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. Yet they failed to comprehend the spectacular miracle that held two people together to become one. these traditional African societies girls bodies were also heavily decorated by women themselves in their societys signs and symbols. Cambridge Development Initiative. A last type of proposal or demand in marriage was a purchase contract. Thera Rasing Traditional modern and christian teachings in This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Instead, the women are told to go to court. Feminist philosophers have seen marriage as playing a crucial role in women's oppression and thus a central topic of justice. 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. 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. They believe that the dead will need those things in the spirit . The Bahama of Africa and tribes of Samoa. Some English bibles record this ceremony as wedding because wedding is purely European concept and tradition. 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. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. The point is that this No gain saying a relation of Mary Jesus mother was the host and Mary, Jesus and his disciples were duly invited. God wants marriage to be the way it was when He first created Eve from Adam. Some neither concern whether it was a wedding or traditional marriage nor can distinguish between the two. These cultural values are laws, customs, and forms of behavior, regulations, rules, observances and taboos. Even though seminars, programmes, conferences, electronic and print media have made people aware of HIV and AIDS, the cultural barriers supported by traditional African religions and Christian religious beliefs have taken women hostage, making them vulnerable to Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), HIV and AIDS. And through all the hardships they had placed on them, they developed strong emotional bonds and family ties. letters from the traditional council. After the grooms family hands over the money and other prerequisites to the brides family, the wedding day is planned. In African tradition, marriage was done after someone had gone through the adolescent stage where different moral confusion and conflict that presently confront African Christians at marriage. Centre for Commonwealth Education (Faculty of Education) Centre of Governance and Human Rights (CG+HR) Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) Folignouma Band. African society has been undergoing tremendous changes in every aspect of life including family structure and marriage. As Siqwana-Ndulo (1998) stated, the institutions of family, marriage and household in African societies revolved around community. When a woman gets married the entire community rejoices with African culture and traditions are handed down from generation to generation. Copyright 2023 - Weefree Ministries. African marriage and family should be conducted according to the Christ-event at the Cross. Marriage and Enslavement in Africa: Connections and Comparisons. 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. When the diviner pronounces the . In some communities, the dead are buried with their belonging e.g. (NICATD, Crystalrlombardo) There can be many pros and cons to arranged marriages. Essay on MARRIAGE IN TRADITIONAL AFRICAN SOCIETY AND ITS, The Practice of Lobola in Contemporary South African Society, African Traditional Family Hunger For Culture, African wedding traditions TraditionsCustoms.com The Role of Folk Music in Traditional African Society: The Igbo Experience 306 marriage rites, post natal ceremonies and other domestic duties. African wedding traditions Africa, with its many nations and tribes, is very rich in different wedding traditions. They have no reason to impose it on people who had already had their marriage rites. by J. Kgler / R. Gabaitse / J. Stiebert), Marriage and family life in Zimbabwean culture. It analyzes gender-role changes or perceptions of change based on students reported interactions in formal education settings. 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. 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 some African Churches, couples that had performed their traditional marriage rites and live together without wedding are misconstrued fornicators. It is what it means to be male or female in a certain society that shapes the opportunities one is offered in life, the roles one may play, and the kinds of relationships one may have. 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. In the extended family, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents played important roles. The traditional values and beliefs of the African that stem from his culture include polygamy, belief in one supreme God as well as many other minor deities, love of children, music, dancing, respect for old age and authority, belief in a future life, marriage and funeral In this way, African culture and values can be revaluated, their relevance established and sustained in order to give credence to authentic African identity. Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer. Philosophers have also disputed the underlying moral and legal rationales for the structure of marriage, with implications for questions such as the content of its moral obligations and the legal recognition of same-sex marriage. 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. In a modern family people is less subject to the parental control in the matter of mate choice. THE ROLE OF AFRICAN TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE RITES ON MARITAL STABILITY: A CASE OF THE ABAGUSII PEOPLE, KENYA January 2022 Project: Post-doctoral Research Authors: Esther Kerebi Nyamache The. To learn more, view ourPrivacy Policy. Before this ceremony, the couple get acquainted with each other and agreed to marry. Society has moved on; the traditional idea of marriage is outdated. Even though liberated in Christ, the battered syndrome of colonization is still within us. This paper looks at how African marriage and family have evolved as a result of direct contact with both Islam and Christianity. 