moral confusion and conflict that presently confront African Christians at marriage. It's an honor due to them that recycles to the couple when they become parent. 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. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. 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. 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? traditional African society. This is a result of their own independent beliefs and traditions which causes them to go about their own unique ritual, although there are few similarities between the two countries., To the Igbo people of West Africa marriage is essential in life. An Election Year Guide to Mitt Romneys Religion, Woman in Islam by Dr. Sherif Abdel Azeem, Ph.D. Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, Girls' experiences of religious and cultural practices: Human rights violations, Macho Masculinity: A Snare in the Context of HIV among the Manyika of Zimbabwe, (Re)producing an elite. Woman-to-woman marriage involves the following persons: 1) the female husband herself; 2) if the female husband is already married, her own husband (the female husband's husband); 3) the woman who is married by the female husband - the wife; and 4) the lover (s) of the wife who may father her children. But our citizenship is in heaven. It is found that there are many differences between the two of these cultures. Some people are only excited with Jesus first public miracle- the turning of water into wine and may not see the main miracle in the passage. The family of the bride and groom are deeply influential in traditional Shona marriages and are involved through the life cycle of a union. Today, we not only speak of marriage as a union of love but also as one whose space is contested by various external forces. When looking at marriage as an institution, as opposed to a free-standing concept, marriage represents socially sanctioned behaviour. Little wonder Mary felt so concerned when the marriage ran out of wine. The family occupies a pivotal place in every society and in the Africa continent at large. Abstract. Contact: compulsion for marriage in the context of an African slave girl Ojebeta Ogbanje: Every woman, whether slave or free, must marry. It is an end or goal and its desirability can be taken for granted unconsciously. 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. 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. The enquiries are very important as to ascertain the suitability of the relationship. These items 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. Philosophers have also disputed the underlying moral and legal rationales for the structure of marriage, with implications for questions such as the content of its moral obligations and the legal recognition of same-sex marriage. There are consequences on those who breached this norm. Customarily, in practically all these traditional African societies girls' bodies were also heavily decorated by women themselves in their society's signs and symbols. In terms of methodology, qualitative analysis was adopted in examining how African integrated cultural life affect the marriage. The Development of Cultural Unity In sub-Saharan Africa no overarching great tradition developed Sub-Saharan Africa is a vast territory of many small traditions. Historians know very little about the prehistory of these many small traditions and their peoples African cultures are highly diverse There is an estimated 2000 It is foundational. So unhappy is the woman who fails to get children. Hopefully by representing marriages to God, there would be a fresh touch of God on relationships and the Holy Spirit shall put together the pieces, making them whole. In Africa. It must be noted that the African society loves to have children. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. Though these networks may not continue in their traditional form, extended family relationships are still very close and important to one's life. dissolution of a marriage by judgment of a court or by accepted custom. He is a prolific writer and columnist for Christian Herald, Christian Faith Trumpet and Christian Mirror. So unhappy is the woman who fails to get children. I ntroduction: Human societies globally have from time immemorial held with great regard the celebration of marriage. The bride and the groom marry for further lineage of the groom's family. Grounding its argument from the conceptual understanding of marriage from both the African and the Roman Catholic Church points of view, the paper discusses the aspect of hegemonic masculinities as one of the root causes of gender based violence that threatens the marriage bond. Marriage has, despite demographic and political shifts, significant value for the individual, families and the society (Nock, 2005). 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. Second, the continued Eurocentric descriptions and characterization of the African traditional family as some what depraved lead to the use of such terms as bride price, avoidance social taboos, segregated relationships, lack of love and tenderness in African marriages and families. The African marriage is an integral part of the whole African culture and was a rite of passage for every mature man and woman. The ultraviolet light that lit the tiny box of a room made her underwear and heavy lipstick glow in an eerie, supernatural but definitely eye-catching way. Thank goodness Government has approved some Churches as marriage centers. The traditional values and beliefs of the African that stem from his culture include polygamy, belief in one supreme God as well as many other minor deities, love of children, music, dancing, respect for old age and authority, belief in a future life, marriage and funeral network. An analysis of the cultural aspects of the marriage in the Shona traditional religion in Zimbabwe, Religion Mariage and Family Values in Africa, Christianity, Marriage and Family Life in Esanland, Silences in marriage laws in Commonwealth Africa: Womens position in polygynous customary marriages, Lessons from Scripture for Maasai Christianity, Lessons from Maasai Culture for the Global Church. