in life. You can download the paper by clicking the button above. For African women activists, and womens organisations, these threats are magnified. Couples in these Churches have no need going through Court Registry marriages anymore. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. Efundula: Wo men's Initiation, Gender and Sexual Identities in Colonial and Post-Colonial Northern Namibia, Obstacles in the Way of Love: The Enslavement of Intimacy in Samuel Crowther and Ama Ata Aidoo, Optimal pipeline connection for the west african gas pipeline network, Towards an African Atlantic: Ama Ata Aidoo's diasporic theater. A clan is made up of a family who either are related by blood and marriage. The ultraviolet light that lit the tiny box of a room made her underwear and heavy lipstick glow in an eerie, supernatural but definitely eye-catching way. At the beginning of the wedding, the bride walks around, selling boiled eggs to her guests to prove that shes able to make money. An Election Year Guide to Mitt Romneys Religion, Woman in Islam by Dr. Sherif Abdel Azeem, Ph.D. Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, Girls' experiences of religious and cultural practices: Human rights violations, Macho Masculinity: A Snare in the Context of HIV among the Manyika of Zimbabwe, (Re)producing an elite. The African marriage is an integral part of the whole African culture and was a rite of passage for every mature man and woman. African culture and traditions are handed down from generation to generation. Similar to some traditional American marriages the Igbo marriages have many customs and face new trends that alter the norm of society. Marriage plays significant roles in the Igbo status system for the individuals and their family and relatives. In Africa, especially in Igbo land, marriage is the only known Society has moved on; the traditional idea of marriage is outdated. If she confirms, the groom comes back the next day with his father and elders to discuss the brides settlement price. The setting of the ceremony in Cana is similar to African traditional marriage rites. Anyone can have a wedding but only God can create a marriage. The World Book Encyclopedia states that 40% of Africans identify as Christian while 45% are Muslim. 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. The point is that this Christianity takes a lions share in the Zimbabwean religious market particularly when compared to other non-indigenous religions like Islam, Buddhism and Judaism. It presents quantitative data showing very low marriage rates among Zulu African Wedding Traditions Bringing the Even though liberated in Christ, the battered syndrome of colonization is still within us. Today, we not only speak of marriage as a union of love but also as one whose space is contested by various external forces. Constructing the Meaning of Childlessness within the Luo Community of Western Kenya. Theres no substitute for traditional marriage for on its foundation other traditions rest. (a) Outline six roles of diviners in Traditional African society. compulsion for marriage in the context of an African slave girl Ojebeta Ogbanje: Every woman, whether slave or free, must marry. Marriage in South Africa exists in a number of different forms, as a result of the diversity of religions and cultures in the country. Each covenant has a senior partner and God appointed the man. The list of issues that defy a conclusive reasoning is non exhaustive especially within the context of the same sex marriage debate and they include - the socio-cultural and psychological disconnect that children are exposed to when their parents are gay or transgender, the ever evolving definition of a family unit, the inadequacy of the laws available to take care but largely vague in interpretation, who raises the children in a same sex marriage setting among others. Grounding its argument from the conceptual understanding of marriage from both the African and the Roman Catholic Church points of view, the paper discusses the aspect of hegemonic masculinities as one of the root causes of gender based violence that threatens the marriage bond. The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women (Protocol to the African Charter),13 article 2(1)(b) provides that state parties must enact and effectively implement appropriate legislative or regulatory measures, 11 South Africa ratified the CEDAW in 1996 and presented its first Country Report in 1998 . The brides father welcomes his guest and then asks the bride if she agrees with the proposal. For example, if the culture, values private property, it will have laws that forbid theft of property. letters from the traditional council. This paper looks at how African marriage and family have evolved as a result of direct contact with both Islam and Christianity. In general, all ceremonies use the same principles. If she says yes, they go to the brides compound where the groom meets with the father and explains why he is there. If It's Your Money, I Will Pay and Go: Shifting and Contested Significance of Brideprice Payment among the Dagaaba of Northwest Ghana. Thank goodness Government has approved some Churches as marriage centers. the Nation and Intellectual Leadership Crisis . For them, "love" is ife, "to love" is iferan, and "I love you" is mo fe e.2 In the East African country of Kenya, the over 6 million Gikuyus express love reflexively, as in "to love one another," ngwendet n, rather than the sentiment When a woman gets married the entire community rejoices with To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds toupgrade your browser. And through all the hardships they had placed on them, they developed strong emotional bonds and family ties. 10.2307/1971859 JSTOR New Trends. This article examines the question of morality in a nonwesternized African society drawing from Igbo cosmology. All Rights Reserved. these traditional African societies girls bodies were also heavily decorated by women themselves in their societys signs and symbols. P.O. This article analyzes gender perspectives at two secondary schools in Nsukka, Nigeria. This author is in no way against wedding for its a Church practice. These laws are cultural values. Filed Under: Essays Tagged With: Family. Marriage is an institution of society with different purpose, functions and forms in different societies but is present everywhere as an institution. African wedding traditions are about as varied and diverse as the countries and tribes that make up the continent. 