Placido Hilukilwa
MONOGAMY is Western culture. Polygamy is African… our culture. This statement was made by controversial Lutheran cleric Reverend Jesaya Hanghuwo while offering a prayer during the official opening ceremony of the Olufuko Annual Cultural Festival in Outapi, Omusati Region, on Tuesday.
Reverend Hanghuwo also expressed his opposition to same-sex marriage, considering it contrary to God’s creation and part of a Western culture that is foreign to Africa.
The Olufuko Annual Cultural Festival is an initiation ritual where girls undergo a week-long coaching process to prepare them for successful and happy marriages.
He emphasized that the 33 girls currently undergoing initiation at the Olufuko Festival are being prepared for marriage to men, not to fellow women.
However, Reverend Hanghuwo’s position stands in contrast to that of his Church. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN) has consistently condemned Olufuko as a “sinful act.” Consequently, parents who encourage or permit their daughters to participate in the ritual are expected to repent, confess their sins, and seek forgiveness from God and the Church.
Hanghuwo believes that rather than advocating for the legalization of same-sex marriages, Namibians should focus on legalizing polygamy.
In 2015, Reverend Hanghuwo was suspended by Bishop Veikko Munyika, the then head of ELCIN’s Western Diocese, invoking Article 85 of the Church’s constitution. Article 85 is invoked in cases where a cleric is accused or suspected of engaging in an extramarital affair or neglecting their family.
