In an African customary marriage, there is an arrangement between families where lobolo (bride wealth) was seen as a token of gratitude for the upbringing of the daughter, as well as a step to. For African women activists, and womens organisations, these threats are magnified. From oral tradition, literary records and observation, the article, through the lens of ethical relativism, mirrors morality as a timeless definition of humanity influenced by locality. The slaves discouraged casual sexual relationships and placed a lot emphasis on marriage and stability. Today, we not only speak of marriage as a union of love but also as one whose space is contested by various external forces. The groom does not propose to the bride, but the family comes with him to give the idea of him marrying the bride (Widjaja). Publisher of weekly, "Healing Words" and monthly, "Light the Way. Most of the time, it takes more than one day to discuss the settlement price. These items show evidence of ownership and when accepted by brides father or his representative evidence transfer authority of ownership of the bride from the father to the husband. Learn how your comment data is processed. "West Africa family systems were severely repressed throughout the New World (Guttmann, 1976)". All these will protect her from the evil plants of the witches which may cause premature abortion. When being married in the United states the man proposes or whatever the case is in the relationship, but in the Igbos relationship it is the family that plays part in the proposal. Several studies have confirmed that. This common occurrence usually brought about tremendous pain and grief to the slaves. In Zimbabwe, the "family" traditionally refers to an expansive. Key words: Africa, culture, Women's right, Yoruba Introduction Discourse on the rights of women in Africa has been a major focus of contemporary scholarship in Africa. Second, the continued Eurocentric descriptions and characterization of the African traditional family as some what depraved lead to the use of such terms as bride price, avoidance social taboos, segregated relationships, lack of love and tenderness in African marriages and families. Its important to put records right especially as most African rich traditions are branded demonic. dissolution of a marriage by judgment of a court or by accepted custom. Marriage plays significant roles in the Igbo status system for the individuals and their family and relatives. Women in Islam versus Women in the Judeo-Christianity: The Myth & The Reality By Dr. Sherif Abdel Azeem. Marriage has, despite demographic and political shifts, significant value for the individual, families and the society (Nock, 2005). Marriage in South Africa Wikipedia, Marriage in African Traditional Society UK Essays The setting of the ceremony in Cana is similar to African traditional marriage rites. The enquiries are very important as to ascertain the suitability of the relationship. ."); Talking Points on Traditional Marriage, CONCERNED WOMEN the Background of Totemism. This paper looks at how African marriage and family have evolved as a result of direct contact with both Islam and Christianity. It is observed that the failure of Kofi Ako and Anowa's marriage was as a result of disobedience to good counsel of parents and elders of the community. Marriage is sacred in Africa and beyond; because it solidifies relationships that enrich communities and nations by bringing forth new life and new hope. Anyone can have a wedding but only God can create a marriage. Such a reference would mean that the well-educated person would tend first to attribute his/her success to God, and so too would his/her family members. Cambridge-Africa Programme. With the popularity of Christianity throughout Zimbabwe in mind, the article uses 1 Corinthians 7:4 (The wifes body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband) as the text that can be used for the liberation and empowerment of all women in the face of HIV and AIDS. God then enacted a rule, for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and they become one. This rule was for the man whom God through this event satisfied his loneliness. Whether the bride and groom fall in love or someone makes the match, meeting involves A man in South Africa may have more than one spouse but a South African woman may only have one spouse. Each covenant has a senior partner and God appointed the man. Karen Tranberg Hansen, "Married Women and Work: Explorations from an Urban Case," African Social Research zo (1975), 777-799; Karen Tranberg Hansen, "Negotiating Sex and Gender in Urban Zambia," Journal of Southern African Studies 0o, z (1984), 219-238. and expand our definitions and limits. [3] Explain how people in the Traditional African Community prevented calamities from befalling them. The marriage ceremony was based on the principle of male dominance and female obedience. 