Many people believe that homos*xuality and feminism are entirely foreign to Africa. Many, still, believe that the practice of homos*xuality and the principles of feminism are native to the land.
Well, the little-known history about Africa’s female husbands adds an interesting element to discussions on African s*xuality and power.
Although marriage in Africa is largely defined as the union of man and woman, and with all African countries with the exception of South Africa banning homos*xual marriage, traditional African societies seem to have allowed the practice.
According to historian, Professor, Kenneth Chukwuemeka Nwoko, Ph.D., women marriage or female husbands was more pronounced than might be expected in Africa where it occurred in over 30 societies, including; the Igbo of southeastern Nigeria, the Zulu of Southern Africa, the Nuer of East Africa etc. There is also strong evidence of its existence in the Nandi tribe of Kenya.
In these societies, women could be husbands without male wives. They were husbands to other women. In Igboland, such arrangements involved two women undergoing formal marriage rites; the requisite bride price was paid by one party as in a heteros*xual marriage. The woman who paid the bride price of the other woman became the sociological ‘husband’.” Moreover, women gained even more status and power once they became female husbands. Nwoko explains:
“Woman-to-woman marriage allowed for greater freedom of s*xuality for the wives, they could have boyfriends, anonymous men whose only duty was to supply sperm, henceforth “male sperm donors”, and this was socially accepted. Any child they had were taken care of by their female husband, and carried her name and this was legitimate in the eyes of society.
The Nandi people of Western Kenya, women who are older (beyond child-bearing age), never married and have no children were and continue to be prime candidates to become female husbands. These women want an heir to inherit their name, wealth and property.
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