Bomalome:standing in the gap – social fathers in an African context

Abstract

Throughout Africa, there is recognition that the person fulfilling the role of a father may not always be the child's biological father. This is clear in the seminal work Male Daughters, Female Husbands: Gender and Sex in an African Society, where Amadiume illustrates the significance of divorcing gender roles from biology. In the South African context, a similar notion is seen in Mkhize's conception of Social Fathers. Like Amadiume, this study was inspired by Adesina's assertion for African studies to move towards producing, 'works of distinct epistemic significance' rather than the 'regurgitation' of and the usual 'protest scholars' that African scholar's focus on. Consequently, this article illustrates that in contexts of maternal households the role of the father is played by social fathers. The article concludes that, while father absence has been widely reported, the absence of biological fathers does not necessarily mean that caring and nurturing African men are not present in the lives of children.

Ugandan men’s experiences and perceptions of their fathering roles.

“…However, a tenet of African kinship tradition is the view of children as the collective responsibility of the wider family and community (Engle & Breaux, 1998). This view is consonant with the concept of social fathering, whereby responsibility for a child is taken on by a man who is not their biological parent or distributed between or among men other than the biological father (Nathane & Khunou, 2021). Madhavan and Roy (2012) conducted a comparative study of Black low-income fathers in South Africa and the United States.…”

Deconstructing African identities: notions of fatherhood amongst Zulu men in Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal.

“…However, the patriarch during pre-colonial times did not exert power over the mother but was connected and dependent on other family members (Rabe, 2018). Fathering and mothering, according to African ideology, is a collective responsibility for the family, including the extended family and the community (Nathane & Khunou, 2021). Nathane and Khunou (2021) state that in the Setswana and Sesotho traditions, a father's sister may take on the role of a father, especially when conducting traditional rituals in the absence of a father.…”

“…Fathering and mothering, according to African ideology, is a collective responsibility for the family, including the extended family and the community (Nathane & Khunou, 2021). Nathane and Khunou (2021) state that in the Setswana and Sesotho traditions, a father's sister may take on the role of a father, especially when conducting traditional rituals in the absence of a father. Prinsloo and Bosch (2012) bring to our attention the fact that in the Northern Sotho language a father's sister is called rakgadi, which means female father.…”

“…The prefix ra in rakgadi and baba in babakazi are used to describe fathers in Northern Sotho and Zulu cultures. Therefore, the female father is afforded the same status as the father and often involved in serious family matters such as lobola negotiations and family disputes (Nathane & Khunou, 2021). This shows how complex and different are African concepts of fatherhood and fathering from Western concepts of fatherhood and fathering.…”

“…According to Nathane and Khunou (2021), research on African fatherhood and masculinity neglect to theorise that fathering is a social process underpinned by African worldviews. Nsamenang (2010) adds that little research is known about African fathers, especially how they perform their fatherhood in their cultural contexts.…”