Incestin Zimbabwe and the Caribbean: Sexual Aberration or Ritual Act Background Almost all world societies are

characterized by taboos that govern sexual relationships and incest taboo is one typical example. The increased breach of this taboo consensually or nonconsensually has created an atmosphere of uncertainty and insecurity in both private and public spheres. Incest has become ubiquitous to the extent of forming newspaper headlines nearly everyday thereby leaving observers wondering whether incest is a product of mere sexual aberration or it is more of a ritual act. In many world s societies sex is considered to be right in its right place and right relationship. Sex within the family other than between spouses is regarded as dirty, defiling and horrifying. In several cultural settings sex is presumed to be sacred, to be performed only within the sacred bonds of marriage. Breaching the incest taboo has consequences, requiring either that the culprits be banished, ritually cleansed or face criminal charges depending on the metaphysical orientation of the community concerned. The rate at which incest taboo is being broken boggles the mind given the attitude and penalties associated with its breach. Legally incest is a crime defined as ---sexual intercourse within a prohibited degree of relationship under the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Section 75 (The Sunday Mail In-depth, 19-25 September 2010). Both legal instruments and culture-religious sanctions seem to be failing to stop this immoral behaviour which is spreading like malignant cancer in Shona and Caribbean societies. The Sunday Mail In-depth of December 12-18, 2010, reported that the Zimbabwe Republic Police is shocked and concerned with the rise in rape cases, most of which are incestuous. The statistical records of these cases from the magistrate court from 2008 to 2010, according to the same paper are shown in the following table. Year 2008 2009 2010 Rape cases (most of which are incestuous) 1115 1433 1814

The shocking magnitude of incest cases was aptly captured by the headline in the Sunday Mail In-depth of September 19-25, 2010, which reads, Morals gone to the dogs: Incestuous relationships sprouting like weeds. Of many incestuous cases reported in this paper four were extremely astounding. The first comprised a Masvingo man identified as ChamunorwaTazvivinga aged 52, who was jailed for siring five children with his own daughter Tavonga. In the same article, a Mutare man was reported to have admitted that he fathered a child with his sister. The third case was about a Bulawayo woman who was caught by her husband whilst having sex with their teenage son. The fourth case comprised a 70 year old Seke grandmother, Tracey MabikaMutambara, who was alleged to be madly in love with her 29 year old son, Peter Mungayi.

The above mentioned incest cases are just a tip of an ice-berg as numerous incidence are not reported due to the fact that the occurrence of incest is usually a strictly guarded secret. Historically,incest taboo was rarely violated in Shona society. This paper comparatively exegete motives behind the contemporary reckless breach of the incest taboo in Zimbabwe and the Caribbean. Conceptual and Theoretical Considerations Defining incest is not an easy task because it constitute numerous sexual behaviours with a variety of patterns, causes and effects. The task is compounded by the fact that various societies and communities have customs and legal instruments that vary with regard to social boundaries that demarcate incestuous from non-incestuous relationships. The boundaries also vary in relation to whether a society is patriarchal or matriarchal. In view of these complications this paper relies on a working definition that incest is sexual intercourse between individuals related in certain proscribed degrees of kinship (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/incest taboo). Scholars from various disciplines have given different explanations for the breach of the incest taboo. Sociologists and feminists explain incest in terms of power differences between individuals or groups in society. Brownmiller cited in Sampson (1994:8) contends that rape and sexual abuse of women and children is an inevitable product of a society in which men dominate social, political and economic life. In patriarchal societies such Zimbabwe and the Caribbean men and women are culturally conditioned to think of themselves as unequal partners. Men are thought to be physically and mentally powerful and therefore superior to women who are regarded as weak and inferior. Similar power hierarchy exist at family level where male members are highly regarded. Thus, at family level the father, male child, and or male relatives can use their perceived superiority to either force or cajole female members into sexual intercourse. This probably explain why most reported cases of incest are non-consensual or pseudo-consensual and why most perpetrators are men. From a sociological-feminist point of view incestuous relationships in Zimbabwe and the Caribbean should be seen as being propelled by patriarchal social structures that privileges men at the expense of women. Though useful, the theories however fail to explain incestuous cases where female member are more powerful than their male counterparts such as in matriarchal societies. In Shona society elders have authority over the young ones, particularly mothers, and to suggest that sons who get sexually involved with their mothers is a result of patriarchy seems unconvincing. Thus, these theories can be criticized for regarding women as always inactive and unwilling participants. Psychologists explain incest in terms of the psychological functioning of individual offenders. Whether perpetrated by man or woman, incest is a result of mental lapses related to feelings of inadequacy, immaturity, mental retardation or drunkenness (Sampson 1994:14).Mzarek (1981:97) argues that incest is an expression of hostility towards women. This hostility usually emanates from anger due rejection or lack of social skills which deny them access to non-incestuous legal relations. These explanations are also problematic in that many incest perpetrators or victims have not been found to be mentally disordered or to lack social skills since many of them are actually married and are known to have had

