Abstract
The Old Testament world clearly subjected the woman to the will and protection of her husband, but she was also celebrated for performing important roles as wife and mother. Although some of its texts may be considered oppressive in certain ways, the Bible also contains positive examples of liberation stories for women to emulate. The Bible contains stories which may be read to promote the rights of women to be what God wants them to be, a right which needs to be reclaimed. Informed by David Adamo's African biblical hermeneutical reading that encourages the appropriation of the Bible by African women and men by reconsidering ancient biblical traditions and African life experiences with the purpose of finding biblical role models, this essay reads the Bible from the point of view of the marginalised and oppressed in order to draw out a liberation message. In this article, I examine the characters of Esther and Vashti in the book of Esther as they navigate a patriarchal context in light of Mongo women's experiences. Though Esther and Vashti operated on a high-class level, both women can serve as role models to Mongo women. The strategies used by the two queens can also be combined to affirm Mongo women and help them to conceive new identities and roles.
Highlights
The Old Testament world clearly subjected the woman to the will and protection of her husband, but she was celebrated for performing important roles as wife and mother
Informed by David Adamo’s African biblical hermeneutical reading that encourages the appropriation of the Bible by African women and men by reconsidering ancient biblical traditions and African life experiences with the purpose of finding biblical role models, this essay reads the Bible from the point of view of the marginalised and oppressed in order to draw out a liberation message
Though Esther and Vashti operated on a high-class level, both women can serve as role models to Mongo women
Summary
The issue of women’s subordination is a global phenomenon which wears different faces and appears in different degrees in some parts of the world. “In Search of Biblical Role Models for Mongo Women: A Bosadi Reading of the Characters of Vashti and Esther,” Old Testament Essays 34 no. 1 The main content of this paper is extracted from Chapter Five of my thesis entitled: “In Search of Affirming Identities and Role Models: A Gender-Sensitive Rereading of the Vashti and Esther Characters in the Book of Esther among the Mongo of the Democratic Republic of the Congo” (DTh thesis, University of South Africa), 2015. 556 Kondemo, “Role Models for Mongo Women,” OTE 34/2 (2021): 554-572 positive It problematises and challenges oppressive traditional definitions and roles of women while affirming definitions, identities and roles which are positive. Bosadi, which is clearly an African biblical hermeneutical approach, will help to identify and consider parallels between the characters of Vashti and Esther and the Mongo women of the DRC today. The discussion will attempt to offer a fresh way of reading the text which in my view can empower women
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