Matriarchy at the Crossroads in Africa: The Clash between its Theoretical and Practical Orientation in Tanzania's Land Tenure Systems.

Contrary to scholarship that attaches matrilineal practices to women's control and power over land in Africa. This paper interrogated this theoretical positioning to its contemporary practicality by posing the discussions among the 'Luguru' matrilineal of Eastern Tanzania. The article has discussed how land has been claimed, transferred, and owned across gender lens with the apparent changes in political and socio-cultural settings of the community. Shreds of evidence deduced from triangulated approaches provided contradictory conclusions. There is a serious shift of power relations among the 'Luguru' land tenure tradition where women have gradually lost their ancestral land rights. The transformative keys among others are intertribal interference, immigration, commercialization of land, monetization, and intertribal marriages. If these dynamics remain unaddressed by the policy makers and other accountable authorities, women's participation in decision-making on issues related to land administration/management, use of farm proceeds or benefit sharing, and food security in the matrilineal setting will be threatened. As such, women will remain under continuous and serious socio-economic miseries that might cement their dependence on men. Context and Background Land is a contested resource in Africa. This contestation is attributed to the scarcity and significance attached to it. To all who are struggling with its claim, women are considered to be the most underprivileged group. Vigorous debates and efforts are aired out to ensure equitable land access in Africa for inclusive sustainable development across gender lens. Goal and Objectives This study assessed the practicality of matriarchy land theory at the contemporary age among the 'Luguru' matrilineal of Tanzania. This is influenced by the several noticeable forces that have been considered to shift power and control over land in most African matrilineal communities. Methodology Data were collected in the Wami-Dakawa ward with three villages of Kwa- Mhuzi, Sokoine, and Wami being visited. The selected ward and villages were easily accessible from Morogoro Municipality with their majority of inhabitants engaging in agricultural production. A qualitative research design was adopted with triangulated research methodologies to have in-depth peoples' perceptions. The process was accomplished through unstructured interviews to have a detailed and flexible process of obtaining firsthand information. About 25 respondents were consulted with 10 males and 15 females including; ordinary citizens and village chairmen. The respondents were purposively sampled depending on their presence, willingness, age, gender, and leadership positions in the community to have varieties of responses. They provided their perceptions and practical experiences on the state of their traditional land tenure system and the changes encountered. Besides interviews, both published and unpublished documents on land issues were consulted. Results The study revealed the presence of serious power shift over land access and control where male dominance out positioning the matrilineal traditional norms. As such, the entire matrilineal land tenure practices being into jeopardy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]