non-incestuous relationships. More than 80% of interviewees concurred that alcohol is often used as a deliberate disinhibiter. From the biological theory of Barrett and Jones cited in Varma (1993:173) we inferred that incest could be related to higher levels of androgens during adolescence in boys which tend to make them more muscular and aggressive. According to Epps and Hollin quoted in Varma (:137) adolescence is a period of psychological stress and disturbance associated with egocentricity, vulnerability and identity crisis as the young people struggle for increased autonomy and independence. If boys advances are rejected by other girls they become aggressive and turn to their sisters. The sexual intercourse could be consensual as the brother-sister relationship degenerates as the sister consoles the brother. Girls in the midadolescent crisis but fail to attract a partner may also turn to their brothers most of whom may not be sexually mature due to differences in sexual maturation lag. The relationship is usually kept as a strictly guarded secret between the culprits. Thus sexual drive during adolescence if not satisfied elsewhere push brothers and sisters towards each other resulting in consensual or non-consensual incest. These observations can be supported by the family systems theory of von Bertalannfy and Furniss quoted in Glaser and Frosh (1993:48) which asserts that incest derive from and is maintained by disturbances in family relationships. The theory avers that individuals are sub-systems within a family and in this subsystem individuals assume different levels of power. If guardians fail perform their primary duties of nurturing and socializing the children, boundaries in the sub-system will be confused and crossed. As a result the most powerful or influential child forces or cajoles the other into sex. A better understanding of factors leading to the breach of incest taboo is given by Finkelhor s (1984) multi-factor theory which integrate findings of other theorists. From this theory we inferred that four conditions have to be satisfied for incest, just as for the ordinary sexual abuse,to occur. First, the perpetrator and perhaps the victim need to be motivated to break the incest taboo. The motivational factors may include the perceived willingness of the victim, disbelief in the taboo, curiosity and ritual command. Second, the offender or both must overcome factors which would inhibit their incestuous desires. The inhibitors are of two kinds, that is, internal and external belief systems which discourage incest and practical circumstances which prevent such involvements from easily taking place. The perpetrator s and or the victim s internal inhibitors like their moral standing can be bypassed or obscured by alcohol and drugs; exposure to sex incidence, for example pornographic videos or parents and indecent dressing. Third, external restraint such as access to the victim or conducive environment for the culprits has to be guaranteed. Such opportunities as noted by Manyonganise and Museka (232) may include absentee parentage (physically and emotionally) and unsupervised interactions. Finally, the victim s resistance must be overcome. This is usually done through threats, violence, coercion, bribery and rewards. This and other aforementioned theories relate saliently to incestuous relationships depicted in the three novels; Mwana Waamai by Mujajati, Pafunge by Tsodzo and ---- by Vera, which form the basis of this paper.

Mujajati s Mwana Waamai and Tsodzo s Pafunge as Mirrors of Incest Occurrences and Beliefs in Shona Society Mujajati and Tsodzo s novels present two different but intriguing patterns of paternal incest common in Shona society, that is the intended-nonconsensual and accidental-consensual incest respectively. Mujajati gives a vivid picturesque demonstration of current incest patterns, society s response and perceived consequences of breaching the incest taboo in Shona society. The widespread occurrence of intended--nonconsensual incest in contemporary Shona society is echoed in Gamuchirai s sentiment that Nyayadzorudziirworwodzirikugaradzichibudamumapepenhaumazuvaano, translated as stories of that nature (incest) are always in the newspapers these days. The incestuous abuse of Monica and her daughter Misodzi by her father Ruzvidzo relates to the sociological--feminist observation that incest is common in situations where men are regarded as powerful and superior. Monica and her mother are portrayed as inferior family members who could not question whatever decision Ruzvidzo takes. The family is dysfunctional, there seems to be no rarport between husband and wife. This is supported by the incident in which the wife is shelling groundnuts outside the hut whilst the husband is relaxed in the house. This dysfunctionality is aggravated by the frequent physical and emotional absence of Monica s mother due to ill-health. Its likely that sexual contact between husband and wife was now rare as the wife is almost always sick. In this regard we argue that zero or intermittent sexual contact between the two could have motivated Ruzvidzo to turn to their daughter Monica. Similar sentiments are aired by von Bertalannfy and Furniss in Glaser and Frosh (1993:48) that incest derives from and perpetuated by disturbances in family relationships. In a dysfunctional set-up parents are estranged from each other and tend to turn to their children for emotional support. Failure by Monica s mother to discharge her marital duties in the sub-system could have led to the blurring of social boundaries. If this argument is sustained then it can be concluded that the non-consensual incestuous abuse of Monica by her father goes beyond sexual aberration. Finkelhor s (1984) four preconditions also aptly tally with the incestuous rape of Monica. Ruzvidzo was motivated to rape his daughter by purporting thathe wanted to teach her about sex. This is unheard of in Shona society since teaching a girl child about sex is the responsibility of the aunts. He overcame his moral restraint through the use of alcohol. The external restraints were set off by his wife s repeated absence from home due to illhealth. That s his first attempt to rape his daughter was when his wife was admitted at the hospital and eventually succeeded when the wife had gone to fetch some firewood. We also contend that Ruzvidzo deliberately refused to pay Monica s school fees in order to isolate her from her peers and community. In the absence of her mother and peers, Monica s social network was limited to her father. Thus, Ruzvidzo managed to create amble time and opportunity to rape his daughter. He also overcame Monica s resistance and forced her into a secrecy covenant by wielding a knife. Because of her father s threat and societal attitude towards incest, Monica finds it very difficulty to break the silence despite encouragement from her friend Gamuchirai.

