Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on New Trends in Social Sciences
Year: 2023
DOI:
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‘Re-Thinking’ The Concept Of Lobola Practice In The Milieu Of Violence Towards Women In Male-Controlled Societies In Africa: The Case Of Two Films – Walking Away (2017) And My Voice (2017)
Prof. khatija khan
ABSTRACT:
Films, apart from creating their own realities, play an important role in reflecting what is happening in society. In patriarchal societies, filmic images portray what happens within the institution of marriage. The aim of this article is to demystify the link and ‘real’ intentions of lobola practice in male dominated societies. This article argues that almost everything that people are taught or told about society and the world they live in, is a matrix of lies and deception. Lobola continues to be a phenomenon with mixed opinions and viewpoints with regards to whether it is a cultural practice worth safeguarding or a source of women’s manipulation deserving to be deracinated, since it is used in sustaining patriarchal structures. Women in most patriarchal societies are dominated, controlled and exploited by men through a well-crafted, subtle or intelligent way or practice in the marriage institution. Although most domestic violence theories attribute violence against women to illness, genetics, alcohol or drugs, loss of control of feelings, anger, stress, behaviour of victim or problems in a relationship but what seems missing in the above list of ‘causes’ of domestic violence is the recognition that batterers, who happen mostly to be men, in patriarchal societies, gain or sometimes acquire their power to control, dominate and exploit their partners’ or women’s actions, thoughts and feelings through lobola or the payment of lobola – in the African terminology – or “bride price” in the modern terminology. This article, furthermore, argues that there is a strong relationship between lobola practice and gender based violence (GBV) in most patriarchal societies. The payment of lobola provides the means through which women’s rights are sullied by men. In other words, lobola or the practice itself is a subtle way that men use to abuse (control, dominate and exploit) women either mentally, physically or emotionally as will be illustrated below using two documentary films: Walking Away (Latest 2017 Nigerian Nollywood Drama Movie) which was produced by Divine Touch Productions Ltd and Ifemechukwu Ibeh as Associate Producer and My Voice (2017) – A short film against gender based violence which was produced in Cameroon by Draufsicht Bamenda and directed by Mr Menkemndi.
keywords: Patriarchy system, Lobola, Domination, Control, Exploitation, Gender Based Violence, Film