'Widow Cleansing'
There are many rites and tribal traditions that are not confined by borders and which are still practiced today. In many traditional African cultures, women are seen a the property of men - a 'bride price' is paid and ownership passes from father to husband.
On the death of a husband, all the husband's belongings are passed to other male members of the husband's family - the wife is part of this transaction - and is required to take part in a ceremony to cleanse her of her dead husband's spirit - this requires performing sexual acts with her husband's male relatives, or in some cases a visiting paid 'cleanser'.
This is viewed by many as a degrading and abhorrent ritual that has no place in a modern African society. The UN Secretary General has previously spoken out against this practice on International Widow's Day [23 June]
I became aware of this rite and beleived it could become the basis of a powerful and disturbing story. It took me 10 years to realise it needed to be written with a woman in the lead role - the character of Romance, a young woman living in an undisclosed southern African country took shape and her compelling story is told in The Cleansing