Manyonganise and Museka observe that in Shona society incest, be it consensual or nonconsensual, is viewed as placing the perpetrator and the victim into a state of pollution, dangerous to themselves and to those with whom they consort. It is a contaminating immoral act which calls for the cleansing or excommunication of the culprits. It is therefore not surprising that the Mujajati pictures Monica s community clamoring for the ostracisation of her family. Monica s silence must be understood in the context of this attitude. The secret code that characterizes most incest cases helps the incident to recur. Monica seem to have been raped several times as she says munhuuyaatangazvakare, meaning the perpetrator has started asking for sex again. The cyclic nature of incest is captured by Mujajati through the sexual abuse of Misodzi, (Monica s daughter by her father), by Ruzvidzo. Once again Finkelhor s preconditions manifest here in that Misodzi is raped whilst her mother (Monica) was absent and her grandmother was hospitalized leaving the poor child in the sole custody of Ruzvidzo. Even after disclosing the abuse to her mother, the silence could not be broken, rather she conspired to keep it a secret. Here we are persuaded to agree with the sociologists and feminists who explain this in terms of power imbalances in relationships which are being perpetuated by the continuation of male dominance in socio-economic and political structures. In this novel, Monica and her mother are presented members who depend on Ruzvidzofor survival. Since he is the sole bread winner the two are in a dilemma concerning what will become of them in the event that he is arrested and incarcerated. This is explicit in Monica s mother s statement that ---kana baba vakovakasungwapanotinosaratichibatananei?, loosely translated as if your father is arrested we wont be able to survive. From the whole drama we surmised that dependency syndrome; threats, perceived or real; and societal attitude and penalties associated with the breach of the incest taboo are some of the factors that explain why incest is often kept a closely guarded secret in Shona society. By contrast, Tsodzo s novel Pafunge portrays an accidental-consensual paternal incest between Josiah Rugare, affectionately known as Joe Rug, and his daughter Rudo. The intensity and magnitude of incest as it manifest in present day Shona society is not wellcaptured in this novel as compared to Mujajati sMwanawaamai. This can be attributed to the fact that in the 1970s, the time Pafunge was written, incest was rare in Shona society and yet from the turn of century to the present, it has become the order of the day. Tsodzo s novel is didactic as it emphasises the need for families to remain intact in order to avoid shameful and polluting interactions such as incest. In Shona society, as portrayed in Pafunge, incest whether intentional or accidental in horrifying and contaminating. According to the Shona traditional belief system, incest (be it intentional, unintentional, consensual or non-consensual) invites catastrophe from the ancestors, thus, Mujajati and Tsodzo vividly capture consequences associated with the breach of the incest taboo. In the Shona traditional belief system incest, murder and witchcraft are perceived as the most heinous sins that upsets the social order. Thus when the society got wind of RuzvidzoMonica affair, the perpetrator vanished after having tried in vain to force Monica to find a scapegoat.Monica and her mother are stigmatized and viewed as social outcasts. Ancestral vengeance is shown by the deformed structure and mental retardation of Monica s daughter

