Breaking the Silence Around Father Wounds in African Families

Why We Must Talk About Father Wounds in Zimbabwean and Diaspora Communities

In many African families, especially in Zimbabwean culture, there is an unspoken rule: Do not question your father.

Respect is demanded—sometimes at the cost of honesty, healing, and wholeness.

Many of us grew up with wounds we could not name:

👉 The pain of an absent father.

👉 The coldness of an emotionally distant father.

👉 The fear of an angry or controlling father.

But silence does not heal. Silence breeds shame.

And shame locks us in cycles of insecurity, striving, and broken relationships—often repeated in the next generation.

Jesus didn’t avoid these wounds. In telling the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15), He opened the conversation about broken families, deep shame, and longing for love.

The younger son’s journey is the journey of many in the diaspora—trying to prove themselves, trying to find worth, longing for a father’s embrace.

The Good News is this:

👉 We can break the silence.

👉 We can name the wounds.

👉 We can run to the Father who heals.

Our story does not have to be one of generational wounds. In Christ, we can begin a new story—for ourselves, for our children, for the next generation.

It’s time to break the silence and come home to the Father’s love.