Rituals and Embodied Cultural Practices at the Beginning of Life: African Perspectives

Magdalena Ohaja,Chinemerem Anyim

doi:10.3390/rel12111024

Magdalena Ohaja, Chinemerem Anyim

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12111024

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Abstract

Cultural beliefs and practices find expression through rituals. Rites of initiation or passage are some of the most common rituals among the indigenous African societies. Pregnancy and Childbirth are not only biological events, but also socially and culturally constructed with associated symbols that represent the social identities and cultural values of Africans. Birth is a rite of passage, and children are perceived as special gifts from the Supreme Being. As such, pregnancy and childbirth are special events cherished and celebrated through varied rituals. Drawing on empirical literature and relevant commentaries, this paper aims to discuss selected rituals and embodied practices surrounding the start of life (pregnancy, birth, and early motherhood). The paper will specifically focus on the following aspects: pregnancy rituals; birth songs and dancing; the omugwo (care after birth); the cord and placenta rituals; and the naming ceremony. Some of the pregnancy rituals are purificatory in nature and therefore beneficial for maternal and infant health. The celebrations surrounding the birth of a child are community events, marked with singing and dancing. Following childbirth, the new mothers are not expected to participate in house chores to allow them time to recuperate. In all, discourses concerning the beginning of life, i.e., pregnancy and the periods surrounding it, are filled with rituals which are embodiments or expressions of cultural values, customs, and beliefs.

Highlights

In most African nations, as in many other societies, once married, women are expected to get pregnant and bear children for the expansion and continuation of the family lineage from one generation to another (Chukwu and Ume 2020)
Drawing on evidence from the following countries: Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, this paper will discuss rituals and embodied practices surrounding the start of life
The primary aim of this paper was to discuss the rituals and embodied practices surrounding the start of life drawing on evidence from the following countries: Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia

Summary

Introduction

In most African nations, as in many other societies, once married, women are expected to get pregnant and bear children for the expansion and continuation of the family lineage from one generation to another (Chukwu and Ume 2020). Rituals and or cultural practices are deeply embedded with rites of passage at varied stages of a person’s life: pregnancy, birth, naming ceremonies, puberty/adolescence, marriage, death, and burial (Nwadiokwu et al 2016; Ehimuan 2021). The rituals that accompany these rites of passage play a role in giving meaning to people’s ways of being (Mogawane et al 2015), as well as the importance of indigenous knowledge in pregnancy and birthing discourse in Africa (Siwila 2015). Christianity and Islam, the two major religions practiced in Africa (Westoff and Bietsch 2015), have influenced these practices in some places (Nwoye 2014) It is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss the impact of these religions on pregnancy and birth rituals rather it highlights the fact that most of these practices are still ongoing. The paper is not a representation of religion in Africa

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