Ecofeminism, masculinities, Setswana belief system and murders of women in Botswana

Abstract

The Setswana belief system holds that all forms of murder, accidental and or intentional are an abomination. It also holds that no person has the right to apportion for themselves the right to kill another, not only because life is sacred, but because murder defiles and desecrates nature. Even without the scientific knowledge of climate change, Batswana have always been aware that the ecological crisis is a result of human actions of brutality towards each other and towards nature. It is a shock that Botswana is experiencing extremely high levels of violence against women including femicide. Therefore, this article engages eco-feminist and masculinity theories to establish a relationship between hegemonic masculinity, femicide and environmental concerns. The article addresses its objectives by means of four sections: (1) Introduction-violence against women, (2) Discussions of theoretical frameworks, ecofeminism and masculinity or masculinities, (3) Setswana belief system regarding the environment, (4) Conclusion and recommendations.

Contribution: The world is experiencing an ecological crisis and this paper suggests that hegemonic masculinity which legitimises violence against women is the reason for this crisis. Therefore, communities need to deconstruct attributes of hegemonic masculinities that encourage the abuse of women and nature.