'~12
...Citizen Of The '.
H.B. Good son [right] receives "Citizen of the Year" Plague f
This plaque was awarded during a celebration recently on
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November IS, 1975
African Spotlight
IKl * '-:'' . ^
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! 4 W^pWBBW^^j
The Institution:
- African Style Part 1
In ?? 4 l! .1 V _ ? ?? ? ? i .? . _
in my ursi iwo amcies, i snail aeai witn certain aspects of
marriage within the African setting. Part I deals with the
tradition of "bride-price" or lobola and its purpose as apart of
the general marriage arrangements. Much of my information
comes from U.N. reports and from various West Africans whoJ
have talked to about this slowly dying custom. ^
Bride-price was once a prevalent marriage custom in many
parts of the world. It is still practiced in several areas including
certain parts of India, the Malay Archipelago (including
Indonesia), New Guinea and the Persian Gulf states. It is,
however, in Africa that the bride price holds a great importance,
particularly among the traditionalists. The custom is practiced
among Christians and Moslems. Throughout Africa there are
many types of societies with different social and kinship
structures and economies. Therefore, there are wide differences
in the form and function of the bride-price.
Bride-price is often defined as the payment made on behalf of
the bridegroom to the bride's family. It has been described as
the "quid pro quo" given by the husband or by his senior
relatives on his behalf to the parents or other senior relatives of
the wife.
A committee on Bride-Price appointed by the Eastern
Regional Government of Nigeria defined it as "those things,
whether cash, gifts in kind or labor services, which a man gives
when he marries a woman and which are regarded in a case of
-divorce as refundable." In certain parts of East Africa, it is
defined as the payment of livestock, grain, or other food stuff,
clothinc. monev. or lahnr maHp Ku
? ' j ? ? vrj uiv i/iiu^iwui iu mc
parents of his bride in order to seal the marriage contract.
Many social scientists prefer the more literal translations of
( ( _ ! _ _ _ . i ja . -
marriage payment"bride wealth", or "marriage
consideration" rather than "bride-price". Anyhow, the term
bride-price should not be confused with the term dowry because
each word describes two different procedures.
Since marriage payment is traditionally made by the
bridegroom's kin, this clearly indicates that the entire marriage
is an alliance between the two family groups rather than solely a
personal association between the man and the woman. .
Bride-price is received by the girl's family and there are many
different patterns for distributing it among her mother's family
and her father's family.. Often the relative, father, uncle, or
other senior family member who is, according to mores,
primarily responsible for paying the bride-price on behalf of a
male kinsman, receives the bulk of the payment for the girl. The
, . ? ?
amount to oe given is among some people fixed and among
others a matter for negotiations.
It appears that the amount tends to be fixed at what the
wealthies can pay because of each father's fear that what is
received for a daughter will no be enough to obtain a wife for the
son next in line to be married. On the other hand, among some
groups, the bride-price may be insignificant as compared with
gifts to the couple from both sides and might be less than the
cost of festivities or the total outlay by the girl's family.
It seems that high bride-price is generally characteristic of
patrilinear societies, where children belong to the father's
family, and low bride-price is more usual in matrilinear societies
where children are affiliated to the mother's kinship group.
There is also great variation in custom with respect to the time
r -
iur cumpieiton 01 payment.
The payment of a bride-price may be a long-term transaction
sometimes beginning with betrothal and terminating either
before the marriage is consummated or at the time the girl
leaves her family, which is among certain peoples considerably
after consumation.
After marriage, if a man and woman cannot get along,
according to native law and custom, bride-price is refunded and
a divorce is granted. If bride-price is not refunded, the marriage
continues.
Robena Egemonye
* ~ T 0 % J