4. The Igbos wedding traditions might be different from the United States wedding traditions, but some of their traditions should take and put them into our wedding traditions., Marriage is a personal accomplishment for me. the family, in most traditional and modern African societies, there was (is) a strict hierarchy of authority, according to which the males ruled and held responsibility for the females (Sofola 1977). The scenario presented in this passage depicts a traditional marriage ceremony. Marriage ceremonies throughout Africa vary greatly depending on the faith of the individuals. I pray African Christians to re-examine most European concept we give prime place while undermining our rich traditional culture. wives should be homemakers and primary caregivers were considered to be conservative. The Igbo tribes seem to be very traditional, and it feels to be rather an odd thing to see in America, but very normal in other parts of the world such as Nigeria., perception that they want to sell their girls, however this is not the case. Royal African Society. Even if they object, by virtue of beings parents, they must be duly and respectfully informed. In this presentation, the traditional African marriage is examined in relation to the involvement of family and community for sustenance from the perspective of Ama Ata Aido'sAnowa.Marriage in this context is a union which brings a man and a woman together for companionship and procreation. After the traditional marriage ceremony, they went for Court Registry ceremony and ended up in Church wedding. Before this ceremony, the couple get acquainted with each other and agreed to marry. These perceptions demonstrate a pattern of gender roles shaped by Western Judeo-Christian doctrine within the formal education curriculum, minimal inclusion of local history or cultural content,and loss of indigenous knowledge and practices. The purpose of this research is to show that until and unless there is a paradigm shift on the beliefs, teachings and practices of apostolic sects in terms of a deeper HIV and AIDS awareness programmes targeting these sects, the Zimbabwean women will continue to suffer. In African tradition, marriage was done after someone had gone through the adolescent stage where different African culture and traditions are handed down from generation to generation. The focus is on the collective more than the individual. Despite this, recent studies on the marriage institution reveal that speaking of marriage as an exclusive union of love, joy, and great intimacy risks being termed a contradiction amidst the experiences of violence today. As an example, there is no such thing as a "cousin" in Zimbabwean culture. Abstract. When a woman gets married the entire community rejoices with This article looks at Shona cultural and spiritual beliefs that promote masculinity and considers the negative impacts on the sexuality of women and, in turn, the ongoing HIV and AIDS pandemic. Despite this manifestation, marriage has been very often exposed to incidences of violence. The findings have then been generalized to the rest of the U.S. population (Bean, Crane, & . In fact the survival of the family and the future of marriage depended a 3 (3), 14 35. Family, Gender Roles, and Marriage in the Ancient Near East and the Greco-Roman World, BiAS Series, Joachim Kuegler, Rosinah Gabaitse, Blessing Nyahuma, Mark S Aidoo, Mavis Muguti, Menard Musendekwa, daniel nii aboagye aryeh, PhD, Kudzai Biri, Francis Machingura, Josiah Ucheawaji, Journal of Nigerian Association for the Study of Religions (NASR), Making Tradition: A Historical Perspective on Gender in Namibia, Putting them in their place:respectable and unrespectable women in Zimbabwean gender struggles, VIOLATION AND ABUSE OF WOMENS HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE CUSTOMARY PRACTICE OF KUZVARIRA" AMONG THE NDAU PEOPLE OF MOZAMBIQUE, ALook AT THE STRUGGLE OF ZIMBABWEAN MARRIED WOMEN REGARDING SAFE SEX, Sex Work as a test case for African feminism, Harmonise Zimbabwe's marriage laws before changing marriage certificates, 'Let them come to me!' Get ideas to incorporate into yours. Different cultures have different rituals and beliefs about marriage. 