East African Journal of Traditions, Culture and Religion

Islamic Perspectives on Age of Consent: An Analytical Study in the Contemporary World

2025-01-10T22:27:36+02:00

Setting and harmonizing the minimum age for sexual relations has become a public outcry led by international humanitarian organizations. Neither the classical religious laws nor the laws of ancient societies, as seen today in many Muslim and non-Muslim countries, had a harmonized age of consent. Although the idea dates back to the Industrial Revolution, its goal has traditionally been attributed to individual societies to protect children from sexual exploitation and deprivation of basic human rights. Recent research into child abuse and exploitation has shown that the number of child abuse cases is increasing rapidly. This consequence has led to United Nations humanitarian organizations calling for the age of consent to be harmonized to 18 years. However, this idea has not found global consensus. Different countries and states have different ages of consent, which are influenced by factors such as individual maturity, cultural differences, parental rights, legal clarity and social norms. This article conducts an in-depth documentary analysis to examine the age of consent from an Islamic perspective in today's society, based on the Islamic Maqasid Sharia. Literary works suggest that early marriage and the protection of girls from exploitation and fundamental rights are the main reasons for the global demand for harmonization of the age of consent. However, the paper notes that age of consent harmonization alone cannot adequately address child exploitation. Studies have shown that child abuse, including rape, occurs at the early stages of learning and voluntary sexual relationships between children often begin as early as primary school. Given these findings, the paper recommends that age of consent determination should be delegated to countries or states in consultation with their religious institutions. The aim is to ensure that setting the age of consent benefits and does not harm individuals, as traditional norms and cultural realities are best understood by local citizens and religious leaders. Furthermore, the paper emphasizes that moral values should be a primary concern in solving this problem, supported by faith-based teachings and behaviour education through schools and religious gatherings

The Confluence of Communal-Individual-Societal Attitudes Towards Catholic Priesthood in The Nandi Community in Nandi County, Kenya

2025-02-24T13:39:07+02:00

Celibacy in the Catholic Church was considered a matter of personal choice in the Apostolic Church but over time, priestly celibacy has gained legitimacy and mandates through canons, decretals, canon law and encyclicals. Priestly celibacy has generally gained societal and cultural acceptance among the European-centric and the American-centric cultures but save for an insignificant number of incontinent priests. The African Synod of 1994 held in Rome re-emphasized deepening sacerdotal celibacy among the ongoing priestly formation in the Catholic Church in Africa however, priestly celibacy is generating a debate and highlighting the challenges facing indigenous African priests. Despite the mandatory rule on priestly celibacy in the Catholic Church, and the dialectical cultural and philosophical thought on marriage by the indigenous African community, the Church still faces challenges in evangelizing the African communities because of the mandatory priestly celibacy. Due to the dearth of studies detailing the perspective and experiences of the African Catholic priest concerning ministerial Priesthood in the Catholic Church, the study seeks to unravel the convergence of communal, individual and societal attitudes towards ministerial priesthood from the eyes of the priests themselves. The study therefore critically assessed how the community and the society embraced Catholic priesthood and made it possible for the priest to be culturally and socially accepted by the Indigenous Nandi community in Nandi County, Kenya. The study took a qualitative exploratory cross-sectional design and purposively sampled 20 Catholic priests of different ages from the Catholic Diocese of Eldoret using interviews and a focus group discussion. The data were transcribed before being subjected to a content analysis tool (NVivo 8, QSR International). The findings indicated that the Indigenous Nandi community detested celibacy by all means and never consented to any long-term celibacy at any level. They still cannot accept one of their kindreds to become a celibate priest but would paradoxically celebrate an ordained Catholic Priest as one of their own. At an individual level, Catholic priests are respected and acclaimed but are still individually questioned on their choices on cultural, social and societal fronts. At the beckoning of the 21st century and as the number of converts increased, the Nandi community slowly began to accept a celibate priest but the cultural and social background of a Catholic faithful still shapes how they believe and practice their faith in that the community at large, still questions the celibacy choice made by their own. The gradual societal shift towards priestly celibacy at the community level has probably arisen because of the convergence of shared norms and values introduced into the community by the Catholic Church since its inception in the early 20th century. Thus, the study concludes that there still exist cultural and social rigidities among the Nandi Community concerning priestly celibacy in the Catholic Church. The study recommends that the celibacy requirement for the Catholic priesthood should be upheld based on the growing acceptance of priestly celibacy among the community

