the monitor

An African Widow Part 1

COVID-19 has sadly left many widows in its wake. How can an African widow change her own narrative? For the next three weeks, my friend, Gracious Chifamuna, will be writing her thoughts on this subject. Her words are below.

Two weeks ago, a new movement was launched within the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ-Widows Forum. The vision is to create a platform that facilitates a change in the narrative of an African widow. Our mission is to empower, equip and inspire an African widow so that she can live her life to its fullest. If a widow is fully restored, she will soar like an eagle just like any other woman.

In Africa, widows go through a lot of hardship that stems from the society, family (especially the husband’s side) and from tradition. The core of the movement is centred around three questions. Today I will try to unpack the first question: How can a widow facilitate change in her own narrative? The first step: mourn the real loss-the loss of a husband. Sadly in most African cultures, widows are not given the opportunity to mourn their real loss-I will try to suggest a few things in my third article. Also, in some cultures a widow’s mourning period is defined, which is good in my opinion but sad in that there are lots of rituals that some widows must go through.

Editor's Comment
WUC must fix its pipes, not just say sorry

“Clean water, the essence of life and a birthright for everyone, must become available to all people now.”– Michel CousteauWe see notices for Block 6, Extension 11, Gaborone, Francistown; the list grows every week. It is good that WUC warns consumers, but so many warnings point to a deep problem. Water pipes are old and falling apart. And the people who pay the bills are the ones suffering.When a main pipe bursts, taps run dry. Families in...

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