Marriage As A Conjugal Reality ~ From the Frontlines to the Sublime: Why Man & Woman? Changes in family structures reflect the enduring tensions between traditional, Christian/religious and modern values and structures. 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. 3. In practice, same sex marriage is argued from the viewpoint of being a human rights issue but this project work will try to sieve through the raging controversy which has greeted this debate from both moral, political and even from proponents of the traditional family institutions. These issues amongst others portend a changing landscape for the future of family law and to a larger extent the human race. DEATH RITES IN AFRICAN TRADITIONAL SOCIETY (A.T.S) In some communities, the corpse is washed using water and herbal medicine in order to preserve and send it clean to the spirit world. Generally, marriage meaning the institution regulating sex, reproduction, and family life, is a route into classical philosophical issues such as the good and the scope of individual choice, as well as itself raising distinctive philosophical questions. At marriage, every African Christian couple, especially in mission-founded churches, is confronted with three worlds the world of the traditional culture to which most parents of marrying-age children belong; the world of the civil or African society has been undergoing tremendous changes in every aspect of life including family structure and marriage. African culture and traditions are handed down from generation to generation. It was a white bodyEastern European-looking like the stereotypewith a white bra and G-string. Fewer said having their relationship recognized in a religious ceremony (30%), financial stability (28%) or legal rights and benefits (23% . Get ideas to incorporate into yours. Anyone can have a wedding but only God can create a marriage. of marriage and divorce in contemporary Igbo society. This article seeks to interrogate the practice of polygamy in the Johane Marange sect in the light of HIV and AIDS. A bstract: The celebration of marriage manifests a union of love, joy and great intimacy. In the extended family, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents played important roles. It must be noted that the African society loves to have children. To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds toupgrade your browser. It argues that not only does gender based violence risk the health and wellbeing of the married couple, children and the society, but also its continuous 'coexistence' with marriage threatens the realization of the essential properties of marriage (unity and indissolubility). 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. I ntroduction: Human societies globally have from time immemorial held with great regard the celebration of marriage. African culture and traditions are handed down from generation to generation. 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. I paid my toll more than twenty years ago. C.N Nwadiokwu, 2E.S Nwadiokwu, 3E.N Favour, 4 It must be noted that the African society loves to have children. In various traditional African societies, the African woman possessed the power that binds the society together. Marriage in Traditional African Society and Its Televance. So unhappy is the woman who fails to get children. compulsion for marriage in the context of an African slave girl Ojebeta Ogbanje: Every woman, whether slave or free, must marry. Marriage is an institution of society with different purpose, functions and forms in different societies but is present everywhere as an institution. the Nation and Intellectual Leadership Crisis . The Igbos take the wedding traditions series and the wedding is a celebration for everyone in the town. Introduction At marriage, every African Christian couple, especially in mission-founded churches, is confronted with three 'worlds' - the world of the traditional culture to which most parents of marrying-age children belong; the world of the civil or 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. Research is revealing trends that Americans are . It is found that there are many differences between the two of these cultures. Several studies have confirmed that. Enjoy!Marriage is something that is highly valued in the Xhosa culture. In some communities, the dead are buried with their belonging e.g. All they need is marriage blessings. The African marriage is an integral part of the whole African culture and was a rite of passage for every mature man and woman. - Agriculturally is easier to have a big family to cultivate the land. Our parents have done their turn; we must pass the baton. Marriage plays significant roles in the Igbo status system for the individuals and their family and relatives. 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. MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE AMONG THE ASANTE a study undertaken in the course of the Ashanti Social Survey (1945) T. E. Kyei CAMBRIDGE AFRICAN MONOGRAPHS 14 From tying the knot to jumping the broom, the traditions incorporated in African American weddings are often a mix of customs borrowed . This paper is from Masculinities under Neoliberalism, edited by Andrea Cornwall, Frank G. Karioris & Nancy Lindisfarne, pp 165-182. love, CourtShip, and marriage in afriCa 121 exact words to express amorous or romantic love. A last type of proposal or demand in marriage was a purchase contract. Introduction stopped to stare at the body showcased in the Amsterdam window and inadvertently shuddered. 