() is the

polyamorous Polyamory () is the practice of, or the desire for, romantic relationships with more than one partner at the same time, with the informed consent of all partners involved. Some people who identify as polyamorous believe in consensual non-mono ...

sexual practice of hospitable "wife-sharing" among the nomadic OvaHimba and

OvaZemba The Zemba people (singular: OmuZemba, plural: OvaZemba) are a Bantu ethnic group residing in the border regions of Namibia and Angola. In Namibia, they are predominantly found in the Kunene region, most notably in the Opuwa area. They speak th ...

peoples of

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

's Kunene and

Omusati Omusati (the Oshindonga word for Mopane, the dominant tree in the area) is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, its capital is Outapi. The towns of Okahao, Oshikuku and Ruacana as well as the self-governed village Tsandi are situated in thi ...

regions. According to the practice, a man welcomes a male guest (typically a family member or best friend, more rarely an important visitor, and never a stranger or tourist) to his home by allowing the visitor to sleep in the man's bed and have sex with his wife for the night, while the man sleeps in another hut or outside. The woman has little

agency Agency may refer to: Organizations * Institution, governmental or others ** Advertising agency or marketing agency, a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients ** Employment agency, a business that s ...

in the arrangement. The opposite arrangement, whereby a woman chooses a female friend for her husband to have sex with, exists, but is rare. Women surveyed in rural North Kunene reported that their husbands lend them to friends in hopes of later having sex with the friends' wives. The practice has been described as "generations-old", "centuries-old", and "ancient". The practice's justifications include belief that it deepens friendship and prevents

promiscuity Promiscuity is the practice of engaging in sexual activity frequently with different partners or being indiscriminate in the choice of sexual partners. The term can carry a moral judgment. A common example of behavior viewed as promiscuous by man ...

and jealousy in both sexes. ''Okujepisa omukazendu'' was reported in 2002 to be dying out, and in 2005 to be "gradually fading away". Namibian

feminists Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

assert that is

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...

, and that women who resist participation or refuse to have sex with guests face repercussions, including

ostracism Ostracism (, ''ostrakismos'') was an Athenian democratic procedure in which any citizen could be expelled from the city-state of Athens for ten years. While some instances clearly expressed popular anger at the citizen, ostracism was often us ...

, beating, and

harassment Harassment covers a wide range of behaviors of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behavior that demeans, humiliates, and intimidates a person, and it is characteristically identified by its unlikelihood in terms of social and ...

. Politician and activist

Rosa Namises Visolela Rosalinda "Rosa" Namises (born 1958), nicknamed the "Rosa Luxemburg of Namibia", is a Namibian politician, human-rights activist and chief of a faction of the ǀKhomanin, a clan of the Damara people. She is a former member of Parliam ...

said that ''okujepisa omukazendu'' "is not benefiting women but men who want to control their partners". Rural women are identified as being particularly at risk of retaliatory violence. The practice has been identified as an aggravating factor in Namibia's HIV/AIDS crisis. A 2002 survey found that urban respondents in the Kunene almost ubiquitously found the practice dangerous in terms of STDs and jealousy, while rural male respondents found no such problems with it. In 2014, Kazeongere Tjeundo, a Himba lawmaker and the vice-president of the

Democratic Turnhalle Alliance The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), formerly Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA), is an amalgamation of political parties in Namibia, registered as one singular party for representation purposes. In coalition with the United Democratic Front ...

(DTA), proposed legislation to enshrine in law, fearing that concerns about HIV/AIDS would end the practice. He argued that mitigates domestic violence and claimed that women may decline to have sex with guests but should be compelled to share a bed with guests. His proposal generated controversy from activists and legal experts, and the DTA distanced itself from Tjeundo, calling "wrong" and promising to take steps against the legislator. Tjeundo responded saying that he had been misinterpreted, but refused the instruction from the DTA to clarify his position and apologize. Rhingo Mutambo, a public relations officer in the Office of the

Prime Minister of Namibia The prime minister of the Republic of Namibia is the leader of the Government of Namibia. The prime minister is appointed by the president and coordinates the work of the Cabinet. They also advise and assist the president in the execution o ...

, criticized what he perceived to be sensationalist Western media coverage for implying tourists receive "free sex" in Himba communities. He clarified that the practice of is restricted to community members, and defended its social functionality.

References

{{Human sexuality Culture of Namibia Polyamory Women's rights in Namibia Society of Namibia Rape in Africa

See also

References