An exploration into the prevalence of the “Ben 10” trend in a South African decolonial context

An exploration into the prevalence of the “Ben 10” trend in a South African decolonial context

Magezi Elijah Baloyi & Lilian Cheelo Siwila

Issue: Vol. 7 No.2 2026 Article 15 pp. 620 – 630
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20267215| Published online 31st March 2026

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ABSTRACT

It is evident that African marriage has been under severe stress and decline for different reasons within the democratic dispensation. Factors like migrant workers, cultural change and other civil developments have not been innocent in this challenge. The authors of this article selected the Ben 10 practices for a study towards seeking ways to retain the dignity and respect which the African marriage once had before. The practical and traditional challenges that are observed when young boys get involved in relationships with older mothers who may even be the same age as their mothers are studied, unveiled and evaluated in the light of both cultural evolution and the developmental changes like human rights and so forth. This will not ignore the African values which helped sustain marriage even before colonial changes came. This is a conceptualised desktop study that will check if the current practices are not undermining African marriage. The study is an awareness that new practices that come during cultural change do not merely change the identity and the dignity that the African marriage ought to have. Decolonizing also implies that Africans must understand their roots in terms of the value within marriage practices.

Keywords: Dating, African Marriage, Sugar Daddies, Ben Ten, Cohabitation, Relationships.

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ABOUT AUTHOR(S)

Prof Baloyi Magezi Elijah is a C2 NRF-rated Full Professor (UNISA) of Practical Theology and holds a PhD in Practical Theology from the University of Pretoria. A former Chair of the Department of Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology and a former chair of the Board of Research Institute of Theology and Religion, Unisa. A first black theological academic to be awarded Center of Theological Inquiry Membership under the topic “Thriving in Diverse Contexts” in Princeton, USA. Amongst other achievements, he is a 2025 recipient of a One Million Rand award recipient from the VC in 2025 for “A study program on psychological science for Researchers in Christian theology.” He became the first South African Academic to officially register a research partnership between Unisa and the Congress of Traditional Leaders in South Africa under the research subject: “Critical reflection on the erosion of post-colonial African Funeral Traditions.”

Prof. Lilian Cheelo Siwila is an Associate Professor in the School of Arts. She is a lecturer in Theology and Gender Studies. Academic Leader for Community Engagement. She has worked with a number of Theological and research related organisations in the field of Gender, Theology, ecology SRH and Culture. She is a member of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians and an active member of a number of ecumenical bodies. Her research interests include Religion, Gender, Culture, indigenous knowledge and climate change, liturgy and feminism, Sexual and reproductive health rights and their interface with feminist Theology. She has published widely in internationally recognised journals and books, including 5 edited book volumes and 2 forthcoming monographs.

TO CITE ARTICLE

Baloyi, Magezi Elijah & Lilian Cheelo Siwila.“ An exploration into the prevalence of the “Ben 10” trend in a South African decolonial context.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 7, no.2 (2026): 620 – 630. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20267215