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. A clan is made up of a family who either are related by blood and marriage. Some English bibles record this ceremony as wedding because wedding is purely European concept and tradition. New York: World Youth Alliance Press, 2018, Beyond the Quest for Historical Jesus in African Christianity: Albert Nolan, Jacques Dupuis and the Universality of Christ's saving work, Marriage and Meaningful Existence: A Philosophic Response to the Polemics on Marriage, RELIGION, MARRIAGE AND FAMILY VALUES IN AFRICA: ISSUES, CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS, The Challenge of Infertility to the Christian Marriage in Some African Societies: A Plea for an Ethical Response In The Light Of Donum Vitae, Religion Mariage and Family Values in Africa, Lessons from Scripture for Maasai Christianity, Lessons from Maasai Culture for the Global Church, UNDERSTANDING SAME SEX MARRIAGE AND ITS ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS ON AFRICAN VALUE SYSTEM: A CRITICAL STUDY OF THE NIGERIAN SOCIETY, Promoting Chastity in Marriage through Marital Counseling In The Light Of Amoris Laetitia, The Blame of Infertility in Families amongst the Ikwerre People of Rivers State, Wife Battery: A Divine Command from the Garden of Eden or a Gene Disorder in Men? Contact: - The more wives a man has, the more political alliances he makes. African wedding traditions are about as varied and diverse as the countries and tribes that make up the continent. This appears a misconception. Anyone can have a wedding but only God can create a marriage. Usually they bring kola nuts and palm wine to feast on. Each community has a distinct political and social organization. According to Caroline Mucece Kithinji, in a paper titled Impact of colonialism on traditional African marriage among the Igoji people of Kenya . 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. During this event, relations and the community witness the dowry and bride items given to the womans parent. Again neither the Jewish synagogues nor their temples had a place for wedding. Despite this manifestation, marriage has been very often exposed to incidences of violence. 4. So, modern couples are usually raised in traditional society, but with a lot of influences from modern, often western, education, television, radio, and so on. Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. This is to show how crucial it is! The World Book Encyclopedia states that 40% of Africans identify as Christian while 45% are Muslim. It is also a legal way of ending marriage (Macmillan School Dictionary, 2011). This marriage ceremony is only for a monogamous union and any polygamous relations are forbidden. African and Chinese cultures both have very intriguing ways of how they proceed with their ceremony. In Africa. traditional African society. 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. 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. 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. Journal of African Interdisciplinary Studies. 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. The underline contribution is that there is value especially in the traditional marriage system this value is underscored in life. 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. And through all the hardships they had placed on them, they developed strong emotional bonds and family ties. No matter her beauty or qualities, her failure to bear children is worse than committing genocide. This article investigates links between ilobolo (bridewealth) practices and marriage outcomes in contemporary Zulu society. in traditional Africa from a holistic perspective, with emphasis on how culture has impacted negatively on their well-being, although there are benefits derive from their status in society. 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. Some clergies use the text of this passage in exhortation during wedding ceremonies to an extent that many people mistaken the ceremony to a wedding instead of traditional marriage. 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 . This shall be the focus of our discussion in this paper. [3] As Siqwana-Ndulo (1998) stated, the institutions of family, marriage and household in African societies revolved around community. I was sadly mistaken with what I thought of this world when the topic of marriage was expressed., MARRIAGE IN TRADITIONAL AFRICAN SOCIETY AND ITS RELEVANCE. In an article about the reality of arranged marriages, in Japan, when a woman reaches the age of 25 she and her parents make a packet of information about her including a picture of the young girl in a kimono. 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. Once she finds him, he takes a few sips of the wine, and they are married. They tend to forget the traditional teachings for the marriage, or think they are Instead, the women are told to go to court. If the woman accepts the proposal, the grooms family presents bride price and associated items to the brides parent. Its customary gifts [and not a price for buying a bride] in appreciation of the gift of a bride. As a matter of fact, before any Church wedding commences in African or of African descent the clergy would ascertain that traditional rites had been fulfilled. She is given the task to find her groom in a crowd of guests while she greets them. 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. When it comes to marriage, South Africa has various tribes and cultures which have very colourful traditional ceremonies. Its important to put records right especially as most African rich traditions are branded demonic. Society has moved on; the traditional idea of marriage is outdated. We missed a balanced understanding of the contradictions that this ambiguity presented. 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