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. They shall witness, bless and rejoice for Gods fulfillment, support and encourage them as they pass through new experiences of starting life together. Karen Tranberg Hansen, "Married Women and Work: Explorations from an Urban Case," African Social Research zo (1975), 777-799; Karen Tranberg Hansen, "Negotiating Sex and Gender in Urban Zambia," Journal of Southern African Studies 0o, z (1984), 219-238. 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. Most African Americans get married but chances of the marriage lasting are slim. Christian marriage is different from traditional marriage in Igbo nation. "West Africa family systems were severely repressed throughout the New World (Guttmann, 1976)". This appears a misconception. In Africa, especially in Igbo land, marriage is the only known Again neither the Jewish synagogues nor their temples had a place for wedding. African and Chinese cultures both have very intriguing ways of how they proceed with their ceremony. Each covenant has a senior partner and God appointed the man. . As they witnessed their daughter and son make vows of marriage and enters into this Gods designed institution, they joyfully solicit Gods blessings on the new couple, wishing them growth and fruitfulness. 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 These perceptions demonstrate a pattern of gender roles shaped by Western Judeo-Christian doctrine within the formal education curriculum, minimal inclusion of local history or cultural content,and loss of indigenous knowledge and practices. 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. It is also a legal way of ending marriage (Macmillan School Dictionary, 2011). (Nafisa Baxamusa, 2011), In the essay The Radical Idea of Marrying for Love, Stephanie Coontz discusses the change marriage has made among the different cultures around the world and how it went from being an act that was necessary to something that was done for personal joy and fulfillment., To this day, these types of marriages happen all over the world, arranged marriages make up vastly the higher percentage in human history (Isaac). We should be reminded that we have it as our responsibility not only to uphold our tradition but also pass it to future generation. It analyzes gender-role changes or perceptions of change based on students reported interactions in formal education settings. Throughout Africa, traditional or cultural marriages which provided the rich-ness of natural continuity of life are fast fading out due to the influx of the alien Western culture. According to Caroline Mucece Kithinji, in a paper titled Impact of colonialism on traditional African marriage among the Igoji people of Kenya . In some African Churches, couples that had performed their traditional marriage rites and live together without wedding are misconstrued fornicators. People in the traditional African society holds positive views about older people. A man in South Africa may have more than one spouse but a South African woman may only have one spouse. And through all the hardships they had placed on them, they developed strong emotional bonds and family ties. Once she finds him, he takes a few sips of the wine, and they are married. Marriage As A Conjugal Reality ~ From the Frontlines to the Sublime: Why Man & Woman? The problem is our refusal to be who God created us to be and not proud of whom we are. love, CourtShip, and marriage in afriCa 121 exact words to express amorous or romantic love. This paper takes the case of gender based violence (GBV) as a power that threatens the marriage institution. Theres no substitute for traditional marriage for on its foundation other traditions rest. Ochieng, E. (2019). Society has moved on; the traditional idea of marriage is outdated. I thought marriage was the same everywhere until I traveled to different regions of the world. The African marriage is an integral part of the whole African culture and was a rite of passage for every mature Women in Africa: Tradition and Change. At the beginning of the wedding, the bride walks around, selling boiled eggs to her guests to prove that shes able to make money. 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 community affair. These values are best explained in African traditional marriages, family, clan, individual gifts and names, talents, cultural practices, arts and sculptures, dress, music and dance, folk stories amongst other traits peculiar to the African society. The African marriage is full of deep-rooted culture that cannot be wished away. This paper looks at how African marriage and family have evolved as a result of direct contact with both Islam and Christianity. In an African customary marriage, there is an arrangement between families where lobolo (bride wealth) was seen as a token of gratitude for the upbringing of the daughter, as well as a step to. The size of the clan could differ from one to the other. 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