Misodzi. Monica expresses this abnormality when she says, ---haachemi kana kunyemwererazvinoitavamwevana ---, meaning she does not cry or smile like other children. The child also has an abnormally big head and eyes. Her mouth is always open with saliva coming out and she spend most of the time sleeping. Cognitively she was developing slowly compared to her age mates and was also having speech problems. In Shona traditional belief system abnormality is not innocent but associated with the anger of the ancestors and in this case Mujajati seems to be making incest the obvious explanation. The tragic death of the two perpetrators Ruzvidzo in Mwanawaamai and Josiah Rugare in Pafunge can also be attributed to ancestral vengeance. Breaching the incest taboo has far reaching short and long term social and psychological scars. In the two novel the victims, Monica and Rudo are confused and torn apart hence their desire and conviction to seek revenge. Monica could not properly name her child and manage future relationships leading to the collapse of a promising relationship with Amos. She is even tormented with bad and frightening dreams. The impact of breaking the incest taboo is well captured by Tsodzo s demonstration that even stone hearted thugs like Joe Rug is extremely shocked and disturbed after realizing that he had impregnated his own daughter. Incest in Shona Society: Sexual Aberration or Ritual Act Tsodzo s novel Pafunge narrates the licentious life of Josiah Rugare and a young girl, Rudo, who is caught up in the mid-adolescent crisis. The breach of incest taboo by these two characters was unintentional as they were not aware of their relationship but a result of their sexual indiscipline. This however does not mean sexual aberration only occurs where the culprits are not aware of their relationship. Depending on the degree of the relationship, unintended and consensual incestuous relationships may be allowed to prosper provided the would be husband performs the chekaukama (breaking the kinship) ritual. Tsodzo presents Joe Rug as an ill-bred and a psychopathic abuser who treat all women within his power as sexual possessions. His indiscipline is demonstrated by the fact that he never bothered to establish Rudo s roots before taking her to bed. He is a self-centered alcoholic. On the other hand Rudo is a wayward adolescent who is not familiar with her roots. Tsodzo s novel seems to be a didactic piece of literature telling readers and society that if they live a licentious life they may end up committing one of the most shameful, polluting and dreadfulsexual offence. In Mujajati s novel MwanaWaamai, incest is presented as an act of both sexual aberration and ritual practice. Ruzvodzo s abuse character is presented in a three-fold manner: as endogamic abuser, who is oriented inwards, towards his family; psychopathic abuser, who treats all people within his power as sexual possessions; and paedophilic abuser, whose psychological immaturity makes him fixate upon children as sexual objects. Ruzvidzo s family runs along patriarchal lines where power and authority are centralized, the wife and children are submissive and dependent. The sexual contact between Ruzvidzo and his daughter in non-consensual and seem to have been motivated by the dysfunctionality of the family. In this regard, the sexual abuse of Monica by Ruzvidzo can be attributed to Ruzvidzo s sexual aberration.

However, a close analysis of events in this novel seem to strongly suggest thatRuzvidzo s sexual abuse of Monica and the child they sired, Misodzi, was more of a ritual act. Ruzvidzo s family is presented as a poverty stricken one as evidenced by the failure to send their only child Monica to a poor rural secondary school Chikwidibire. Because of his desire to acquire wealth, Ruzvodzo seem to have consulted bogus diviner(s) who advised him to have sex with his own daughter as part of the ritual. Monica alluded to this when she says ---kunevamwevanofurirwanen anganhai. Hanzindookutivazopfuma, interpreted as some are misled by diviners in their quest to get rich. Among the Shona rituals performed in order to get rich are called fertility rituals (divisi) and are generally thought to require incest or blood. As noted by Manyonganise and Museka (:11) most successful communal farmers and shop owners are thought to have performed or be involved in such rituals acts. Thus Ruzvidzo s disappearance soon after raping his daughter could be interpreted as a revisit to the diviner(s) to complete the ritual. It is therefore not surprising that soon after his return he bought a car and opened a grocery shop. This sudden change of fortunes after breaking his daughter s virginity could be related to some ritual acts which required sex with a virgin relative. Breaking the virginity of own daughter or relative, according to some interviewees symbolizes breaking from the cycle of poverty. The shop soon broke probably because as per the Shona myths surrounding fertility rituals, the ritual needed renewal. This perhaps explains why eventually Ruzvidzo raped Misodzi, that is, to renew the ritual. Relatedly, Ruzvidzo could have raped his two virgin daughters as a curative measure for some infections, most likely Hiv and Aids. That Ruzvidzo was an Hiv and Aids career in quite possible because his wife was always in and out of the hospital. Furthermore he infected Misodzi with a sexually transmitted infection thus his chances of having been Hiv positive were high. This is typical of bogus traditional healer and or diviners who prescribe sex with a virgin close relative as cure for ailments such as Hiv and Aids. In this case it can be argued that incest is sometimes motivated by religious beliefs hence it occurs as a ritual. Aschwanden acknowledges the close link between incest and ritual practices when he avers that among the Shona reality and mythology are inseparable in everyday life. The one presupposes the other but both require one another, and only together do they complement each other in creating a greater reality. Following this we conclude that the widespread occurrence of incest in Shona society is related to both sexual aberration and ritual practice as portrayed in the two novels Mwana Waamai and Pafunge.