The Truth About Widowhood in Nigeria

In November 1998 Communicating for Change produced a 30-minute documentary Till Death Do Us Part, an exposé on the dehumanising treatment three women endure at the death of their husbands. The film was shown in Paris during the 50^th Anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights’ celebrations.

In certain parts of Nigeria, the maltreatment of widows is common. In-laws and the community subject them to physical and emotional abuses such as being made to sit on the floor; being confined from a month to one year; having their hair literally scraped off with razors or broken bottles; not being allowed to bathe; being made to routinely weep in public; being forced to drink the water used to wash their husband’s corpse; crowned by the loss of inheritance rights and eviction. CFC felt that it was important to launch the film in Nigeria as part of an entire campaign to stop harmful widowhood practices.

With support from the Norwegian Human Rights Fund and the Ford Foundation, CFC organized a national tour of the film in November 1999. “Till Death Do Us Part” was shown in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Enugu accompanied by panel discussions. Because widows under Muslim law suffer less, and widowhood problems are predominantly a southern and eastern problem in Nigeria, the project did not include any screenings in northern Nigeria. However, a national bus campaign ensured that the coverage wasn’t limited to just these three cities. Over 45,000 people from different backgrounds viewed the film while travelling cross-country on Nigeria’s three largest bus transporters – Chisco, Ekeson and ABC. They also received a brochure while buying their bus tickets.

In Lagos the film was introduced to an enthusiastic audience at the Muson Centre. They listened attentively as a panel of five discussed negative aspects of the treatment of widows and the need for change. One of the commentators reminded the audience that every female was a potential widow since 67% of women outlive their husbands. Some suggestions made during the discussion included men writing legally viable wills before their deaths and wives attaining some type of economic independence from their husbands.

In Port Harcourt, a place where harmful widowhood practices are rife, the audience suggested that widows should seek protection from existing laws that relate to the brutal acts practiced upon them. The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), whose director Mrs. Elsie Thompson participated in the panel discussion, gave the audience good legal advice.

The Enugu audience insisted that the discrimination of women by women needs to be stopped, as it is often the wives within the extended family who carry out the harmful practices.  They also suggested that the abuse of widows was a by-product of the high bride price placed on women, encouraging the perception that wives are  “purchased property”.

            Numerous organizations such as the Women, Law and Development Centre, the Ministry of Women Affairs and Youth Development, and the Widows Development Organisation assisted CFC on the panel. A number of widows gave moving testimonies on how they overcame the challenges of widowhood and have healed their lives. The awareness raised pushed government agencies to renew their commitment to addressing this important issue on the national agenda and the traditional widowhood laws in Asaba, one of the towns where the film was shot, have been reviewed.