Reconstituting Ndembu traditional eco-masculinities: An African theodecolonial perspective

Abstract

This article engages with the notion of Ndembu traditional eco-masculinities which was conceptualised in a framework of sacrifice as ground for manliness. I utilised this view as hermeneutical point of departure for reconceptualising African Christian masculinities that are ecologically sensitive. Framed within theodecolonial imagination, the article suggests a reinterpretation of the notion of Christian sacrifice in dialogue with Ndembu notion as a theological model for constructing African Christian eco-masculinities for promoting gender and nature justice. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: African men have been accused of being ecologically impotent by some African ecofeminist theologians. This article investigates how through colonialism Ndembu men were alienated from nature. The article brings into dialogue various perspectives from anthropology, ecological, decoloniality, African religion and African theological approaches.