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. When looking at marriage as an institution, as opposed to a free-standing concept, marriage represents socially sanctioned behaviour. In recent years, modern life, industry, During the ceremony, the couple dances while guests throw money at them or put it on their foreheads., The Igbos wedding traditions are really different from weddings in the United States of America. The research will argue for and against same sex marriage but will touch on the salient fact that it is a movement that will come to be accepted over a period of time and get the needed attention it deserve but will ultimately attempt to address emerging trends in the same sex marriage debate. If the woman accepts the proposal, the grooms family presents bride price and associated items to the brides parent. This portrayal of men and women does not end in the public sphere but is also found in the private sphere where men decide what is good for their partners in relation to safe sex. They also include a description of her familys background, education, hobbies, accomplishments and interests. The Role of Folk Music in Traditional African Society: The Igbo Experience 306 marriage rites, post natal ceremonies and other domestic duties. 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. Blessed be the God of all creation for being in the business of creating marriages as well as rebuilding and amending them. The essence is to serve God or gods effectively to avert its wrath and punishment. The African marriage is full of deep-rooted culture that cannot be wished away. Marriage ceremonies throughout Africa vary greatly depending on the faith of the individuals. About nine-in-ten Americans (88%) cited love as a very important reason to get married, ahead of making a lifelong commitment (81%) and companionship (76%), according to a 2013 Pew Research Center survey. Its customary gifts [and not a price for buying a bride] in appreciation of the gift of a bride. Having a wife then to create a family with her and providing for them, is a rite a passage for most African American males. These enquiries are crucial because the couple entering into marriage each represents its family in the relationship. They have no reason to impose it on people who had already had their marriage rites. The point is that this It gives women in customary law marriages the same status and protection as women in civil . 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. 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!' In some communities, the dead are buried with their belonging e.g. To learn more, view ourPrivacy Policy. The union of marriage is so strong that two become one flesh. You can download the paper by clicking the button above. In each of these situations, African women are able to manipulate the existing system through woman-to-woman marriage in order to achieve higher social and economic status. When she dies, there will be nobody of her own immediate blood to remember Central to these customs is the institution of roora, the payment of bridewealth. Tel: 8328813929 (Cell). But in the name of Churchanity [not Christianity], most Africans appear to regard European wedding superior to our rich African traditional rites. BiAS Series, Kudzai Biri, Joachim Kuegler. All they need is marriage blessings. Learn how your comment data is processed. Rather than seeing marriage as the only possible option, we should embrace the various sorts of human relationships (e.g. Traditional counselling is a growing area of interest in African contemporary society, especially amongst members of the counselling profession. After the traditional marriage ceremony, they went for Court Registry ceremony and ended up in Church wedding. Alternation - Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of the Arts and Humanities in Southern Africa, Asian Journal of Humanities and Social Studies, Asian Research Journal of Arts & Social Sciences, A Study of Rural Women Participation in Education for Development in Kaduna State of Nigeria, 1. This article discusses how Wangari Maathai's life experiences narrated in her autobiography Unbowed offers an opportunity for discussing the contradictions surrounding the perception, place and identity of women in African politics.Against the backdrop of gendered nationalism which glorifies the role and place of women in the construction of nations, the article presents a different . of marriage and divorce in contemporary Igbo society. 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. My parents were together for 15 years before they divorced but before the split I was able to witness the idea of a family. In India among tribes of Tiyan, Toda, Kota, Khasa . Cambridge Development Initiative. Contact: They shall witness, bless and rejoice for Gods fulfillment, support and encourage them as they pass through new experiences of starting life together. In many African societies the expectant mother may be smarred all over her body with white chalk and wears protective amulets. Women in Islam versus Women in the Judeo-Christianity: The Myth & The Reality By Dr. Sherif Abdel Azeem. Taboos represent the main source of guiding principles regulating and directing the behaviour of individuals and the community towards the Supreme Being and especially the gods and the ancestors in African traditional societies (Dagba et al 145). New trends that alter the norm of society with different purpose, functions and forms in different societies is... Abdel Azeem clicking the button above rebuilding and amending them Islam versus women civil! 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