Abstract
Locating the theme of women’s leadership within faith communities and within the larger discourse on women’s leadership more generally, this chapter outlines the motivation behind this volume. It begins by appealing to Indigenous Knowledge Systems, particularly proverbs, to open space for women’s leadership in Zimbabwe. Having explored Shona and Ndebele proverbs that celebrate the centrality of women, the chapter outlines the objectives of the volume. These relate to identifying the extent to which religion promotes or impedes women’s leadership within faith communities and beyond, as well as to mobilise male scholars and activists to partner with women to advance women’s leadership. The chapter reflects on some of the major issues that have framed reflections on religion and women’s leadership, as well as highlights the influence of the methodology of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians (the Circle) on the theoretical framework guiding this volume. It also summarises the various chapters in the volume.
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Notes
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- 2.
UN Women, nd., Women and Sustainable Development Goals. Nairobi: UN Women Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office. Available at: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/2322UN%20Women%20Analysis%20on%20Women%20and%20SDGs.pdf, accessed 9 November 2021.
- 3.
We are acutely aware of the need to remain wary of the “…simultaneous under- and over-estimation of religion” (Vuola, 2017: 3) that can characterise enquiries into religion in society.
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The late Magufuli had his own strengths, particularly his insistence on building Tanzania using local resources, fighting corruption and challenging the powerful countries to respect the autonomy and territorial integrity of Africans.
- 5.
A. Nguyen, “Blog: The Potential of Women’s Leadership in Africa,” 21 December 2020. Available at: https://borgenproject.org/the-potential-of-womens-leadership-in-africa/, accessed 12 November 2021.
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Manyonganise, M., Chitando, E., Chirongoma, S. (2023). Introduction: Women, Religion and Leadership in Zimbabwe. In: Manyonganise, M., Chitando, E., Chirongoma, S. (eds) Women, Religion and Leadership in Zimbabwe, Volume 1. Palgrave Studies in African Leadership. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24579-4_1
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