In African societies, the people see marriage as proof that a man is mature and is capable of taking care of the family he will build with his wife. History Of Marriage Customs In Africa Thera Rasing Traditional modern and christian teachings in . Bible in Africa Studies International Conference-UB.GABORONE,25-27 JULY,2012, LITURGICAL ASPECTS OF WEDDING CEREMONIES IN REFORMED CHURCHES OF AFRICAN ORIGIN, The Levirate Custom of Inheriting Widows among the Supyire People of Mali: Theological pointers for Christian marriageThe Levirate Custom of Inheriting Widows among the Supyire People of Mali: Theological pointers for Christian marriage, A Diet of Wives as the Lifestyle of the Vapostori Sects: The Polygamy Debate in the Face of HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe, Tsitsi Dangarembga's Nervous Conditions Literary Analysis: A UNISA Dissertation, SSM 11: Natasha Erlank, "Missionary views on sexuality in Xhosaland in the nineteenth Century", New Evangelization For The Catholic Church And Local Cultures In Zimbabwe, Same-sex union articles in the Journal of Religion and Gender in Africa, A voluminous book on Redemptive masculinities in the era of HIV and AIDS, A woman should learn in quietness and full submission-1 Timothy 2:11, And the Two will become One Flesh (Mark 10:8): Domestic Violence as a Destabilising Force against the Institution of the Family in Zimbabwe, BiAS 17: The Bible and Children in Africa (edited by Lovemore TOGARASEI & Joachim KGLER), Could I Vote for a Mormon for President? The findings have then been generalized to the rest of the U.S. population (Bean, Crane, & . Ochieng, E. (2019). Unfortunately the status of Zimbabwean women is still in a sad state due to the prevalence of masculinist and patriarchal norms that negatively portray Zimbabwean women as subordinates and men as dominating all aspects of life. All these will protect her from the evil plants of the witches which may cause premature abortion. network. Each has their own unique ritual of how they go about a wedding ceremony. When she dies, there will be nobody of her own immediate blood to remember Publisher of weekly, "Healing Words" and monthly, "Light the Way. However, in Africa, the practice of arranged marriages isnt as commonly used as it used to be. The bride and the groom marry for further lineage of the groom's family. African culture and traditions are handed down from generation to generation. We should be reminded that we have it as our responsibility not only to uphold our tradition but also pass it to future generation. representation in traditional sexuality. Fewer said having their relationship recognized in a religious ceremony (30%), financial stability (28%) or legal rights and benefits (23% . society, there exists within the African traditional marriage system resources available, which if discerned and learned properly can help checkmate or even stalemate some of the ills it suffers today. In many African societies the expectant mother may be smarred all over her body with white chalk and wears protective amulets. Central to these customs is the institution of roora, the payment of bridewealth. Although, I myself practice monogamy, as it is tradition in my culture and that of what is expected by me, my community, and my family., There are not original or principle ceremony since it all differs depending on the what clans and from community to community. Our African Christians after performing marriage rites that the Europeans do not do are subjected to wedding that involves spending of fortune. Although different societies in Africa celebrate marriage differently given the diversity of belief systems, it can be generally stated that marriage manifests a union of love, joy and great intimacy. Helping another person experiencing psychosocial or emotional distress and mentoring someone to achieve a life goal can be one of the most enabling human services. It is important to state that child bearing is fundamental to African marriage as it was the major crisis that brought this one to failure. Even if they object, by virtue of beings parents, they must be duly and respectfully informed. Throughout the continent, the diversity of systems reflects the traditions, religions, and economic circumstances of a wide variety of distinct cultures. It includes norms and values of a society: their religion, politics, economics, technology, food habits, medicine, rules of marriage, the performing arts, law and so on. In some communities, the dead are buried with their belonging e.g. 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. The Bahama of Africa and tribes of Samoa. Academia.edu uses cookies to personalize content, tailor ads and improve the user experience. So unhappy is the woman who fails to get children. 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. Once the wedding day comes, it is usually held at the brides compound. 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. The thrust of this paper is therefore to rekindle in couples marital values; establish how they control human sexuality and therefore affect the family. Despite this manifestation, marriage has been very often exposed to incidences of violence. 19, 1: 23-40. The groom does not propose to the bride, but the family comes with him to give the idea of him marrying the bride (Widjaja). 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. 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. But right here is a summary of procedures before and after the Nuptials, the Xhosa way. While a single lesson plan cannot fully explore the variety and complexity of African life, in this lesson students can gain insight into the lives of some black women in Sub-Saharan Africa by adopting a perspective that is in part traditional, based on the arts of African village life, and in part. Same sex marriages are happening everywhere around the world and it has received a significant boost in numbers since the landmark ruling given in Obergefell v. Hodges which made it legal in the 50 states across the United States of America. The Igbo have a marriage system that straddles the line of old traditions, types, and new trends to the Igbo structure., Marriage is an important step in the life of nearly every human on earth. 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. It is not discriminatory. 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 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. To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds toupgrade your browser. In Africa, especially in Igbo land, marriage is the only known In 2009, Home Affairs wanted to change the law so that it would be a legal . The African marriage is full of deep-rooted culture that cannot be wished away. 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 Process of Marriage in African Societies: A Multiple Indicator Approach Created Date: 20160811045033Z African society, on the other hand, does not emphasize individual looks and lust as the primary motivation for marriage, but rather the basic focus is on building families and communities. Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer. Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer. 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. Copyright 2023 - Weefree Ministries. It is trite to note that even where regulations exist to excuse or better still legalise this form of marriage, it is still not acceptable in major cultures and civilisation across the world and particularly in many African countries like Malawi, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Nigeria. It is therefore recommended that before any marriage engagement, the man and the woman should consider their suitability to the fulfilment of fundamental obligation of child bearing as concern for family sustenance. However, they were successful in continuing the traditional African emphasis on the extended family. It is indeed the Society has moved on; the traditional idea of marriage is outdated. Marriage As A Conjugal Reality ~ From the Frontlines to the Sublime: Why Man & Woman? This article investigates links between ilobolo (bridewealth) practices and marriage outcomes in contemporary Zulu society. The ceremony opportune members of both families to know and familiarized themselves. The underline contribution is that there is value especially in the traditional marriage system this value is underscored in life. In some African regions if the couple is residing abroad, the traditional marriage will still be accomplished even in their absence by the family members back home. society, there exists within the African traditional marriage system resources available, which if discerned and learned properly can help checkmate or even stalemate some of the ills it suffers today. Your guess is as good as mine. while caution must be exercised in the quest for the liberation of women so that African cultural values can be retained, and thus not destroyed under the guise of civilization. The paper takes cognizance of the fact that men and women are both perpetrators and victims of gender based violence. Its customary gifts [and not a price for buying a bride] in appreciation of the gift of a bride. 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 . Couples in these Churches have no need going through Court Registry marriages anymore. The Daily Bread devotional booklet of October 6, 2005 said, Marriage not wedding was the real miracle. 6. This is neither biblical nor African custom but an aftermath of religion, colonization and perhaps misapplication of the scripture. Traditional marriage is a community affair. Cambridge-Africa Programme. This paper focuses on gender based violence to argue that not only does gender based violence in marriages risk the health and wellbeing of the couple, children and the society, but also threatens the realization of the essential properties of marriage. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. C.N Nwadiokwu, 2E.S Nwadiokwu, 3E.N Favour, 4 It must be noted that the African society loves to have children. the Nation and Intellectual Leadership Crisis . Protecting its historic definition for the sake of our children and our future is both wise and courageous . Each community has a distinct political and social organization. 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. 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