Abstract
This study examines the interconnectedness of religion, mother tongue, and gender construction in Africa, with particular focus on the Ibibio language of Southern Nigeria. While existing gender scholarship in Africa has explored culture, economics, politics, and religion as analytical frameworks, scholarly attention to the role of the mother tongue in shaping gender consciousness remains markedly limited. Drawing from sociolinguistic, religious, and gender-based frameworks, the paper argues that language, especially one’s mother tongue, functions as a primary medium through which societies transmit gender expectations, stereotypes, authority structures, and perceptions of masculinity and femininity. Through the analysis of Ibibio expressions, proverbs, myths, and religiously inflected linguistic constructions, the study shows how language reinforces patriarchal assumptions and legitimizes gender hierarchy within social and religious contexts. The paper further establishes that religion amplifies the authority and sacredness of gendered linguistic expressions, thereby shaping social behaviour and identity formation among speakers.
Recent global data, including the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2024, which places Sub-Saharan Africa sixth among eight regions with a gender parity score of 68.4%, point to the persistence of gender inequality in the very communities where the mother tongue operates most powerfully. By interrogating indigenous linguistic patterns and their socio-religious implications, this study proposes the mother tongue as an indispensable paradigm for African gender analysis. The paper concludes that meaningful gender scholarship and advocacy within African societies must engage local languages and indigenous semantic realities in order to avoid externally imposed interpretations that overlook the lived complexity of African socio-cultural life.
Keywords: Mother Tongue, Gender Studies, Religion, Ibibio Language, Africa, Patriarchy, Sociolinguistics
Imaobong Michael Utip
Post-Graduate Student, Department of Religious and Cultural Studies
University of Uyo
imaobongutip1@gmail.com
Solomon Asuquo
Research and Development Associate
solowisedm@gmail.com