When Women Pray: Contemplation Within an African Context

Africa’s population is growing exponentially: in 1900, the continent had close to 130million people; by 2000 that figure was close to a billion and by 2050, it is projected to reach over 2 billion[1]. By contrast, in 1900, the ratio of Europeans to Africans was 3:1; in 30 years’ time, it would have reversed: there will be three times as many Africans as Europeans[2].

These massive demographic shifts are accompanied by interesting patterns in faith systems. “Trends in population growth and family do correlate strongly with religious attitudes”, posits Philip Jenkins, history professor at the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University[3]. The reasons for this assertion are complex but some suggest that smaller populations mean smaller families and fewer children. Children are often key in inspiring families to get involved in religious milestones/rites of passage, such as naming ceremonies, child dedications, Bar-Mitzvahs and even in terms of their adherence to clubs such as Sunday school and the like. Religious commitment (measured in terms of weekly attendance at religious gatherings, prayer and membership to religious groupings) is lowest in the West and China, while in Africa, which has some of the largest populations of Christians and Muslims in the world, religious commitment is among the highest[4].

Peering more closely at the role of women within faith systems, we can observe that women are more likely to be outwardly religious, particularly in terms of the frequency of private prayer[5]. Indeed, research by the Pew Centre states that “compared to Christian men, Christian women are more likely to attend weekly church services (53% versus 46%), pray daily (61% versus 51%), and say religion is important in their lives (68% versus 61%)[6]”. A Kenyan theologian, Philomena Mwaura, says that “The church in Africa has a feminine face and owes much of its tremendous growth to the agency of women.[7]” Similarly, African women of Islamic faith have held and continue to hold notable positions of influence across multiple societal spheres and we have seen how faith-based, female movements have been instrumental in conflict resolution. The movement led by Liberian Nobel Peace Laureate, Lemah Gbowee[8], who brought together African women of different faiths to pray for peace, was pivotal in the ending of the Liberian civil war.

Global consciousness has awakened to the fact that women must have their seat at the decision-making table. There are more women on corporate boards in Africa than anywhere else in the world (one in four board members are female in Africa)[9]. In some areas of public office, for instance, parliamentary speakers, Africa comes second only to Europe in terms of the number of females occupying this position[10], with countries like Uganda having had two parliamentary speakers in the last decade. As the agency of the African woman becomes increasingly non-negotiable, at Grace, our space for African women, we are asking ourselves about what impact her belief system will have on shaping not only her home but wider spheres of influence, from the boardroom to politics.

*Photo credit: Madison Lavern

[1] https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/trend/archive/summer-2016/how-africa-is-changing-faith-around-the-world

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2018/06/13/how-religious-commitment-varies-by-country-among-people-of-all-ages/

[5] https://bigthink.com/thinking/worlds-largest-religion-is-female/

[6] https://theconversation.com/why-the-future-of-the-worlds-largest-religion-is-female-and-african-178358

[7] Ibid.

[8] https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2011/gbowee/biographical/

[9] https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/gender-equality/the-power-of-parity-advancing-womens-equality-in-africa

[10] https://blogs.worldbank.org/nasikiliza/africa-takes-historic-lead-female-parliamentary-speakers