WIDOWHOOD PRACTICE AS AN EXCLUSIVE RITE FOR WIDOWS, NOT WIDOWERS IN IGBO COSMOLOGY: A DISCRIMINATORY APPROACH TO WIDOWHOOD IN THE LIGHT OF ECCLESIOLOGICAL APPRAISAL

Abstract

Widows and not widowers are the more affected group of people when it comes to the sin of omission especially in Igboland and Africa in general. They are often forgotten even by their closest relatives immediately after the burial of their husbands. The Igbo society to a large extent does not have an existing structure or budget plan that covers the welfare of the widows. This has constantly been a wound in the hearts of these widows when their male counterparts are exempted from such stringent burial rituals while mourning their late wives. Principal findings in Igbo cosmology revealed that widowhood is often covered in myth and its processes left to the governance of whatever social or cultural system. Such myths and cultural system are mainly targeted to the widows and not widowers. These cultural traditions to a very large extent appeared to have made women class vulnerable in the society they belong. Recent societal experiences on widowhood and adjustment process however, question this position. It is clear that a more critical understanding of the widowhood process within traditional cultural, legal and psychological contexts need to emerge. The researchers in actualizing this goal adopts the Feminist theory which supports equality for women and men in an egalitarian society.