Nthabeleng Moletsane

This chapter discusses widow inheritance amongst the Shona people of Zimbabwe from a decolonial feminist lens. Decolonial feminism, as a paradigm, “criticizes, questions, and brings to light female issues with a broader, more inclusive field of action, which is not limited to discussions, for example, of neoliberal feminists, whose struggle is focused on (privileged) White women”. The experiences of Caucasian women are arguably different from those of say, the traditional Black African woman. Anglo-American feminisms are thus insufficient or limited as the vantage points to understand issues such as the systematic violence and exploitation of Black African women. In line with this, the chapter adopts an African hermeneutical approach in attempting to understand the traditional African practice of widow inheritance. The African hermeneutical approach is important because it recommends an interpretation that takes unique lived experiences, worldviews, history and culture of the African into consideration.

As one of the member states of the United Nations, the DR Congo has made a commitment to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 yet, progress remains inconsistent and minimal. Scholarship attributes this sporadic advancement to factors such as climate change, financial shortfalls, and the COVID-19 pandemic. While these external constraints have undoubtedly undermined progress, privileging them as primary deterrents to attaining the SDGs inadvertently misdiagnose the fundamental problem: lack of ethical governance. This paper argues that the underlying cause of the sluggish developmental progress is neither resource scarcity nor environmental shocks, but ineffective governance coupled with corruption. Instead of treating governance as an auxiliary variable, this paper positions ethical governance as a decisive precondition for sustainable development. The study therefore, submits that cultivating ethical governance is an indispensable pathway for facilitating and fast-tracking the DR Congo’s progress towards achieving the SDGs.

The notion of homosexuality in Sub-Saharan African countries has been demonized and rejected based on the assumption that it is both unnatural and alien to African customs and practices. As a result, LGBTQ individuals continue to face stigmatization and discrimination which often translates into verbal, physical and sexual violence. Nevertheless, gender progressive movements such as the Matrix Support Group, have made progress in demystifying misconceptions about LGBTQ community as an attempt to end homophobic attitudes and to negotiate the acceptance of these sexual minorities in African societies. Despite such efforts and developments, heterosexual individuals in Lesotho continue to treat sexual minorities with hostility due to their ignorance about sex, sexuality and gender, thus fuelling hatred towards members of the LGBTQ community. Research has mainly focused on the negative effects of discrimination and stigmatization of homosexuals but overlooked the fundamental cause of homophobia in Lesotho. By employing the content analysis method, this paper provides a systematic analysis of Lesotho’s patriarchal system and its bearing on sexual minorities by exploring the intersectionality of homosexuality, patriarchy, and homophobia. It argues that the constant use of derogatory terms which instigate hate-crimes and discrimination of sexual minorities not only hinders a positive change of attitude but prevents a shift from misguided conceptions about homosexuality. This paper concludes that the revision of power relations and legal interventions aimed at prohibiting stigmatization and violence against homosexuals are imperative in ensuring the protection and recognition of LGBTQ people’s rights in Lesotho.