#marriage in africa

[bidotorg]

Today, we take a moment to celebrate a historic milestone - the anniversary of South Africa legalizing same-sex marriage. 🇿🇦🏳️‍🌈 On this remarkable day, South Africa not only became the first country in Africa to recognize love in all its forms, but also set a precedent for human rights and equality across the globe. This day serves as a reminder of the progress we've made, and the work that still needs to be done. Let's continue to fight for love, acceptance, and equality for all. Today we celebrate love, human rights, and the beautiful rainbow nation of South Africa. 🌈❤️

[politijohn]

Source

Progress being made in Africa

[wayward-wren]

Thought too long about Hermoine daughter of Meneleus and Helen and got sad

[allthegeopolitics]

Human rights activists in Nigeria have launched a petition to stop a plan to push 100 girls and young women into marriage in a mass ceremony, which has caused outrage in the west African country. The plan, sponsored by Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, the speaker of the national assembly in the largely Muslim north-western state of Niger, were criticised by Nigeria’s women’s affairs minister, Uju Kennedy Ohanenye. She said she would seek a court injunction to stop the ceremony next week and establish if any of the girls were minors. Sarkindaji said the girls and young women were orphans whose parents were killed in attacks by kidnapping gangs that roam northern Nigeria. He said he would pay dowries to the grooms. A petition launched on Wednesday that has more than 8,000 signatures said the Niger state government should prioritise the education of the girls instead of forcing them into marriage.

Continue Reading.

[postcard-from-the-past]

Zulu man in marriage outfit, South Africa

British vintage postcard, mailed in 1904 to London

[kemetic-dreams]

How Igbo customs checkmated wife battering

•Modernity neglected them

•Blame pentecostal churches; they destroy marriages — Ogbuefi Ray Ifeme

•They encourage conduct of marriage ceremonies in Igboland with soft drinks, instead of palm wine

•We use diviners to mete out punishment to wife batterers — Igwe Ukuta

•No Igbo community tolerates wife battering — Anaso

By Anayo Okoli, Vincent Ujumadu, Ikechukwu Odu, Chimaobi Nwaiwu, Chinedu Adonu, Chinonso Alozie, Ugochukwu Alaribe & Nwabueze Okonkwo

ENUGU — Domestic violence, particularly wife battering, has become rampant in the society today, including Igboland.

The death of popular gospel singer, Osinachi Nwachukwu, allegedly in the hands of her husband, brought to the fore what some women undergo in their marriages.

This was not so in the past because in Igboland, they had customary ways of checkmating such acts.

In Nri Community in Anambra State, for instance, they included precautionary traditional rules to checkmate it as one of the items in the marriage list of requirements.

And at the marriage ceremonies, the groom is made to pay what they called ego otiti okpili, which literarily translates to ‘money for punishment’ of proposed groom, if he dared molest the wife.

The money, in essence, is like an advance payment by the groom to the in-laws, to hire youths in their kindred to deal with him if he molests or abuses their daughter in the course of the marriage.

And to ensure that the groom understands the implication, in the course of the ceremonies, he would be called to step out; the elders would dutifully explain to him what the money is meant for and ensured that he understood what he is paying for. The groom basically consents in advance, to thorough punishment if he beats his wife.

The traditional ruler of Iggah community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, Igwe Herbert Ukuta, said his community use diviners to mete out punishment to men who beat their wives. The monarch explained that the degree of the punishment is usually determined by the severity of injury inflicted on the wife and the cause of the violence.

According to him, it is a taboo in his community for men to batter their wives, no matter the provocation. He said that he has also initiated an orientation programme in the community, which has helped to enlighten his subjects on causes of domestic violence which has been guiding them to avoid such.

“The traditional punishment for wife beaters is always determined by diviners in my community. The severity or otherwise of the punishment is determined by the degree of injury inflicted on the wife and the cause of the violence. Sometimes too, it is the wife who beats the husband but it is a taboo in my community for husbands to beat their wives.

“Instead of beating the wife, I normally encourage my subjects to report their wives to their parents or church leaders, as the case may be. If the church or the parents fail to resolve the problem, it is brought to the clan for settlement.

The middleman interacts with both families and if any of the parties going into the marriage has any problem, he or she complains to the middleman. If worst comes to worst, you don’t even return somebody’s daughter to the family, it must be through the middleman and the same middleman will return the dowry to the man if the issue cannot be settled.

GIF by noonlight-stims

“Women are gold to Igbo men. It is now that we see Igbo men touch our ladies, be it in marriage or whatsoever. The reason is that we have city marriages now. You will see a girl today, the next day she is married to a man whose parents she doesn’t know. Somebody will stay in London and a marriage will be organised on his behalf here.

Middlemen don’t come into marriages now, even the kinsmen will just come, collect their entitlements and go. This is where the problem lies.

“Unfortunately, Osinachi’s husband is from my maternal home, Ukpor. He is not a responsible man. If he was a true Igbo man, he wouldn’t have maltreated his wife and again, religion messed up our marriage institution in Igbo land.

“You can hardly find a man or woman who would be there for the other because each will be dragging on gender equality. It is religion that is the problem. In Igbo customs and traditions, the man is the head of the family and the woman is the neck, so, we respect them.

“My maternal grandfather had 32 wives. My mother was the last daughter. Out of those 32 wives, majority didn’t bear children for him. They married those days for farming and to show how brave one was.

The church, particularly the Pentecostal denomination, has bastardized our tradition. White wedding is not even acceptable to us in Igbo culture and tradition. Religious marriage is not for the Igbo because the priest won’t pour libations to the ancestors; neither will he settle the kinsmen. That is the problem.