Spirituality, Healing and Indigenous Knowledge in Herbal Medicine: A Case of the Ndrukpa Ethnic Minority in Uganda

2025-03-08T14:35:16+02:00

This paper explores spirituality, healing and Indigenous knowledge in herbal medicine practices among the Ndrukpa ethnic minority community of the West Nile region in Uganda, and how they influence their thought processes and worldviews. The Critical theory and post-colonial theory are adopted to integrate indigeneity and hybridity. The field study was conducted from 2022 to 2025 to document the history of the Ndrukpa people whose history had remained undocumented and kept in memory. The qualitative approach and ethnohistorical design were used to explore the socio-cultural history of the people. The key emergent themes include: spirituality, healing, indigenous knowledge in herbal medicine, religious rituals and sacrifices, apprenticeship, belief system, belief in God the creator, gods, spirits and living dead and the living, magic, sorcery and divine retribution, and identity. Spirituality was a critical component of Ndrukpa society and was holistically viewed for its social, economic, political and cultural importance. The Ndrukpa believe in the relationship between spirituality and the natural environment, and the critical role artefacts play in spirituality. Ndrukpa ritual and its practitioners exhibited connections in relation to space, performance and perception. Ndrukpa believed in healing rituals and viewed healing holistically as physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual aspects of human experience. Treatment, healing, and spirituality were to restore health and well-being. Indigenous healing systems are linked to a permanent presence of ancestral forces without a time limit. The use of indigeneity and hybridity in spirituality, healing and indigenous knowledge in medicine is not to romanticize culture and spirituality but rather view them as a promotion of the notion ‘African solution to African problem’ and a strategy for the development of structured and informed by local knowledge, resources and identities

Analepse, Prolepse Et Pouvoir Narratif Dans Puissions-Nous Vivre Longtemps D’imbolo Mbue

2025-04-10T15:55:01+02:00

Dans le paysage littéraire contemporain, Imbolo Mbue se distingue par sa capacité à tisser des récits qui résonnent avec les luttes pour la justice et l’autodétermination. Puissions-nous vivre longtemps (2022) son deuxième roman, ne fait pas exception. Cette œuvre explore la résilience d’une communauté, Kosawa, face à l’oppression d’une multinationale pétrolière. Au cœur de cette lutte, la temporalité narrative devient un instrument de pouvoir. Thula, une jeune femme de Kosawa, utilise l’analepse et la prolepse pour reconstruire le passé, contester le présent et imaginer un avenir où sa communauté retrouve sa dignité. Cette étude entreprend une exploration de ces manipulations temporelles, les considérant comme une stratégie délibérée pour arracher l’autorité narrative aux griffes des pouvoirs exploiteurs. Le problème de recherche central réside dans la dissonance entre la temporalité imposée de l’hégémonie corporative et la compréhension indigène et cyclique du temps, un conflit qui se manifeste dans la lutte de la communauté pour articuler sa propre histoire et son avenir. Dès lors, comment les stratégies narratives anachroniques, en particulier l’analepse et la prolepse, déployées dans Puissions-nous vivre longtemps d’Imbolo Mbue, se manifestent-elles en tant qu’instruments de revendication d’une autorité narrative, tout en contestant les structures temporelles imposées par les forces exploratrices ? Les objectifs de cette recherche sont multiples. De façon respective, elle vise à examiner les instances et les fonctions spécifiques de l’analepse et de la prolepse dans l’architecture narrative du roman à l’étude, en élucidant leur rôle dans la construction d’un cadre temporel non linéaire ; à démontrer comment ces perturbations temporelles facilitent l’articulation d’une mémoire collective et la projection des conséquences futures, remettant ainsi en question les récits monolithiques du pouvoir de l’entreprise. La présente recherche emploie l’approche méthodologique fondée sur la narratologie, complétée par les études temporelles postcoloniales et l’analyse critique du discours. À travers un examen méticuleux des disjonctions temporelles du roman, cette étude montrera comment le roman de Mbue perturbe la chronologie normative pour révéler l’impact durable des traumatismes historiques et la prescience de la dévastation écologique. L’analyse prendra en compte deux axes principaux : « déconstruction de l’hégémonie temporelle » et « émergence de voix prophétiques »

