to investigate whether the teachings of the African Apostolic Indigenous Churches of Tangwena area have any influence on the girl child’s limited education and her sexual and reproductive health rights. This study was a qualitative empirical research where data was generated from both fieldwork and secondary sources. The study found out that the teachings of AAICs covered in this study though not stated precisely on the ground, have a role to play in the limited education and poor sexual and reproductive health rights of most of the girls who drop out from school and get married young in Tangwena area. Tendencies such as the teaching of a girl child to preserve her virginity before she gets married and how to be a good mother as taught in these churches prepared the girl child only to be destined for marriage. This made some of the girls powerless and end up lacking power over their sexual and reproductive rights. This study also found out that although AAICs teachings have a role to play in most of the girls’ limited education; there were other factors that have nothing to do with the church teachings that were also responsible for the girl child’s limited education in Tangwena area. These factors include lack of exposure to social and economic activities, failing of the major grade Seven and form Four National Examination which screens who is proceeding with education and who is left behind, and parental influence. This study concludes that it only requires social commitment of all the stakeholders of AAICs indicated in the study to uplift the girl child’s education in their teachings as a form of empowerment, and the only way that will delay girls from getting married so young and desist from getting married to people who are older to them, who will force them to be voiceless in the marriage as far as reproductive health rights are concerned. vi Contents WOMEN’S EDUCATION AND SEXUAL REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS: A CASE OF AFRICAN APOSTOLIC INDIGENOUS CHURCHES OF TANGWENA AREA IN NYANGA, ZIMBABWE .................................................... i Declaration................................................................................................................................................... ii Dedication .................................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... iv Acronyms ..................................................................................................................................................... v Abstract ....................................................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................................................... 1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Background to the study ................................................................................................................. 2 1.3 The Geographic site of the study .................................................................................................... 3 1.3.1 Academic location of the study ................................................................................................... 4 1.4 AAICs Representative Board ........................................................................................................... 4 1.5 Brief summary of western formal education and the girl child ...................................................... 6 1.6 African Apostolic Indigenous Churches understanding of the Bible............................................... 7 1.7 The Impetus for undertaking the study .......................................................................................... 8 1.9 The key research question ............................................................................................................ 10 1.10 Study Objectives.......................................................................................................................... 11 1.11 The study limitation .................................................................................................................... 11 1.12 Importance of the study ............................................................................................................. 13 1.13 Outline of chapters and conclusion ............................................................................................ 13 CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................................................................ 16 HISTORY AND EMERGENCE OF AFRICAN APOSTOLIC INDIGENOUS CHURCHES (AAICs) ........................ 16 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 16 2.2 The origin and