In the western world, it is common for a little girl to imagine herself walking down the aisle in a beautiful white gown and her father at her side ready to hand her over into the hands of the man of her dreams. However, in Sub-Saharan African societies like Ghana and Uganda, girls dream of the day when a man, along with his family, will come to her father’s house and propose a bride price to perform the traditional marriage rights. Bride price according to Gita Sen is problematic in that it is defined as a payment made by a prospective husband to the family of a woman he wishes to marry (Sen). From Sen’s definition, it is evident that bride price not only highlights the dominance of patriarchy in African societies but emphasizes the objectification of women as payments are made in exchange of a bride/woman. In Diane Johnson’s article, “Traditional Marriage in Africa: The Dowry”, Johnson explains that the concept of bride price in Sub-Saharan African societies is purposely for the control and objectification of women by men (Johnson). Johnson in her article informs us that before a bride price is set, there is a complex process of negotiations between the two families. These are headed by the uncles and sometimes the aunties of both families until there is a mutual agreement on the price the groom has to pay in order to marry the bride (Johnson). Johnson continues to argue that this process of negotiation and price setting can easily be seen as an act of selling and buying. In my opinion, this process of negotiation and price setting is a form of objectifying a woman as it clearly equates a bride/woman to a commodity or good found in a shop. Even though this act of offering a bride price to the family of one’s bride is embedded i... ... middle of paper ... ...anda, 2004. 64-94. Johnson, Diane. Traditional Marriage in Africa: The Dowry. 7 October 2010. 11 May 2011 . Matembe, Hon Miria R. K. "The Relationship Between Domestic Violence and Bride Price." International Conference on Bride Price. Kampala, Uganda, 2004. 18-. Merriem-Webster. 2011. 12 May 2011 . Orhin, Isabella Gyau. "High Bride Price Aiding Marital Violence." 14 December 2002. Ghana Web. 12 May 2011 . Sen, Gita. "Subordination and Sexual Control: A Comparative View of The Contorl of Women- A View Across Cultures." Nalini Visvanthan, Lynn Duggan, Laurie Nisonoff, Nan Wiegersma. The Women, Gender and Development Reader. The University Press, 2005. 142-149.
A notable amount of thee victims come from working class and lower economic background and money and the lack there of was a major preceding factor in many cases. Domestic violence is not exclusive to the working class or low income and transcends economic status it I worth note that domestic violence disproportionately affects people of lower economic status. Lacking financial resources is a leading reason why women stay in abusive relationships. A number of cases in the document had heavy relation to finances and abusers controlling the finances in the relationship, even when the perpetrators of abuse were not the
Africa, like many continents, have a variety of cultures and customs. These customs are unique and specific base on regions and religion. In this short document, “Africa: Will You Marry Me”, invites viewers to observe common practices and religions of Ethiopia, Mali, Niger, and Senegal. Through this forty-five-minute documentary, a family from each country is interviewed to portray the average customs in that particular part of Africa. The first interview was in Ethiopia with a young women named Rahel.
Within the earliest of civilizations of India, pre-pubescent girls were offered to men as wives, which ultimately lead to the destruction of women’s domestic independence. As said in Document 1, “because girls married before they could finish their education, they were not qualified to perform ritual sacrifices. Furthermore, wives’ legal rights eroded.” Likewise, Indian women became politically subordinate to men. However, by modern standards, women’s social
The story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker and “Marriage is a Private Affair” by Chinua Achebe deals with significant conflicts that come from two different generation. The theme for both stories are similar “Everyday Use “is about traditions that were handed down and “Marriage is a private affair talks about heritage and the ancestors passed from generation to generation. While both stories have different views of their own generation “Everyday Use” focus on cultural and” Marriage is a private affair” centers on how the people in Nigeria have lived by their ancestor's traditions.
When the Price family arrived, they were shocked on how the Congolese men treated their own wives, as if they weren’t important even though the women did all the work. “ Though as far as I could see the wives and daughter did just about all the work“(229). This shows that African women have a difficult time during their lives, whereas the men don’t do as physically or mentally as hard as what the women have to do in the Congo. This is different compared to our culture because men had to do more a more arduous and more physically demanding jobs, while the women don’t do jobs that are as demanding as those of the work the men
This is the moment dreaded by every Senegalese woman, the moment she sacrifices her possession as gifts to her family-in-law; and worse still, beyond her possessions she gives up her personality, her dignity, becoming a thing in the service of the man who has married her…Her behavior is conditioned…our family-in-law take away with them a wad of notes, painstakingly topped, and leaving us utterly destitute, we who will need material support (Letter 4/7).
Sernau, Scott. "Chapter 3 Gender and Family/ Marriage and Divorce." Global Problems: The Search for Equity, Peace, and Sustainability. Boston: Pearson/A and B, 2006. 83-84. Print.
"Nigeria: Prevalence of Arranged Marriage within the Igbo (Ibo) Community; Description of Traditional Betrothal/marriage Contract and Marriage; Whether Groom's Family Is Financially Responsible for the Bride upon Betrothal; State Protection Available to Women Forced into Marriage." Refworld. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013.
This decision highlights the significant difference in cultural norms regarding marriage between Igbo people and Western society. In Igbo culture, the purpose of marriage is to produce babies in order to continue the family line. It is acceptable for a father to marry his own daughter, so that she can produce babies who will take her father’s name. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the father will have sex with his daughter – it simply means the daughter will not marry anyone else. The identity of the baby’s biological father is not important, as long the baby takes the name of its mother’s father’s. By contrast, when two people marry in Western society they commit to loving each other for the rest of their lives, and they establish a family based on this commitment. Adaeze loves Ezenta, she is already married to him and she is pregnant with his child. She cannot accept the idea of marrying her father. When she fails to convince her father to change his decision, she decides to disobey her father and flees to London to live the life she
“One woman dies every hour due to dowry related reasons on an average in the country” (“The Times of India”). Dowry system is profoundly an immoral custom which is dominant in India; where the family of a bride have to offer money, gold or expensive items like car, refrigerator to the groom’s family. However, dowry was considered as a traditional ritual where gifts were given to the daughter and her new family by her parents with their will. Dowry has been practiced in our societies from a very long time, even the ancient Romans used to carry out this ritual. “Romans used to exchange the gifts and dowry” (“Weddings, Marriages and Divorce”). Dowry system is becoming fatal gradually, but there are fewer people who notice the consequences of it.
Egbosiuba, Michael. “Traditional Marriage of Igboland.” All Things Nigeria. N.p., 2011. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. .
They are subjected to being man-handled, disrespected, ill-treated, and tortured. Frequently, India’s daily newspaper announces the appalling results of the dowry system, in which “the newly married women are always the victims of harassment, violence, murder, and suicide” (RAJESWARI, 2014). Violence against women who bring less dowry or none would most likely face severe consequences. The different types of the consequences are endless: “wife battering, emotional neglect / torture, verbal abuse, refusal of sufficient food, imposition of heavy physical work, severe physical harassments to the extent of killing the victim, and so on” (RAJESWARI,
Amanda Hitchcock. 2001. “Rising Number of Dowry Deaths in India.” Annual Editions: Anthropology 11/12, 34th Edition. Elvio Angeloni. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
The Zulu people are known for their famous history fighting oppression and exploitation by the European settlers and most notably the many triumphs of the Zulu Army led by the famous King Shaka in the early 1800’s. However, now what sets them apart from most cultures is their unique marriage and wedding practices. The Zulu are known for their colourful and festive wedding celebrations. In this section, these practices will be looked into to gain understanding and identify the unique traits and practices and to also hopefully identify the significance