Beyond Modern Science: Ryemo Gemo (Chasing Away Evil Spirits), Tradition and Faith during the COVID-19 Pandemic among the Acoli in Northern Uganda

2025-05-14T17:00:25+02:00

Background: This was a historical study of the Ryemo Gemo tradition among the Acoli people of Northern Uganda, and its implications in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It explored strategies indigenous people adopted for epidemic control and prevention anchored on their tradition and belief systems passed, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study adopted the qualitative approach and ethno-historical design. It explored community meanings, beliefs, values, practices and lived experiences of Ryemo Gemo during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The study was conducted in Gulu City, and the districts of Gulu, Omoro, Lamwo, Kitgum and Agago, where the ritual of Ryemo Gemo was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data was collected using Key Informant interviews, one-on-one interviews and six Focused Group Discussions. A sample size of 63 participants based on the data saturation point, and their knowledge and experience of Ryemo Gemo, was selected using the snowball and networking approach. They included: Cultural leaders, elderly persons, spiritual mediums, and health workers. Findings: Gemo was a calamity brought by bad spirits. The spirits acted as an early warning system, foreseeing and informing the people through spirit mediums of a looming calamity. Whereas Gemo was a calamity sent by bad spirits, others argued that COVID-19 was not a Gemo as it was man-made. Ryemo Gemo fostered a sense of identity, unity, and shared values, principles and practices. It promoted cultural continuity and connection between the living and the dead. Conclusion: Ryemo Gemo reflects the Acoli spirituality, beliefs and collective approach to managing calamities, reinforcing community bonds and cultural continuity

Yakani Spirit in the Making of Spirituality and Social Order among the Lugbara of Uganda

2025-06-02T13:22:59+02:00

This was a historical study of the Yakani spirit among the Lugbara people of West Nile in Northwestern Uganda. The Yakani Spirit and cult continues to take a central position in the history and identity of the Lugbara of Uganda. Despite modernisation and Christianity, Yakani continues to thrive among the Lugbara people. The Yakani spirit played, and continues to play a critical role in the making of the Lugbara social order through the colonial period to the present. The objectives of the study included to: a) Trace the origin of Yakani spirit among the Lugbara; b) Explore the Lugbara perception on the concept of Yakani Spirit among the Lugbara people of North-Western Uganda, c) investigate the Yakani cult practice among the Lugbara and d) examine the extent to which Yakani spirit practice constituted a revolution during the colonial period. The key finding indicated that Yakani was a tool for fighting colonial rule, a transitional justice mechanism, and a means of healing the land. Yakani spirit and cult constituted a revolution and provided a cultural worldview of the Lugbara cosmological understanding of good and evil and the interconnectedness between the spiritual and physical worlds.

