Ochendo: An African Journal of Innovative Studies

This abstract explores the complex dynamics of ectogenesis in the context of traditional African conceptions of motherhood and Afro-feminism. It looks at how traditional Yoruba conceptions of motherhood, which place a strong emphasis on the spiritual and relational components of the mother-fetus bond, are challenged by ectogenesis. This paper examines the contradictions between ectogenesis and fundamental African values through critical interaction with Afro-feminist concepts and the ontology of parenting among African adults. This paper recognises that ectogenesis has the ability to solve infertility and provide possibilities for parenting in modern-day Africa, despite worries about its un-Africanness. These draw from the works of specific African feminists and scholars (such as Siwila, 2015, on indigenous knowledge in African women's theology of motherhood; and Ohaja et al., 2019 and 2021, on rituals and embodied cultural practices at the beginning of life) alongside Western feminist bioethicists (such as Smajdor, 2007; MacKay, 2020; and Cavaliere, 2020), as well as a methodological framework. The study seeks to shed light on the practical and moral implications of ectogenesis for African women, along with its relevance, opportunities, and difficulties in African contexts.

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