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). You can download the paper by clicking the button above. In traditional African societies, the law enforcement agents, traditional police and courts were responsible for ensuring compliance with the laws of the land. 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). Despite this manifestation, marriage has been very often exposed to incidences of violence. This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism not at all. Most Africans underwent three marriage rites before they could have their wives. Ochieng, E. (2019). contemporary society but maintain that these values be critically assessed, and those found to be inimical to the well-being and holistic development of the society, be discarded. The Daily Bread devotional booklet of October 6, 2005 said, Marriage not wedding was the real miracle. Your email address will not be published. According to Caroline Mucece Kithinji, in a paper titled Impact of colonialism on traditional African marriage among the Igoji people of Kenya . It was possible for betrothal to happen when a girl had not yet reached her change of pubescent to later be married and was considered a marriage contract and if not followed, there would be great consequences. The Process of Marriage in African Societies: A Multiple Indicator Approach Created Date: 20160811045033Z 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. Are made up of smaller units called clan. 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. It's an honor due to them that recycles to the couple when they become parent. To maintain some family identity, parents named their children after themselves or other relatives or sometimes gave them African names., It is said that the Africa culture stands out more than any other culture In the World. All they need is marriage blessings. The dowry and bride items include token money and various gifts. 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. Weefree Ministries - Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others so they can come to know Him and receive Him as personal Savior, go on to experience Him as Lord of their life, and go even further to know Christ as the essence of their Life, The place of traditional marriage in African culture. 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. 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 modern times, the influence of the family over marriage has eroded, but many institutions of Shona marriage customs endure. . These laws are cultural values. 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. 4. To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds toupgrade your browser. If It's Your Money, I Will Pay and Go: Shifting and Contested Significance of Brideprice Payment among the Dagaaba of Northwest Ghana. The Jewish practice is akin to African traditional marriage rites. Contra Bamikole, the paper argues that the capacity of the agba (elder) to manage conflict shrewdly in traditional Yoruba society was a combined function of the elders personality, proverbial Marriage is the basis of family. These three ceremonies involve fortune and time. [2] It is common practice in Africa to combine practices of major religions with local religious traditions. 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. In the traditional African society, older people were highly esteemed because of the important roles they played by helping to integrate the society, preserve its cultural values, transmit knowledge and skills, settle disputes and educate the young. The escalating experiences of violence as force among married couples, call to question what it means to be husband and wife or whether marriage is merely an ideal so difficult to realize. The family occupies a pivotal place in every society and in the Africa continent at large. Polygyny is that of which is practiced in the Maasai culture, as an ideal that is achieved only by that of the elder men of the tribe. 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. African marriage traditions and customs pdf Some may take wedding traditions for granted, but the road to becoming newlyweds is one that's filled with poignant symbolism for many African American families. The African marriage is full of deep-rooted culture that cannot be wished away. People in the traditional African society holds positive views about older people. families, and misses the many meanings and practices of marriage that coexist in our society. It is a given that it has come to stay going with the way gay pride parades and marches have been held around the world especially in countries where it has been legalised like the United Kingdom, the Netherlands to mention a few. - Agriculturally is easier to have a big family to cultivate the land. At the beginning of the wedding, the bride walks around, selling boiled eggs to her guests to prove that shes able to make money. the Nation and Intellectual Leadership Crisis . Usually they bring kola nuts and palm wine to feast on. Research is revealing trends that Americans are . See also Bonnie B. Keller, "Marriage by Elopement," African Social Research 27 (1979), 565-585. All Rights Reserved. GENDER OPPRESSION AND POSSIBILITIES OF EMPOWERMENT: IMAGES OF WOMEN IN AFRICAN LITERATURE WITH SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO MARIAMA BS SO LONG A LETTER, BUCHI EMECHETAS THE JOYS OF MOTHERHOOD AND TSITSI DANGAREMBGAS NERVOUS CONDITIONS, PARENT-INVOLVED APPROACH TO MARRIAGE: AN EFFECTIVE WAY AGAINST WIFE MALTREATMENT AND DIVORCE IN SELECTED AFRICAN FICTION 1Written by ALLAGBE Akinola Monday INTRODUC TION, Still I Rise: Tracing Womanhood In World Cultures, Critical Examination of the Legal Implications Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act, 2013 on Customary "Female Husband Marriage" or "Woman-to-Woman" in Nigeria, The Barren Woman: Sociocultural Attitudes Toward Infertility, activities to promote teaching speaking skill, Kalabari Marriage System and the Rights of Women in the Family1, Nigerian widows on screen reflections on a changing landscape, Walking With Shadows and the Critique of the Evolutionary Characterof Nigerian Narratives, Religion, Psychology, and Globalization Process: Attitudinal Appraisal, Traditionalism vs. Modernity as Interregnum in the Young Adult's Social Integration in Emeka Nwabueze's a Dance of the Dead, ATTITUDE