Africa Speaks Reasoning Forum

Senegal's Husband Worshippers ?

By Alpha Jallow in Casamance
BBC Africa Live!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3810001.stm

Cases of domestic violence against women are common in Senegal's southern region of Casamance.

Two women recently suffered pregnancy miscarriages after being severely beaten by their husbands.

Yet these incidents were never made public as it is rare for a woman in the Casamance to reveal publicly that her husband is abusing her.

One of the reasons is that most women believe that it is only their husbands who can bless them.

Demi-gods

In fact among the Manding-speaking people, men are so revered that they are sometimes treated as demi-gods.

Should a woman slightly wrong her husband, she will do everything possible to assuage her man's anger.

In the Joola- and Manding-speaking groups, the woman will slaughter a goat and prepare a delicious meal to appease her husband.

There is a long-standing traditional belief here that if a man is angry at his wife, it could prevent her from entering paradise in the next world.

Here, the man is considered not only the head of the family but also the bread-winner, therefore no-one dares to challenge his authority.

It is still widely held that a woman's role is to manage the house and raise children for her husband.

Rebellion

No wonder then that cases of violence against women in places like Casamance are unreported and not spoken of in public.

But the situation is different elsewhere in Senegal, particularly in urban areas, where there are women groups and gender activists who have declared war against this social vice.

 
For example, in the regions of Dakar, St Louis, Thies and Kaolack, women are more informed than those in the Casamance, which has suffered years of isolation and more than two decades of rebellion by MFDC separatists.

In fact some NGOs, such as Acasas, which is fighting all forms of violence against women, has its offices in Ziguinchor but due to insecurity in the area, it has not made any real impact in much of Casamance.

Given the current conditions here, only the government and concerted efforts by human rights organisations can effectively intervene to save the women of Casamance who continue to suffer in silence.