ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the place of gender and religion on the African continent and how they interact with the law. It considers the meaning of gender from an African feminist perspective. It describes the impact of colonialism and the spread of foreign religions had all played an important part in forcing an evolution in gender relations. The chapter presents the how human rights bodies and courts on the continent have both defined religion and its impact on a range of areas of life. The African Protocol on Women's Rights is the first international treaty explicitly outlawing Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and calling on states parties to prevent the practice from occurring, and when it has happened, to provide counselling and rehabilitative services to survivors. The role of women within African societies pre- and post-colonialism, so too there is a huge literature on the impact of religion in the construction of relations between men and women within African societies.
