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/

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/

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	Okoro, Damascus C., author
Imprint:	Eugene, Oregon : Wipf & Stock, [2020]
Description:	xviii, 193 pages ; 23 cm
Language:	English
Subject:	Infertility -- Psychological aspects. Infertility -- Religious aspects -- Christianity. Childlessness -- Psychological aspects. Igbo (African people) -- Social life and customs. Infertility -- psychology.
Format:	Print Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/13256430

Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:	9781725265707 1725265702
Notes:	Includes bibliographical references. committed to retain from JKM Seminaries Library 2023 JKM University of Chicago Library
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.

Table of Contents:

A historical and socio-context analysis of Igbo world
Infertility : a problem among Ibgo couples
Engaging African female theologies : the thoughts of Mercy Oduyoye and Rose Uchem
Engaging African male theology/ethics : the thoughts of Béné́zet Bujo
Onye Aghala Nwanne Ya : an alternative
Conclusion
Appendix 1. Umuokpara family marriage lists : Umuifa-Ubachima Awo-Omamma
Appendix 2. Umaokpara family women marriage list.