Bridewealth in African Marriage: Lecture 8 PDF

An Issue in African Marriage and Gender Relations AK Awedoba: July, 2016  Items of property, valuables of various kinds, may be given or received as part of the process of initiating and formalising new marriages. This seems to be common in African societies. In...

An Issue in African Marriage and Gender Relations AK Awedoba: July, 2016  Items of property, valuables of various kinds, may be given or received as part of the process of initiating and formalising new marriages. This seems to be common in African societies. In Africa and some parts of the world, in addition to gifts given to the fiancée, exchanges take place between families i.e. between Wife- Takers (groom and his people) and Wife-Givers (bride’s family).  If you live in Southern Ghana, you know what happens at what they call the ‘engagement’.  Today, these transactions have been criticized by some people who feel they have no place in society while others consider them as justified. In urban parts of S. Ghana the ‘engagement’ is when things are given and taken. It happens before the church wedding. But the items may be given and received at several points in the marriage: 1. Before conjugal relations begin, 2. Some time after consummation of the marriage, 3. After the birth of the first child, 4. Much later in couple’s life (post menopause), 5. After the death of the wife/couple. Some societies allow for settlement by instalments. Some allow for negotiations. So many permutations: depending on the society. The first concern of the Coalition was to: Reform customary marriage to eliminate substantial payments in money and in kind. For anyone who reads the newspapers, it is clear that The Coalition is voicing concerns over an issue that concerns men as much as women. In fact, some would argue that it concerns young men even more than women. What exactly is the issue? The answer lies in an examination of the bridewealth issue. Today, marriage transactions involving giving and taking items of property have been widely criticized: Some feel these transactions have no place in contemporary society today; Some object because they feel the transactions are too expensive and too demanding; But equally, there are those who see no problem with the transactions in question. “Our ancestor are excused but not any among you who would at this modern age disrupt any marriage because of some Dowry. Our ancestors must have had their reasons then, it dont just fit into our present day. Had our ancestors lived up till this day, am very much convinced they would have realised this kind of tradition has contributed to slavery and giving hands in marriage with or without the bride's consent. Dowry should be a thing of the past like our ancestor buried with them.” Garland Orhue Ogiegor, Edo, Nigeria ‘My name is Ijeoma and i am a married woman from Nigeria. Yes, my family received dowry when i was getting married. my opinion is that dowry should be continued. i don't see it as having a price tag on but a way of formalising an agreement. in my country dowry is very minimal but it exists, it can be as low as 20k or less and it is a tradition blessed by God as exchange of gifts by the families of both groom and bride is established in the Bible. [Ijeoma Odega, Lagos, Nigeria] The transactions in question go by several terms which have implications: 1. Dowry – misapplication of term for European (in past), Mediterranean and Asian practices; 2. Brideprice (suggests price tag on the girl); 3. Marriage Prestations (term is value neutral) 4. Marriage Payments (suggests payment; not specific as to what is being paid for) 5. Bridewealth term introduced by anthropologists. Bridewealth Customary items that Wife-Takers (W-T) give to the Wife-givers (W-G). W-T  W-G Dowry Items W-G give to W-T (Bride/ b-groom) as part of the marriage settlement W-G  W-T NOTE:Where both sons & daughters are entitled to receive property from their parents, dowry may be seen as a married daughter’s share of the patrimony. This is uncommon in sub-Saharan Africa, but widespread in India, and the Mediterranean region etc. In most of sub-Saharan Africa bridewealth is customary and mandatory. But there are societies where B-W is not mandatory or is not significant. Where B-W is required, a marriage may lack legitimacy and social recognition without the settlement of b-w. This can have serious repercussions for spouses and their children, since such a couple are merely co-habiting. Legitimises marriage: husband and wife are seen to have a legitimate status with associated conjugal rights. (Cohabitation may lack this). Has documentary value and acts as a record for a marriage. Its presentation is often witnessed by key members of the community. Compensates bride’s parents for loss of her child-bearing benefit