CUSTOMARY ISSUES ON WOMANHOOD IN NSUKKA: A CHRISTIAN RESPONSE

Abstract

This paper discusses customary issues on womanhood in Nsukka cosmology and articulates a Christian response to this world view. The perception of womanhood in Nsukka culture exhibits the definitions of patriarchy in the absolute sense. The findings of this paper reveal that Nsukka society nay, Igbo society is largely a male specimen which has some customary issues that do not recognize nor promote the status and dignity of womanhood. A great number of these issues do not belong to the distant past; they are alive and influential in many homes and kindreds even today. At the wake of this reality, the Christian mission in this area includes the evangelization against any obnoxious structures and heinous practices that dehumanize the human person, male and female with the objective of abolishing them. This study therefore recommends the restoration of the dignity and status of womanhood as intended by God. Hence, God created them male and female as complimentary and not contradictory genders. The methodology employed in this work is “Culture Area Approach” which means that the customary issues as studied have contiguous geographic area effect not only in Nsukka but across Igboland as a traditional society with homogenous customary traits.