Investigating how Art Showcases Cultural Identity in South Western Uganda: A Case Study of Mbarara City

2025-06-30T22:27:32+02:00

Introduction: Art has always been a powerful tool for expressing cultural identity across the world. From the cave paintings of ancient Europe to the contemporary visual and performance art of the 21st century, art serves as a universal language for expressing shared values, beliefs, and experiences. The study explored the role of art in expressing cultural identity in Mbarara City. Methods: This study adopted a cross-sectional research design with quantitative approaches. Data was collected from local artists, cultural institutions and community members. The total sample size was 70 respondents. A stratified random sampling method was used to select the sample, and questionnaires were used in data collection. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the survey data. Results: It was established that visual arts such as paintings and carvings depict the traditions of the Ankole people and that music and dance are taught to younger generations as part of cultural education. Respondents also noted that folk dances are frequently used during cultural events and festivals. On the role of Art in preservation of culture, it was found out that Art brings people together and promotes unity within communities and that Artists in Mbarara city play a key role in preserving local traditions. Conclusions: The findings show a strong focus on passing cultural traditions (music and dance) to the younger generation, which indicates a positive outlook for the preservation of these aspects of the culture, even though some other traditions (like storytelling and crafts) may be in decline. While there is strong agreement on the importance of music, dance, and visual arts in cultural representation, some traditional elements are less influential in the modern cultural landscape of Mbarara

Childlessness among Agìkūyū Women in Rūaka, Kìambu County: Evolving Norms from Tradition to Contemporary Realities

2025-07-08T20:04:12+02:00

Among the Agìkūyū of Kenya, motherhood is a deeply ingrained cultural expectation, with childlessness—whether involuntary due to infertility or voluntary by choice—often leading to stigma, social exclusion, and even domestic violence or marital breakdown. Traditionally, a woman’s value has been closely tied to her ability to bear children, a belief further reinforced by the practice of rūraacio (bride wealth), which presumes fertility as part of the marital contract. The failure to conceive is frequently viewed as a violation of this expectation, exposing women to emotional and social vulnerability. However, contemporary influences such as formal education, urban living, Christianity, medical advancements, and shifting gender norms are beginning to reshape these rigid perceptions. Increasingly, childlessness is understood in more complex and diverse ways, including voluntary childlessness, delayed childbearing, and infertility caused by medical or socio-economic factors. These changes are gradually opening space for a broader recognition of reproductive autonomy and multiple expressions of womanhood. Using Cultural Adaptation Theory advanced by Berry (2005), this study examines how women in Rūaka, Kìambu County, navigate the tension between traditional and modern expectations. The theory emphasises how individuals and communities adapt to cultural shifts by negotiating evolving identities, behaviours, and values. This study uses a qualitative, descriptive approach to explore the experiences of childless Agìkūyū women in Rūaka, Kìambu County, focusing on three support groups. Data were gathered through participant observation, informal interviews, and document analysis, with attention to cultural, religious, and modern views on childlessness. Thirty women from diverse socio-economic backgrounds participated, selected through snowball sampling. Thematic analysis using NVivo software revealed key patterns, and ethical standards, including informed consent and confidentiality, were strictly followed. The study revealed that while cultural norms remain powerful, many women are actively redefining their roles beyond motherhood. The article proposes recommendations for addressing the issues faced by childless women, emphasising the need for legal reforms, the enhancement of public health education, improved access to reproductive healthcare, and a reimagining of cultural and religious narratives that often tie womanhood solely to motherhood. The study calls for a more compassionate and inclusive societal framework that acknowledges the diverse reproductive experiences of women and promotes gender equity.

Addressing and Deconstructing False Theology in Tanzania; Causes, Reasons and Effects

