A Re-Turn to the Indigenous: Pathways to Multiversal Responses to Persisting Gendered Health and Social Inequities in Lesotho.

Indigenous knowledge systems embody a holistic, inclusive view of the world and foreground interconnectedness for the promotion of life. In African societies, foundational values of communality and interconnectedness are critical not only for social harmony but also for ensuring the sustained health and wellbeing of communities. Yet with the advent of colonial modernity, Indigenous structures and institutions that fostered these values were destroyed and denigrated. A case in point is the pitiki – women’s celebratory gatherings in honour of a new birth – which were resourceful women’s spaces where Indigenous knowledges sharing took place. This paper aimed to explore opportunities for reviving pitiki and expanding the scope of the pitiki teachings as a response to persisting gendered health and social inequities in Lesotho. Drawing on the narratives 10 women in Lesotho, this paper highlights the value of pitiki and the developments therein, for affording women bargaining power within their sexual relationships as well as empowering them as they navigate a context characterised by multiple intersecting inequalities. Significantly, using pitiki as an Indigenous knowledge hub for women’s empowerment will open room for multiversal, culture-appropriate responses to persisting gendered social ills faced by women in Lesotho. Thus, in line with the call for gender equality and health equity - prerequisites for sustainable development – this project highlights the need to ensure that Indigenous, culture-sensitive, community-based, women-led initiatives are prioritised in local contexts.