ABSTRACT
Introduction In Tanzania, most studies on violence against women research gender relations by examining male dominant power over the female body. However, this chapter explores how cultural beliefs and traditional practices influence and determine how female power becomes dominant and is used against young women. The study is about the patriarchal communities of the Kuria and the Ukerewe ethnic groups in two regions located in the north-western part of Tanzania, along the shores of Lake Victoria. The aim of the study is to investigate the role elderly African women play in promoting traditional practices for the political and economic stability and the social well-being of their communities. In most patriarchal societies, especially in Africa, the cultures have traditionally exercised strict control over girls and women in a wide range of practices, which adversely affects their health and lives (Tuyizere, 2007). To a large extent, much of the research on gender and violence on the African continent tends to indicate that the African man is the aggressor and oppressor (Atere, 2001). Kisaakye (2002: 271) argues there is a contradiction posed by the fact that women against fellow women seemingly perpetuate the said harmful practices, which results in great risks and ultimately damages the sexuality of vulnerable women. African feminist scholars such as Akintunde and Labeodan (2002) have researched and documented gendered violence in African societies and have pointed out some of the impacts of cultural practices in the oppression of women and girls. According to Africanus (2012), the efforts to prevent what may be perceived as harmful cultural practices challenges customs and traditional beliefs. In exploring how elderly African women are implicated in gendered violence, the study attempts to answer the following questions: How is the phenomenon of “woman-to-woman” violence perpetuated over time? What are the mechanisms in which women establish domination and power over fellow women? What are the driving forces feeding continual woman-to-woman violence? These questions are answered by examining three traditional practices: female genital cutting (FGC), widow cleansing rituals and woman-to-woman marriage. These practices continue to exist in communities along the Lake Zone Regions of Tanzania.