2025-07-21T11:38:42+02:00

The Lake zone area of Tanzania and the western zone area in the country face acute prevalence of subtle religious sects that lure the society into advent social and economic vulnerability and instability. The study sought to identify the factors that compel many Christians and people around them, accept and practice theological contents that are misleading. Misleading theology as defined in this study is a term of the 21st century that tries to explain the nexus between spirituality and physical manifestations done by some religious leaders using manipulative scripture to exhibit instant solutions to the problems of the believer in areas of “health and healing”, wealth and prosperity, power and authority, blessing and curses. While vulnerability remains at its largest after such manifestations; the survey sought to find out ways of restoration against the current theological misinterpretation surge, the scriptural confusion in the area, and how the Theological institutions address the problem of abuse of scripture. The observed effects of these practices include society’s advent vulnerability, lack of peace, social disintegration and deaths. The survey used questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions and document review of seven Lutheran dioceses to obtain data from both Christians and non-Christian respondents. The surveyed area was a deliberate intent owing to the outstanding surge of such practices in the country. The findings revealed factors such as psychological, emotional, economical, faith and religiosity issues as responsible for the acceptance and practice of misleading theologies. The study recommends a common code of ethics for all religious organizations for control of faith practices; Religions impose internal controls for mitigating abuse of theology profession while the Government should impose strict control for registration of Faith based activities and monitor religious education provision in schools and colleges

A Critical Comparison of African and Western Catholic Models of Moral Upbringing

2025-07-30T13:22:38+02:00

This article surveys the modes of ethical upbringing in African and Western Catholic education in an effort to appreciate the fact that moral living is not universal, but contextual, given the different contexts in Africa and elsewhere in the world. The data collection tool employed is document analysis. It engages four Catholic moral theologians, three of whom are Africans, namely, John Samuel Mbiti of Kenya, Laurent Magesa of Tanzania and Benezet Bujo of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The fourth moral theologian, Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), is an epitome of Western Catholic moral reflections.

African refers to what is related to the continent of Africa in terms of various cultures, traditions, customs, descent, ethnicity, nationality, languages, literature, art, music, spirituality, and history (Mbiti, 1969).

Western Catholic refers to the Roman Catholic Church, whose supreme head is the Pope, as opposed to the Eastern Catholic Churches (O’Collins and Farrugia, 2020, p. 2). Froebel (1886) defines education as an activity, “that raises man to a free, conscious living in accordance to the divine. It guides man to clearness about himself and in himself to peace with nature and to union with God” (p. 3)

Analysis of the Current Challenges to the Stability of Christian Marriages despite the Presence of the Church Doctrines, in SDA Church Keroka Station, Kenya

2025-08-05T19:49:06+02:00

Today, there are ongoing challenges to the stability of Christian marriages and values that affect tenets like fidelity, oneness, sexual intimacy, and permanence, despite church teachings on marriage as a "mystery" and the ideal embodiment of all the Christian life: that seeking out of the "Mind of Christ" (phronema Christou) that seeks a kenosis in order to gain the love and communion of the beloved. The purpose of the study is to analyse the current challenges to the stability of Christian marriages despite the presence of the church doctrines in the SDA church. The study was conducted at Keroka Station of Nyamira West Field of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. The study employed a community-based qualitative research method, adopting a descriptive research design. The data collection tools used were questionnaires and an interview schedule for group focus. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 23) to describe the findings of the study. The findings were reported through tables and verbatim. Several respondents noted that modern challenges such as infidelity, financial instability, secular influence, inadequate communication, and lack of commitment to church teachings as ongoing threats to Christian marriages. The study recommends that SDA focus on enhancing doctrinal application, addressing contemporary marital challenges, reinforcing Christian values, and strengthening church-based support systems. This indicates a need for more holistic and contextually relevant interventions. Perceptions of Christian marriage remain largely positive among members, who see it as a holy and essential institution. However, the impact of societal influence, generational gaps, and personal struggles complicates adherence to these values

Mechanisms for Intra-Ecclesial Conflict Transformation for Christian Unity in South East Kenya Field of Seventh-Day Adventists