19, 1: 23-40. An analysis of the cultural aspects of the marriage in the Shona traditional religion in Zimbabwe, Religion Mariage and Family Values in Africa, Traditional Marriage System in Ikwerre from Pre colonial Times to the Recent Past, Title Women Subjugating Women: Re-Reading Mariama B's So Long a Letter and Scarlet Song Publication Date, UNDERSTANDING SAME SEX MARRIAGE AND ITS ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS ON AFRICAN VALUE SYSTEM: A CRITICAL STUDY OF THE NIGERIAN SOCIETY, is a Senior Research Fellow and Head of Religions and Philosophy Unit at the Institute of African Studies, Contemporary Zongo Communities in Accra Interfaith Marriages: The Case of Muslims and Christians in Accra, Elisheva Baumgarten, Judaism, in Don S. Browning and Marcia J. Bunge, eds., Children and Childhood in World Religions: Primary Sources and Texts (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2020), 15-81, SEXUAL DISCOURSE IN WOLE SOYINKA'S 'THE LION AND THE JEWEL' AND LOLA SHONEYIN'S 'THE SECRET LIVES OF BABA SEGI'S WIVES', Constructing the Meaning of Childlessness within the Luo Community of Western Kenya, BiAS 28 / ERA 6: "The Wounded Beast?" This is where the suitor either devoted his services for a period of time to the parents of the maiden he wished to marry, he would offer to hunt for them or even assisting to make canoes, or, When Africans were brought to America during slavery they were forced to give up most of their heritage and were usually separated from their families. For example, if the culture, values private property, it will have laws that forbid theft of property. Marriage in South Africa exists in a number of different forms, as a result of the diversity of religions and cultures in the country. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Once she finds him, he takes a few sips of the wine, and they are married. According to the Pew Research Center (2010), traditional African religions are still prevalent in African Wedding Traditions Everything You Want To Know, TRADITIONAL ETHICS AND THE MAINTENANCE OF SOCIAL, CHRISTIAN VALUES AND AFRICAN CULTURE AN EVALUATION, MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE AMONG THE ASANTE Centre of African The African marriage is full of deep-rooted culture that cannot be wished away. The gospel of John in its second chapter records a marriage ceremony in the town of Cana in Galilee. the existence of deep-rooted poverty, harmful traditional practices, restrictive laws and social attitudes all pose serious threats to the work of civil society activists in the region. In African culture and African traditional life, gender is defined according to roles and functions in the society. BiAS Series, Kudzai Biri, Joachim Kuegler. In 2009, Home Affairs wanted to change the law so that it would be a legal . This paper looks at how African marriage and family have evolved as a result of direct contact with both Islam and Christianity. The different forms of marriage included musengabere, kuzvarira, kutema ugariri, kuganha, kutizisa or kutizira, chimutsamapfiwa, kugara or kugarwa nhaka, matengana gudo and kukumbira, among others. These approaches to marital . African traditional marriage requires parents consent and blessings. Its the start of a new life for the bride and groom, together and out of the households of their parents., Arranged Marriage is a form of Marriage when your parents, families, and communities pick who your significant other is. With a rich and diverse culture African culture is known to change from county to county, many cultures along with traditions are found in Africa which makes Africa diverse, unique and mesmerizing in many ways to the world. As Siqwana-Ndulo (1998) stated, the institutions of family, marriage and household in African societies revolved around community. After this is over, the brides father hands the bride a wooden cup filled with palm wine. P.O. I also knew that all cultures had similar rules of engagement when it came to marriage practices. Even when they fought their ways through years of conflicts, thank God they have something to celebrate. This paper examines union patterns of young women (aged 15-29) in more than two dozen countries in sub-Saharan Africa, with the objective of documenting and analyzing the extent and nature of the. After they assemble this packet, the parents go search for a man for their daughter and see if he makes the requirements for their daughter., Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. This is something that most Americans are familiar with, or at least they are if theyve been involved in a wedding. People in the traditional African society holds positive views about older people. Efundula: Wo men's Initiation, Gender and Sexual Identities in Colonial and Post-Colonial Northern Namibia, Toward a Virtue Ethics of Marriage: Augustine and Aquinas on Friendship in Marriage, Same Sex Marriage - Recent Legal Developments in the USA, South Africa and Nigeria, Family in Africa - Opportunities and Challenges -article, PERCEPTIONS ON FORCED SEX IN MARRIAGE IN THE CAPE COAST METROPOLIS OF GHANA, CONJUGAL MORALITY IN EPHESIANS 5:21-33: IMPLICATION FOR AFRICAN, Re-thinking Gender Based Violence and its Implications on the Marriage Institution, The Barren Womb - Exploring the Christocentric Significance