An emancipatory African victimological assessment with specific reference to the Ovahimba tribe in Namibia

Abstract

In light of numerous momentous milestones that feminism has achieved around the world, by enabling women to pursue employment in various spheres such as medicine, politics and business, it has inadvertently placed women from indigenous societies in condescending positions. By not recognising this problematic error, Western and Eurocentric feminist theories subsumed all women under a universal umbrella. Being viewed as the ‘Other’ woman by Western/Eurocentric ideologies has positioned women from ‘developing’ countries in areas that have come to restrict their unique voices. This, more so for indigenous women as they have been perceived by some feminist scholars and activists to be in need of dire assistance. Moreover, this assistance is solely derived from Western policies that has neglected to acknowledge the uniqueness of African women’s problems. As a result of this neglect, indigenous African women have been victimised into believing that Western and Eurocentric development plans have been implemented to aid in the modernisation of their communities. The victimisation vulnerability of indigenous women in Africa is a subject that has garnered a limited amount of research. The plights of these women has been documented over the years, however, the implementation of policies, laws and intervention programmes has received criticism from African scholars, as well as some Western scholars. These criticisms stem from the possible effects that certain cultural practices may have on indigenous women. Notwithstanding, the influence of patriarchy on their lived experiences is a matter that some African scholars believe requires attention. Utilising an exploratory standpoint as the basis for this study’s aims, the possible victimisation vulnerability of indigenous women in their communities was explored, as well as the causes that may contribute to their victimisation. Furthermore, due to the need to understand the problems of indigenous women from an African perspective, this study sought to explore whether or not an emancipated African perspective could assist in explaining the meanings, and experiences attached to the roles of indigenous women in their communities. The use of a qualitative research model aided in the collection of the data necessary for this study. By employing a purposive sampling technique, 11 indigenous women from the Ovahimba tribe in Namibia participated in this study. The findings of the focus group discussions were analysed thematically and various themes, as well as their respective factors emerged from the data. These themes and factors were explored, and discussed on macro and micro levels. This distinction during analysis made it possible to limit the overlap between certain themes and factors, as some themes and factors were linked via particular aspects of discussion. The findings illustrated that this particular group of indigenous women are vulnerable to victimisation and that certain traditional practices associated with their culture such as marriage contributed to experiences of emotional distress. Furthermore, patriarchy and its influence on their lived experiences was found to be a contributing factor to their victimisation vulnerability as well. Finally, the findings related to how indigenous women felt about their roles as women in their communities, highlighted that they were content with their positions as wives and as mothers. In addition, the love for their culture surpassed their desires for a modern life. Thus, concluding that Western and Eurocentric theories cannot be universally applied to all women from different cultural, racial and economic backgrounds. The recommendations that were posed in this study emphasised a need to develop an African perspective that will decolonise and emancipate itself from Western, and Eurocentric ideologies, with the use of indigenous African women’s personal narratives as a cornerstone. Multi-disciplinary studies may also need to be conducted in order to address the dearth of research, as well as the library of literature for academic research purposes.