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African women and the shame and pain of infertility : an ethico-cultural study of Christian response to childlessness among the Igbo people of West Africa / Damasus C. Okoro ; Foreword by Stan Chu Ilo

Author
Okoro, Damascus C.
Published
Eugene : Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2020.
Physical Description
1 online resource (214 pages)
Additional Creators
Ilo, Stan Chu
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Contents
Intro -- Title Page -- Praise for and Quotes by Paul Frey -- Foreword -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Chapter 1: A Historical and Socio-Context Analysis of Igbo World -- Chapter 2: Infertility -- Chapter 3: Engaging African Female Theologies -- Chapter 4: Engaging African Male Theology/Ethics -- Chapter 5: Onye Aghala Nwanne Ya -- Chapter 6: Conclusion -- Appendix 1: Umuokpara Family Marriage List -- Appendix 2: Umuokpara Family Women Marriage List
Summary
Okoro discusses the shipwreck that is associated with infertility in marriage in Africa. Within this space, childlessness places a big question mark on a woman's femininity and the self-esteem of the man. The stigma of infertility most often leads to social isolation and humiliation, particularly of married women, even when the source of infertility may not have come from them. Unfortunately, this situation goes against the highly valued Igbo ethical principle of onye aghala nwanne ya, meaning "no one should be left behind/Be your brother's or sister''s keeper." Therefore, the purpose of the book is to help married people in Igbo land and Africa at large to appropriate this indigenous principle in their response to the problem of infertility. To attain this, the author critically evaluates discriminsation and oppression of infertile couples, particularly women, and sheds light on the paradoxes fround in Igbo cultural expressions. He employs a constructive, ethical, cultural, religious, contextual, and theological approach that explores important Igbo religious paradigms like Chi (an Igbo religio-cultural undersanding of personal destiny) and Ani (the feminine diety in-charge of the land and fetility) to argue the case for the liberation and integration of infertile couples.--back cover.
Subject(s)
ISBN
9781725265714 (ebook)
1725265710
9781725265707 (print)
1725265702 (paperback)
9781725265691 (hardcover)
1725265699 (hardcover)
Note
Description based upon print version of record.
Bibliography Note
Includes bibliographical references
View MARC record | catkey: 43226449