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Why African Spirituality And Feminism Cannot Work Together

September 30, 2026

Recently, I came across a TikTok video in which a young African spiritual practitioner expressed her frustration. A man had commented on her post, saying she could not break kola nuts because, in traditional practice, women are not allowed to do so.

She was angry and wanted to challenge the rule, repeating the familiar feminist idea that whatever a man can do, a woman should also be able to do, and that women deserve the same rights.

I’m a feminist, but I’m also a realist. Saying a traditional system has strict rules isn’t defending sexism; it’s just stating facts. You can’t join an ancient, male-dominated tradition and expect it to run on modern rules of equality.

Simply put: African traditional spirituality and feminism just don’t mix.

Traditional spiritual systems have strict rules. In Osun worship, followers might be forbidden from eating catfish. In Igbo Odinani, breaking the Ọjị Igbo is traditionally reserved for men. These aren’t random rules. They are central to the practice itself.

When elders tell you, “This is how our system works,” forcing modern feminist ideas onto it misses the point. You can’t take an ancient tradition built on specific gender roles and demand it follow modern rules of equality.

Here are five examples that show why these two worldviews fundamentally clash:

Here is a shorter, everyday version without em dashes:
1. The Kola Nut (Ọjị Igbo): In Igbo tradition, specific rituals with the kola nut are reserved for men. A woman may not be allowed to pray over, bless, or break it. This isn’t about women lacking spiritual power; the tradition simply gives this specific role to men.
2. Masquerades and Secret Societies: In traditions like Igbo Mmanwu or Yoruba Egungun and Òrò, access to certain sacred spaces and rituals is restricted by gender. Many of these groups are strictly for men.
3. The Menstruation Rule: Some shrines view menstruation as ritually incompatible with sacred spaces. Because of this, menstruating women are temporarily barred from entering certain shrines or joining specific rituals.
4. Ifá Initiation: In Yoruba Ìṣẹ̀ṣe, women can hold high spiritual titles like Iyanifa in some lineages. However, leadership rules vary, and key forms of authority remain traditionally male.
5. Land and Family Authority: In traditional communities, men usually hold authority over ancestral rites, family titles, and land, even in cultures where women can own property.

This is where feminism and African spirituality clash. Traditional systems assign roles based on gender, giving men and women different responsibilities and access. Feminism, on the other hand, rejects any rule that stops you from doing something just because you are a woman.

Acknowledging these restrictions doesn’t mean you agree with them. It just means accepting that an ancient system might not align with your personal values.

Trying to force feminism into traditional spirituality is like mixing oil and water. They run on completely different principles. You can criticize the rules or walk away from them, but you can’t pretend they don’t exist just because they conflict with feminist ideas.