of the Suffering of Infertility in Catholic Marriages, DETERMINANTS OF INFIDELITY AMONG MARRIED COUPLES IN MWINGI CENTRAL CONSTITUENCY, KITUI COUNTY, KENYA, (2018) BOOK: On Vocation and Destiny: A Study in the Human Person and Marriage. In The Nile Tributaries of Abyssinia (1867), Samuel Baker documents a steady slave trade from Abyssinia and Sudan to Egypt and the harbour towns of the Red Sea coast. This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism not at all. Nina Evason, 2017. Contact: You can download the paper by clicking the button above. When looking at marriage as an institution, as opposed to a free-standing concept, marriage represents socially sanctioned behaviour. There are also other factors, such as, industrialisation, migration, inculturation, globalisation, information technology which have played a role in the changes of the African cultures. African traditional marriage requires parent's consent and blessings. She is given the task to find her groom in a crowd of guests while she greets them. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Fewer said having their relationship recognized in a religious ceremony (30%), financial stability (28%) or legal rights and benefits (23% . Africa culture is all about the ethnic groups family traditions, the literature, art and music shows the religion along with the social paths of their culture. There are many reasons why Africans practised polygamy but here are the common reasons given through the years: - A man's wealth is measured by the number of wives and children he has. This author is in no way against wedding for its a Church practice. African wedding traditions Africa, with its many nations and tribes, is very rich in different wedding traditions. It was the marriage ceremony that attracted people to the place. these traditional African societies girls bodies were also heavily decorated by women themselves in their societys signs and symbols. But right here is a summary of procedures before and after the Nuptials, the Xhosa way. Experience from the drama shows that the family and community play a fundamental role in the success and stabilization of the marriage. TRADITIONAL ETHICS AND THE MAINTENANCE OF SOCIAL The Igbos people are located in the southeastern part of Nigeria. Its no surprised therefore that wedding is usually conducted after the couple had performed their traditional rites. The thrust of this paper is therefore to rekindle in couples marital values; establish how they control human sexuality and therefore affect the family. Society has moved on; the traditional idea of marriage is outdated. God created a woman for a man and brought her to him to name. Some English bibles record this ceremony as wedding because wedding is purely European concept and tradition. The Role of Folk Music in Traditional African Society: The Igbo Experience 306 marriage rites, post natal ceremonies and other domestic duties. Political philosophers have taken the organization of sex and reproduction to be essential to the health of the state, and moral philosophers have debated whether marriage has a special moral status and relation to the human good. However, the paper focuses on GBV against women. India is one of the largest centers where child marriages take place. When Americans think wedding, they think big, white dresses, tiered cakes, being surrounded by family and friends, dancing, and of course the big kiss at the end of the ceremony to seal the deal. In a landmark ruling, the high court last year recognised that, in accordance with Nandi customary law on woman-to-woman marriages, Monica Jesang Katam could inherit her late wife's property . He is a contributor for the International Social Magazine, African Pride Magazine, International Punch and African News Digest. The Bahama of Africa and tribes of Samoa. INTRODUCTION These issues amongst others portend a changing landscape for the future of family law and to a larger extent the human race. In various traditional African societies, the African woman possessed the power that binds the society together. The focus is on the collective more than the individual. This paper is comprised of a literature review and an annotated bibliography of past and current empirical and theoretical scholarship and policy analysis concerning the de jure and de facto rules and norms of inheritance practices in African societies, particularly with regard to physical assets, and their effects on the intergenerational In, Africa and China the children have absolutely no say on whom they are going to marry. Some go further to find out whether the intended couples parents are married and still living together; not ruling our class distinction. There are consequences on those who breached this norm. 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