and her labour. Husband can claim paternity rights over issues born by the wife. An assortment of things (in agreed quantities); societies differ as to items used. Items may include: - Livestock: cattle, goats, sheep etc.; - Consumables – foodstuff and alcoholic beverages, salt, tobacco etc.; - Cash (sums of money); - Cloth (traditional and/or manufactured cloth); - Labour (farm labour, etc.) - Unusual items (some no longer easily available) – cowries, metal goods, etc. Trousseau Wedding presents comprising utensils and other women’s goods that a newly wed takes to her marital home. In sub-Saharan societies where dowries are not customary, it may still be seen as desirable for a new bride to arrive at her husband’s home with a trousseau. In co-wife quarrels the issue of how much of a trousseau a particular co-wife/wife brought over may be the subject of taunts and ridicule. In those societies where a trousseau is expected, the bride’s parents should provide or contribute to it; Where impoverished parents cannot or will not provide a married daughter with the necessary items, young girls may have to find the necessary items themselves; This fact, to some extent, accounts for female teenage school drop-outs and perhaps for the kayayei phenomenon in cities like Accra and Kumasi. Some kayayei in the cities are really searching for money to buy their needs to enable them go back and settle down as respectable wives. In some parts of Ghana, the Groom and his people present to the bride’s family the customarily required items like metal truck, several pieces of cloth, trinkets, rings, Bible etc. While some of these items are retained by the wife-givers much more is handed over to the new wife as she sets out for her conjugal home. Thus, she arrives at her new home with a trousseau. W-T => W-G (=>Daughter) => W-T (H + W) W-T thus contributes indirectly to the bride’s trousseau. Men complain about this; young men say they cannot afford the items considered necessary. Demanded & Presented at Knocking Rites: 2 bottles of schnapps; 2 bottles of Gin; An amount of money If this is the customary standard, then compare it to the new demands of the engagement and the church wedding that follows. 8 half pieces of cloth – wax prints 2 pieces of Kente cloth Some scarves 1 pair -local sandals (ohenema) 1 Suit case 1 wooden stool (Asesegwa) 2 bottles of gin 2 bottles of brandy 2 bottles of whiskey 2 bottles of schnapps 2 crates of beer 2 crates of soft drinks 1 Bible 1 Catholic Hymnal Cloth for bride’s mother Cloth for bride’s father Bridal money: to be given to the bride (¢2ml) Some money to be given to bride’s mother Some money to be given to bride’s father Akonta sika – sum of money for brother-in-law (¢20) Handkerchiefs, panties, brassier, ladies hand bag Engagement ring Is bridewealth a problem? The answer depends on a number of questions:  Itsquantum – what and how much is demanded and what and how much is actually taken.  Affordability - is it too much for those involved?  Availability -Are the items demanded easily available? Would a couple be prevented from living together as a legally married couple if they genuinely could not afford the goods? The answer to these questions varies from society to society and sometimes even within the same society, and from time to time or depending on individual circumstances. B-Wealth is not necessarily a problem in all cases. That it’s too expensive(Individuals can’t afford it) Delays marriage for men and advances that for girls; Leads to wife abuse (esp. in cases of infertility); Youth are exploited (where B-W involves labour for in-laws); Denies wives some freedoms i.e. divorce is difficult; De-humanizes women – making it seem as if they are commodities being transacted; Inter-ethnic marriages are made difficult. These arguments don’t hold in all cases, but they cannot be denied entirely.  In some societies bridewealth is a mere token of no more than of a symbolic value.  People who give and take B-W do not see it as wife purchase since the items are not deemed equivalent to a human being.  It commits both groom’s and bride’s sides to a marriage; this can make marriages stable.  It ensures that those who are not ready for marriage do not take the plunge.  In some societies, it results in more equitable distribution of marriage partners. Those few societies where B-W is not demanded are not necessarily free of the associated problems – such as exploitation and costs.  Without B-W some parents may lose interest in the girl child’s welfare.  W-G may insist on sister exchange.  W-G may demand subservience from youth.  There may be greater promiscuity in society, as the elderly feel they have nothing to lose if daughters are not virgins on marriage, or careless who girls move with, or whether they stay married for long. THANK YOU