2025-08-07T19:11:01+02:00

The Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) church in South East Kenya Field (SEKEF) consistently witnesses internal conflicts that affect the unity and integrity of its membership. This study investigated church-based mechanisms for internal conflict transformation for Christian unity in the SEKEF of Seventh-day Adventists. It argues that internal church conflicts, no matter how painful they are, have positive effects on the life of its members. However, this depends on the mechanisms used to address them. The study was informed by a transformative mediation theory proposed by Robert Baruch Bush and Joseph Folger in 1964 that focuses not just on solving existing problems but transforming the relationships and interactions that cause the conflict; it empowers congregants and leaders to regard conflicts as an opportunity for growth. A phenomenological approach, which looks at the lived experiences of individuals was used. The target population was 280, with a sample size of 162 participants determined by the Krejcie and Morgan (1970) tabulation formula. Censuses, purposive, and simple random sampling techniques were used to select participants who received questionnaires and participated in semi-structured interviews and focused group discussions for the collection of data. Thematic, content, and narrative analysis techniques guided data analysis. The study found out mediation and negotiation, structured dialogues and listening sessions, pastoral care and counselling, training and capacity building, engagement in theological reflection and doctrinal clarification, and leadership development and structural reforms as important church-based mechanisms for internal conflict transformation for the unity of the SDA church SEKEF. It is recommended that the church not use court litigation processes that are not desired by the Christian faith.

Exploration of the Indigenous Knowledge and Skills Transmitted Through the Amayebe Musical Tradition among Busoga Communities

2025-08-13T20:24:17+02:00

Indigenous Knowledge (IK) is essential in every society; unfortunately, it has been globally marginalised, partly due to colonialism. Many aspects of African IK have either been lost or are on the verge of extinction due to limited documentation, yet the school system continues to sideline it, exhibiting Eurocentrism. Using a qualitative approach, this ethnographic study explored the IK embedded in the Amayebe musical tradition of the Basoga in Southeastern Uganda with the aim of critiquing and integrating its aspects into the Primary Musical Arts Teacher Education (PMTE) as an approach to decolonisation. Guided by Decolonial theory, data were collected using participant observation, interviews, and focus group discussions from five Amayebe master musicians and twenty-nine apprentices, followed by inductive thematic analysis. Results indicated that the IK transmitted through the Amayebe musical tradition transcends its performance to general knowledge for one’s meaningful living in society. It involves learning to perform the different dance roles (okusansaga, okutabula, and okukina), singing and composing, choreographing, making Amayebe instruments, as well as generic aspects like okwefumintiriza (self-reflection), which enable them to develop other skills like okwezuula (self-discovery), obumalirivu (self-determination), and okweikiririzaamu (agency). These skills are very relevant in the socio-cultural and socio-economic development. The study recommended collaboration between educators and culture bearers to research, document, and archive IK embedded in the various Indigenous traditions and later keep it alive by practising and critiquing it before integrating some of its aspects into school-based education systems like PMTE. This might eventually contribute to decentring European epistemes and centring Indigenous knowledge systems as advocated by the decolonial theory

Preserving the Collective Memory of the Swahili Culture: An Ethnographic Study of Lamu Island

2025-08-14T20:06:08+02:00

The paper is part of the Master of Arts (Fine Art project) titled “Depiction of Cultural Aspects of the Swahili of Lamu Island using a Combination of Natural Plant Pigments as Painting Media” from Kenyatta University. It argues that the collective memory of any culture plays a significant role in historic preservation, restoration, conservation, restitution, and documentation. The Swahili have unique cultural elements, including marriage, music, architecture, woodcrafts, textiles, boat construction, body decoration, dance, and poetry. Many scholars have attributed the decline of the Swahili culture to assimilation, extensive migration, and the removal of artefacts from their sites within Lamu Island. The paper establishes a collective memory of the Swahili culture of Lamu Island. The researchers conducted fieldwork by assessing Swahili culture from archived information at the Lamu Fort Museum. The researchers also utilised a non-probability purposive sampling technique by issuing questionnaires to key informants, including Lamu curators, residents, and Swahili experts. The data was analysed quantitatively into thematic areas of the Swahili culture and interpreted by reflexivity. The paper has concluded by appreciating the collective memory of Swahili culture and noting the need for documentation in various initiatives