Nnachi Nwanyi

Patriarchy is the cornerstone of gender practice amongst the Igbo ethnic group, who are mainly found in the south-east of Nigeria. In Igboland, social organisations prioritise male and female prerogatives while belabouring a father with leadership within a family. This makes his wife or wives and children dependent on him. Traditionally, descent and inheritance follow the male line. Therefore, if a man has no sons, his lineage ends with his death. To forestall the closure of his family name and legacy, his wife seeks alternative ways to ensure their family has a male heir. Nhachi Nwanyị is one way out. This practice is a last resort employed to maintain the family name and lineage when a family has no sons and the man is unwilling or unable to take additional wives. It involves the man’s wife either marrying another woman or encouraging her daughter to remain with the family and have children with a man who will continue the family’s ancestry. Although this custom is declining in urban areas because of Christian values prohibiting polygamy, as well as increasing awareness of legal adoption and in vitro fertilisation (IVF) procedures, Nhachi Nwanyị remains relevant in rural areas. Through interviews and critical discussions, this chapter

contributes to the growing body of scholarship on the practice by examining its implications in the context of African feminisms.