OF MUSLIMS ELITE TOWARD MARRIAGE A CASE STUDY OF DUKKU LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF GOMBE STATE, Portrayal of African Women in Folklore: A case Study of Proverbs among the Lunda in the Northwestern Part of Zambia, Journal of International Women's Studies Unbending Gender Narratives in African Literature, THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH TOWARDS AMELIORATION OF SOCIO-CULTURAL PRACTICES INIMICAL TO WOMEN LIBERATION IN IGBOLAND, Slavery and Foklore in the plays of Ama Ata Aidoo.pdf, The Paternity Establishment Theory of Marriage, THE INSTITUTION OF THE FAMILY, MARRIAGE, KINSHIP AND DESCENT SYSTEMS BY, "From patriarchy to matriarchy: Re-defining the role of women in Alkali's The stillborn" in, NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA SCHOOL OF EDUCATION COURSE CODE: PED320 COURSE TITLE: Family Education, Birifor Women Leaders in Christian Mission: A Case Study of the Impact of Two Women on the Growth of the Apostolic Church of Ghana and the Eglise Protestante Evanglique Du Burkina Faso, RELIGION, MARRIAGE AND FAMILY VALUES IN AFRICA: ISSUES, CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS, Marriage and family life in Zimbabwean 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. What is new is the reaffirmation of marriage vows during marriage anniversaries. A man in South Africa may have more than one spouse but a South African woman may only have one spouse. In a traditional family the parents contracted the marriage. 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. On the other hand, payment of the bride price and bride items demonstrates the mans capacity to plant a family unit in the community as well as coming of age. 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. The debate on HIV and AIDS has attracted necessary attention in all facets of Zimbabwean life. Unfortunately, as a result ofthemen being much older at the time of marriage, most women become widows, knowing that it is understood that they should never remarry again. The article explores a variety of marital counselling approaches relevant to African settings: indigenous, Western, Christian and Islamic. Get ideas to incorporate into yours. Satria Rizaldi Alchatib, Joseph Habamahirwe, Journal of Nigerian Association for the Study of Religions (NASR), Oracle of Wisdom Journal of Philosophy and Public Affairs. 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. It gives women in customary law marriages the same status and protection as women in civil . Some go further to find out whether the intended couples parents are married and still living together; not ruling our class distinction. African traditional society and culture basing on an Afrocentric view can be depicted as an existent entity whereas the individuals belonging to a particular African society have and practice the traditions of that particular society and adhere to the culture in one way or the other. The scenario presented in this passage depicts a traditional marriage ceremony. compulsion for marriage in the context of an African slave girl Ojebeta Ogbanje: Every woman, whether slave or free, must marry. The emergence of clusters of traditions and cultural civilization of the wider Igbo society and the influence of the Western culture necessitated the need to review the traditional Igbo marriage and customs. A value is that quality of a thing thought of as being more or less desirable, useful, estimable and important. African women by officially recognising all African customary marriages in South Africa. Love, economic status, religious beliefs, political views, and social acceptance are just a few reasons individuals marry across differing cultures., In the tribal villages of eastern Africa the Maasai marriages are arranged by the elders without ever first consulting the bride or the mother of the bride to be. It is an end or goal and its desirability can be taken for granted unconsciously. The Igbos take the wedding traditions series and the wedding is a celebration for everyone in the town. 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. Tel: 8328813929 (Cell). It is found that there are many differences between the two of these cultures. 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. In African culture and African traditional life, gender is defined according to roles and functions in the society. The cultural values form a moral code, which regulates the community. C.N Nwadiokwu, 2E.S Nwadiokwu, 3E.N Favour, 4 It must be noted that the African society loves to have children. This has undoubtedly undermined the institution of marriage. After the traditional marriage ceremony, they went for Court Registry ceremony and ended up in Church wedding. Throughout the continent, the diversity of systems reflects the traditions, religions, and economic circumstances of a wide variety of distinct cultures. In Zimbabwe, the "family" traditionally refers to an expansive. It could not be a wedding because wedding was not a Jewish Custom and tradition. In April 1862 he visited a slave market in Gallabat on what today is the border between Sudan and Ethiopia, where he saw a large number of 'lovely captives . Unlike, that of my own culture in the United States of America, where I am free as a citizen to choose whomever I may choose to marry and when and if I may marry. with some recent contrasting work on African Americans. It summarizes gender issues under students perceptions of gender roles, norms, and practices in relation to themselves, their peer group, and their perceptions of generational change compared with those of their parents and grandparents. It takes faith that requires belief in miracle to pledge ones life to another. 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. These approaches to marital . Once the wedding day comes, it is usually held at the brides compound. 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. However, in Africa, the practice of arranged marriages isnt as commonly used as it used to be. When she dies, there will be nobody of her own immediate blood to remember Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer. Anyone can have a wedding but only God can create a marriage. 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