These days, women give out their daughters in marriage which is not traditional in Igbo land,” Ifeme said.

The traditional ruler of Ogrute Autonomous community, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, Igwe Wilfred Ekere said that it is a taboo in Enugu-Ezike. He, however, regretted that customs and values of the community have been bastardized by the people.

He noted that the predominance of autonomous communities threw up traditional rulers who don’t know the tradition, custom and culture. They dictate to the people, neglecting the oldest men who are the custodians of tradition and culture.

According to him, the tradition in his community requires that anybody who beats his wife would bring a goat, a carton of stout, malt, two gallons of palm wine and food for cleansing.

In addition, any woman beaten by her husband will have to go back to her father’s house and the husband will come for her for peaceful discussion with drinks and kola nuts. He, however, regretted that the traditional law which ought to be binding on every member of the community, is now based on family acceptance.

“Our tradition has been bastardized by the people. The law is now made according to family. We have effective law for domestic violence and wife battering as prescribed by our forefathers. Wife battery is a taboo,” the monarch said.

In Atuegwu community, Nnewi South Council Area of Anambra State, Mr. James Anaso, the President-General of the town union, said that it is usually one of the conditions given to a suitor in his area that on no account should he lay hands on their daughter no matter the circumstances.

According to him, should a daughter from the community report on any physical abuse by her husband, the leadership of the village would not hesitate to send emissaries to the family of her husband with a serious warning.

[nickysfacts]

This is a great example of how we as women empower are selves by supporting other women!

💜👭🏾💜

[lgbtpopcult]

Namibia's Supreme Court on Tuesday recognised same-sex marriages contracted abroad between citizens and foreign spouses, a landmark ruling in a country where homosexuality is illegal.

[memoriae-lectoris]

There are West African societies in which a woman may be married to another woman as a “female husband.” In these cultures, if the wife brings children with her to the marriage or subsequently bears children by a lover, those children are counted as the descendants and heirs of the female “husband” and her extended family. And numerous African and Native American societies recognize male-male marriages.

[dandelionsresilience]

Good News - March 22-28

Like these weekly compilations? Support me on Ko-fi! Also, if you tip me on here or Ko-fi, at the end of the month I’ll send you a link to all of the articles I found but didn’t use each week - almost double the content! (I’m new to taking tips on here; if it doesn’t show me your username or if you have DM’s turned off, please send me a screenshot of your payment)

1. Scimitar-horned Oryx: A Story of Global Conservation Success

“Eight years following the first reintroductions of the species in a protected range in Chad, the species has been downlisted to ‘Endangered’ [an improvement from “extinct in the wild”] in the most recent IUCN Red List update.”

2. Thailand moves closer to legalising same-sex marriage

“Under the law, it describes a marriage union as one between two individuals, rather than a man and a woman. It will give LGBTQ+ couples the ability to adopt, have equal access to marital tax savings, rights to property and the ability to decide medical treatment when their partner is incapacitated.”

3. Juvenile platypus found in NSW: a sign of breeding success

“A baby platypus was discovered in the Royal National Park less than a year after 10 were reintroduced to the area, marking the end of a half-century local extinction. […] “Finding the juvenile platypus is a clear sign the reintroduced population is not just surviving but thriving, adapting well to their environment, and contributing to the genetic diversity and resilience of this iconic species.””

4. New Laws Protect Bird-Friendly Yards From Neighborhood Rules

“A blossoming legislative trend prevents homeowners associations, which set landscaping rules for a growing number of Americans, from forbidding native plants.”

5. Bookstores Around The World Are Flourishing Again

“[I]t’s not just the major chains like Barnes & Noble that are flourishing, as the US book sales market continues to both grow and diversify, the majority of the retail book market is controlled by small indie stores.”

6. 'Like a luxury condominium': Providence zoo unveils new red panda habitat

“"Kendji and Zan's new home boasts a spacious two-story, climate-controlled indoor space designed to mimic their natural Himalayan habitat," the zoo said in a news release. "This ensures their well-being regardless of fluctuating Rhode Island temperatures and humidity."”

7. The first CULTIVATE Mobile Research Lab on food sharing in Barcelona

“[Volunteers] engaged in growing, cooking and eating food together, and redistributing surplus food, as well as other actors involved in food sharing and sustainable food systems in Barcelona and its surroundings.”

8. New Methane Rule Will Reduce Natural Gas Waste, Generate Money for Taxpayers, Help Address Climate Change

“The Bureau of Land Management’s final rule on reducing methane waste from oil and gas production on public lands will conserve critical energy resources, with the added benefit of decreasing toxic pollution [….] The rule will benefit wildlife, public lands, water resources, and nearby communities. By requiring royalties for wasted methane, the rule will also generate more than $50 million each year for American taxpayers.”

9. 'Exceptional' Two-Headed Snake Undergoes Surgery in Missouri

“Tiger-Lily's [the snake’s] abnormal ovaries were then removed during surgery at the Saint Louis Zoo Endangered Species Research Center and Veterinary Hospital on March 11. The procedure went smoothly, with her ovaries being successfully removed, and the snake is recovering well.”

10. Aruba Embraces the Rights of Nature and a Human Right to a Clean Environment

“A draft constitutional amendment would make the Carribean nation the second country in the world to recognize that nature has the right to exist.”

March 15-21 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[sea-shelly]

Is that tall brunette lady Charlene?

[jaylor]

wonder if taylor will ever perform in africa

[wfhandwatchingtv]

My love 💝

They are all so pretty