Beyond the Quest for Historical Jesus in African Christianity: Albert Nolan, Jacques Dupuis and the Universality of Christ's saving work, Polygamy in the Bible With Implications for Seventh-day Adventist Missiology, BiAS 22: The Bible and Gender troubles in Africa (ed. The African marriage is full of deep-rooted culture that cannot be wished away. Woman-to-woman marriage can also be beneficial to persons other than the female husband. Your email address will not be published. Centre for Commonwealth Education (Faculty of Education) Centre of Governance and Human Rights (CG+HR) Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) Folignouma Band. Isukha Traditional Marriage Processes and Rituals in Pre-Colonial Kenya. 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. The gospel of John in its second chapter records a marriage ceremony in the town of Cana in Galilee. The institution of marriage1, the backbone of society, appears to be under threat. This has undoubtedly undermined the institution of marriage. Protecting its historic definition for the sake of our children and our future is both wise and courageous . 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. For African women activists, and womens organisations, these threats are magnified. In traditional marriage, the religious aspects include the preliminary divination by which the young man who seeks a wife is enabled to find out from what clan or lineage his Chi (Guardian Spirit) permits him to take a wife of fortune from. 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. The problem is our refusal to be who God created us to be and not proud of whom we are. single-parent families, gay couples, etc.) African Wedding Traditions Bringing the 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 . Each has their own unique ritual of how they go about a wedding ceremony. In a traditional family the parents contracted the marriage. Religion informs everything in traditional African society, including political art, marriage, health, diet, dress, economics, and death. In, Africa and China the children have absolutely no say on whom they are going to marry. The Role of the African Traditional Religion in the Promotion of Justice, Reconciliation and Peace in Africa in the Twenty-first Century: A Kenyan Experience . 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. Having a wife then to create a family with her and providing for them, is a rite a passage for most African American males. Cambridge-Africa Programme. Whether the bride and groom fall in love or someone makes the match, meeting involves African culture and traditions are handed down from generation to generation. In related literature, this period is defined as the emergent adulthood stage and it is of critical importance to establish and maintain romantic relationships during this transition period (Arnett, 2000). C.N Nwadiokwu, 2E.S Nwadiokwu, 3E.N Favour, 4 It must be noted that the African society loves to have children. 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. Fewer said having their relationship recognized in a religious ceremony (30%), financial stability (28%) or legal rights and benefits (23% . (a) Outline six roles of diviners in Traditional African society. "Marriage in Africa was the means of ensuring reproduction, but things change", explained Dr Lynne Brydon in the opening remarks of the 2017 Cadbury Conference, an annual event held by the University of Birmingham's Department of African Studies and Anthropology (DASA). 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. 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. the Nation and Intellectual Leadership Crisis . 19, 1: 23-40. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. African marriage and family should be conducted according to the Christ-event at the Cross. 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. Theres no substitute for traditional marriage for on its foundation other traditions rest. 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 Zimbabwe, the "family" traditionally refers to an expansive. Once the wedding day comes, it is usually held at the brides compound. During this event, relations and the community witness the dowry and bride items given to the womans parent. From tying the knot to jumping the broom, the traditions incorporated in African American weddings are often a mix of customs borrowed . 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. Thera Rasing Traditional modern and christian teachings in The parents of the young girls have certain requirements for their daughters future husband. 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 ("Traditional marriage is a bedrock institution of our communities, state, nation and society. The article explores a variety of marital counselling approaches relevant to African settings: indigenous, Western, Christian and Islamic. 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 . Constructing the Meaning of Childlessness within the Luo Community of Western Kenya. Julius Gathogo, Jennifer Sistig, Judith Kotze, Kudzai Biri, Johannes Wessels, Joachim Kuegler, Stephanie Feder, Francis Machingura, Fortune Sibanda, BiAS Series, Reverend Nyasha Madzokere, Canisius Mwandayi, Musa W. Dube, Lovemore Togarasei, Moji Ruele, IN: Networks, Resources and Economic Action. Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer. When she dies, there will be nobody of her own immediate blood to remember Its customary gifts [and not a price for buying a bride] in appreciation of the gift of a bride. It presents quantitative data showing very low marriage rates among Zulu This article examines the question of morality in a nonwesternized African society drawing from Igbo cosmology. The history of marriage customs in Africa are, interestingly, based on practices that other cultures around the world have historically practiced. This shall be the focus of our discussion in this paper. 3 (3), 14 35. Marriage and Enslavement in Africa: Connections and Comparisons. 