CHRISTIANITY AND MATRIMONIAL CONSEQUENCES ON WOMEN IN ZAMBIA: A CASE OF THE CHEWA PEOPLE OF KATETE DISTRICT
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Abstract
Christian marriage and family life has documented less on how Christianity has indirectly influenced the family set-up across ethnic groups in Zambia. Theologians, anthropologists, academicians and other contemporary scholars have not given this concern serious thought, as they have extensively written on the functional aspect of Christianity and less on the dysfunctional. Guided by
Bronislaw Malinowski’s (1922) latent and manifest theory, this study sought to establish the influence of Christianity on the matrilineal system of the indigenous Chewa people of Katete District in Eastern Zambia. The qualitative approach was used to collect and analyse information from participants who were purposively sampled. The findings showed that there were socio-economic changes in a woman whose brother became a Christian, such as the brother stopping to support his sister due to Christian teachings which emphasise that a man should care for his own family. Socially, there is a change in the relationship between the uncles, nieces and nephews since the uncle who becomes a Christian rarely interacts with his nieces and nephews as his obligation is switched to members of his own family. Economically, the woman’s husband suffers the burden of caring for his biological children who, traditionally, are supposed to be cared for by the uncles. The study concluded that Christianity has negatively affected the relationship that existed between uncles and their sisters’ children. Therefore, the study recommends that, although Christianity has been introduced among the Chewa, uncles should not forsake the responsibility of caring for their sisters’ children as this might lead to exposing the children to untold misery related to lack of parental/guardian care
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