the monitor

Abrahamic religions and the history of regulating morality

In the previous piece, celebrating the amazing decision by the Court of Appeal, to decriminalize same sex intimacy, we started addressing institutionalised oppression and discrimination.

Often, in our culture, oppression is perpetuated by religious puritans for whom life is either or, without the slightest regard for the actual complexities in which we exist, and the spectrums of identities, and specifically sexual identity.

The earliest religion in Botswana, as old as the first people in area which has become the country, is a form of what is broadly referred to as “African Traditional Religion” (ATR). ATR recognises the vast diversity of traditional practices by African people, which includes various ethnic religions. It is anchored in plurality, recognising that the richness in our diversity stems from this pluralistic makeup. By definition, ATR is essentially the indigenous and autochthonous religions of the African people, which deals with cosmology, ritual practices, symbols, arts, society and so on. It is a way of life which related to culture and society, which affect the worldwide view of the African people.

Editor's Comment
Child protection needs more than prevailing laws

The rise in defilement and missing persons cases, particularly over the recent festive period, points not merely to a failure of policing, but to a profound and widespread societal crisis. Whilst the Police chief’s plea is rightly directed at parents, the root of this emergency runs deeper, demanding a collective response from every corner of our community. Marathe’s observations paint a picture of neglect with children left alone for...

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