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. Thus, it recommended that cultural practices that are harmful to women should be discarded, Satria Rizaldi Alchatib, Joseph Habamahirwe, Journal of Nigerian Association for the Study of Religions (NASR), Oracle of Wisdom Journal of Philosophy and Public Affairs. Box 720035, Houston, Texas, 77272 After this is over, the brides father hands the bride a wooden cup filled with palm wine. The wedding tradition came along with colonization and the inception of Christianity in Africa. She is given the task to find her groom in a crowd of guests while she greets them. 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. Some go further to find out whether the intended couples parents are married and still living together; not ruling our class distinction. 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. Before this ceremony, the couple get acquainted with each other and agreed to marry. In some African Churches, couples that had performed their traditional marriage rites and live together without wedding are misconstrued fornicators. The African marriage is an integral part of the whole African culture and was a rite of passage for every mature 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. 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. The family occupies a pivotal place in every society and in the Africa continent at large. I always knew that marriage was between a man and a woman. Are made up of smaller units called clan. Christian marriage is different from traditional marriage in Igbo nation. Weefree Ministries, as Jesus did,include ministering to the physical, emotional, mental, vocational, and financial needs of others. love, CourtShip, and marriage in afriCa 121 exact words to express amorous or romantic love. Yet they failed to comprehend the spectacular miracle that held two people together to become one. Royal African Society. In recent years, modern life, industry, I paid my toll more than twenty years ago. The underline contribution is that there is value especially in the traditional marriage system this value is underscored in life. 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 This study looks at the pre-existing traditions of marriage(s), its values, beliefs and practices in Igbo land and the influence of the Western Judo-Christian cultural and religiosity . What is interesting is that, even though Christianity is a religion that has been associated with equality and freedoms of every human soul, the status of women in relation to polygamy in the apostolic sects have topped the debate. Marriage takes many forms in Africa. 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. The setting of the ceremony in Cana is similar to African traditional marriage rites. by J. Kgler / R. Gabaitse / J. Stiebert), Marriage and family life in Zimbabwean culture. They believe that the dead will need those things in the spirit . Instead, the women are told to go to court. Marriage in South Africa exists in a number of different forms, as a result of the diversity of religions and cultures in the country. 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? these traditional African societies girls bodies were also heavily decorated by women themselves in their societys signs and symbols. Anyone can have a wedding but only God can create a marriage. People in the traditional African society holds positive views about older people. In Africa, it has not been any different. 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 site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer. Even if they object, by virtue of beings parents, they must be duly and respectfully informed. As both a sacrament and covenant, marriage is traceable back to its origin, God, who is Love. Women in Africa: Tradition and Change. 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. 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. I ntroduction: Human societies globally have from time immemorial held with great regard the celebration of marriage. - Single Women, Tradition, and the Bible in Zimbabwe (by Kudzai BIRI, with a foreword by Joachim Kgler), The loudness of the Unsaid: Proverbs in selected African drama, Not a boy, not a child": A qualitative study on young people's views on childbearing in Uganda, Isukha Traditional Marriage Processes and Rituals in Pre-Colonial Kenya. 10.2307/1971859 JSTOR It was the marriage ceremony that attracted people to the place. This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism not at all. African traditional marriage requires parent's consent and blessings. 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. 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 Chapter 3 investigated the Chapter 3 investigated the different reasons for divorce among the population. To learn more, view ourPrivacy Policy. Itcertainly places emphasis on 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 (see John 1:12; Colossians 2:6-7; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 3:8-10). 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. Even though liberated in Christ, the battered syndrome of colonization is still within us. It analyzes gender-role changes or perceptions of change based on students reported interactions in formal education settings. But our citizenship is in heaven. However, they were successful in continuing the traditional African emphasis on the extended family. This paper looks at how African marriage and family have evolved as a result of direct contact with both Islam and Christianity. The bride and the groom marry for further lineage of the groom's family. representation in traditional sexuality. Each community has a distinct political and social organization. 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. of marriage and divorce in contemporary Igbo society. They also include a description of her familys background, education, hobbies, accomplishments and interests. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. In various traditional African societies, the African woman possessed the power that binds the society together. 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