Okujepisa omukazendu (lit. 'offering a wife to a guest') is the polyamorous sexual practice of hospitable "wife-sharing" among the nomadic OvaHimba and OvaZemba peoples of Namibia's Kunene and Omusati regions.[1][2] According to the practice, a man welcomes a familiar male guest (typically a family member or best friend, and never a stranger or tourist) to his home by allowing the visitor to sleep in the man's bed and have sex with his wife for the night, while the man sleeps in another hut or outside.[3][4][5] The woman has little agency in the arrangement. The opposite arrangement, whereby a woman chooses a female friend for her husband to have sex with, exists, but is rare.[4] The practice has been described as "generations-old", "centuries-old", and "ancient".[4][6][7] The practice's justifications include belief that it deepens friendship and prevents promiscuity and jealousy in both sexes.[8]
Namibian feminists assert that okujepisa omukazenduisrape, and that women who resist participation or refuse to have sex with guests face repercussions, including ostracism, beating, and harassment.[4] Rural women are identified as being particularly at risk of retaliatory violence.[9] The practice has been identified as an aggravating factor in Namibia's HIV/AIDS crisis.[8]
In 2014, Kazeongere Tjeundo, a Himba lawmaker in the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA), proposed legislation to enshrine okujepisa omukazendu in law. He argued that okujepisa omukazendu mitigates domestic violence and claimed that women may decline to have sex with guests but should be compelled to share a bed with guests.[7] His proposal generated controversy from activists and legal experts, and the DTA distanced itself from Tjeundo, calling okujepisa omukazendu "wrong" and promising to take steps against the legislator.[10][11] Tjeundo responded that the media had misinterpreted him.[12] Rhingo Mutambo, a public relations officer in the Office of the Prime Minister of Namibia, criticized what he perceived to be sensationalist Western media coverage for implying tourists receive "free sex" in Himba communities. He clarified that the practice of okujepisa omukazendu is restricted to community members, and defended its social functionality.[13]
