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Beliefs and attitudes towards male domestic violence in South Kivu

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par Ndabuli Theophile Mugisho
University of KwaZulu Natal - Master 2011
  

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1.1.3 Cultural situation

Culturally, the DRC is a very diverse country with a lot of ethnicities, each with its customs. Accordingly, there are many tribes in South Kivu but the most important are the Bashi, Barega, Babembe, Bahavu and Bafulero. These tribes are made of families that abide by traditional values by respecting social customs, beliefs, traditions and norms. As this is a paternalistic society, these values are therefore protected by elders who are old men.

South Kivu ethnicities are very complex. There exist many languages in the province and people are likely to identify themselves in relation to their ethnic groups rather than to their nation as a whole. Tribal names continue to be significant as a way of identifying people with their province, and social standing. Relations between ethnic groups vary greatly. Hence, Hatari (1999:36) deduces that politicians, foreign powers and multinational companies have sought to exploit ethnic tensions in order to gain control over the province's abundant natural resources.

The different tribes of South Kivu use different languages, of which Kiswahili, Mashi, Kirega and Kihavu are the most eminent. In addition to these languages, each tribe has its own dialect. Although French is the official language used for education and local government, the majority of the people use Kiswahili in their daily different activities.

The attitudes and beliefs of individuals reflect upon how their families are viewed in the community. Based on South Kivu family traditions, men have more power, rights and respect than women. Accordingly, boys are more advantaged than girls in all aspects of life because there is gender misbalance that is expressed through discrimination between the sexes. This impels that, `men do not regard women as their equals in terms of education, employment or decision-making' (Hatari, 1999:29). Such GBV depicts clearly how men and women have designated gender roles that dictate what they do in the home and community. Women are primarily responsible for caring for the family and maintaining the household.

South Kivu tribes regard women differently; the woman's freedom is dependent upon the community in which she lives. This infers that her behaviour is often restricted by social norms. As an illustration, Ongala (1993:56) states that in South Kivu rural areas, many married women still seek their husband's permission to travel or complete routine legal transactions.

As regards education, boys are more encouraged to attend school. In rural areas, most girls and women did not study and those who did are traditionally refused to work outside their families. Culturally, this is due to harsh traditions that stipulate that women must look after kids and take care of the home. Although emancipation is occurring slowly, women remain at a disadvantage in law and society.

Domestic violence is not uncommon in the DRC and in South Kivu, in particular. South Kivu is a patriarchal society. Erturk (2007:24) assumes that it is often acceptable for men to resort to violence, assault and verbal abuse in the home. Culturally, women will not refute domestic violence because they see it as an extension of male authority in the home. The law does not address the issue of GBV although it contains nice paragraphs dealing with it. This because domestic violence is often viewed as a personal problem in which others should not intervene.

As for marriage, the legal age for marriage is 18 but in rural areas, it is common for girls to be prepared for it at a much earlier age. In some cultures, people get married at an advanced age but this makes them lose respect. Some parents make pre-arranged marriage for their children and this is quite normal since `culturally, it is the parents who pay the dowry for their sons' (Ertürk, 2007:38). In very few areas, children make their own choice for whom to marry. Polygamy is not legal but men decide to marry as many wives as they can for procreation, popularity and power. Marriage customs vary depending on tribal traditions. The whole family is involved in the marriage process but men are the most important persons as they are given word in public. Divorce is not common in the province because marriage is seen as a union between two families and divorce therefore divides communities (Mirindi, 2007:66).

The religious beliefs in South Kivu dominate people's minds. Mirindi (2007:36) found that the main religious groups are Roman Catholic (50%), Protestant (20%), Kimbanguist (10% 10) and Muslim (10%). A further 10 per cent follow traditional beliefs, whose customs and rituals are often merged with other faiths. There has been a major Christian revival in recent years, which has had an impact on every aspect of life. Religious groups have also played an active role in the provincial social life and development. Some churches build healthcare centres, schools and other services and help couples to live harmoniously (Mirindi, 2007:43).

As for leisure, South Kivu people like seeping on beer, enjoy music and sports, particularly football. The consumption of alcohol is culturally acceptable although the Muslim and protestant population does not drink it. In literacy levels, very few people accede to newspapers. Radios are widely used in the province as a source of public information. Most radio stations are privately owned, however church radio networks are developing. People are familiar with televisions although reception is often very bad. The internet also exists but the government does not restrict its use. Mirindi (2007:54) presumes that `its uncontrolled use among the youth pushes them to see pornographic movies'. Such films daily proliferate GBV as they teach them how to sexually harass and dishonour young girls. Libraries are not well stocked and textbooks are outdated.

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