06th of April 2016
Achebe in his novel Things Fall Apart reminds the readers of pictures of pre-colonial Africa. He claims that before the arrival of the colonists there they had their own rituals, their own religion, orders, and laws. Despite the seeming brutality of some customs, people were not so barbaric. Achebe is not trying to pander to the clichéd consciousness of Europeans, who were, and still are, convinced that Africa, lived as a primitive savage community, virtually without any organization. Achebe has written an honest, truthful humane novel about real people, their life. Of utmost interest to us are the ceremonial marriage traditions of the Umuafia tribe Achebe discusses in the book. Using them as an example, and comparing to the marriage traditions of Saudi Arabia, we will be able to prove that the Umuafia were a progressive tribe worrying and caring about their people.
The many the tribes in Africa (some say about a thousand), the many wedding traditions are there on the continent. The main part of northern Africa is under the influence of Muslim customs, and the southern half of the continent is rich in diversity of cults, which follow the rites of the Christian, Jewish, Hindu and ancient African religions (Kyalo). The main concept of the family in Africa is the union of a clan or tribe. There the girls from an early age are being prepared for marriage. Marriages are made early enough as children barely reached physical maturity - usually between the ages of 13-15 years (Beckwith and Fisher 62). However, in the Umuafia tribe we see that the appropriate age starts at approximately 16. Achebe tells us of the time when suitors came for the Obierika’s daughter. She was only 16 and already had young men trying to get her as their wife (Achebe 72).
However, there are some common elements in all African weddings. First, the groom must pay a price for the bride. Depending on the tribe, the buyout may be some material things such as blankets, kitchen utensils, clothes, in some cases even a machine gun (strictly 20th century); or a whole set of food products such as grains, vegetables, oil; but often the buyout is paid in the form of cattle: goat, cows, camels. Sometimes it takes only a couple of products to satisfy the desire of the parents and relatives, sometimes the requested price is so large that it is paid out over the many years. In the book, the groom brought fifty bottles of palm wine as a buyout for Obierika and his relatives. In a conversation prior to this, the relatives of the bride were talking among themselves saying that they will not give Obierika’s daughter away for no less than 25 bottles. As a result, they were pleasantly surprised (Achebe 74).
It must be said that in African culture the buyout of the bride - is not a sign that you buy her as a thing. It is more an expression of gratitude from the groom's side to the bride's family because they have raised the girl and have agreed to give her out to marry. Also, by paying out for the bride, the groom has the chance to demonstrate his ability to take care of his future wife (Achebe 76).
However, the buyout is the second stage of the marriage ritual in the Umuafia tribe. The bargaining when members of the family name a price using any number of sticks deemed acceptable precedes it (Winddrum). The suitors then name their price signaling by the corresponding number of sticks (Winddrum). This game continues until the two groups find common ground. This is a rather civilized, yet maybe outdated way to bargain. We must not judge as the Umuafia tribe does follow tradition. This is not the only way to bargain. Each tribe has its own traditions. As Achebe, through the mouth of Obierika claims “The Umunso, for example, generally do not trade, even on sticks. There the suitor carries bags of cowries as long as the home side of the bride tells him to stop. It's a bad habit because it always ends up in a quarrel,” (Achebe 74)
When the “engagement” of the couple has been agreed on the festivities follow. Coming back to Obierika and his daughter, as the next morning, the whole neighborhood was engulfed in a fun festive bustle. On this day, the groom, who had already managed to pay a large part of the buyout price, was to present palm wine not only to parents and next of kin of the bride but all the many relatives that constituted the clan or umunnu. Everyone was invited to the festivities – men, women, and children. However, this is a ceremony in honor of the woman, and the main role in it belonged to the bride and her mother (Beckwith and Fisher 62). This is the way the Umuafia treat their women. After the festivities end the guests leave for home, with the groom and the suitors taking the bride away with them, as she is to spend seven weeks with the relatives of her husband to be (Beckwith and Fisher 63).
Once on “hostile territory” the girl is to pass the last test. This stage is called the repention. The women of the groom’s tribe gather and start questioning the bride as to her purity and cleanliness. When the women are satisfied they cut the cocks head off and smear the family staff with its blood. This is a sign that the girl has been approved (Mawere and Mawere 42).
Such rites and traditions are interesting due to the fact that each stage has a very significant meaning. If we compare the rites just discussed to Saudi Arabia, we will see that some stages are similar, whereas others are purely of African invention. Traditionally, the wedding in Saudi Arabia is held through the Muslim traditions with the signing of the contract between the families of the bride and groom (Al Darwish 42). Men as a must prepare a buyout for their future wife, and the wedding ceremony is accompanied by separate festivities for men and women.
The ceremony of Shawfa (suiting) is like a courtship when two families meet to sign the marriage contract with each other and start preparation. The preparations for the wedding usually lasts from one to six months after the engagement. During the contract is signed by the father of the bride and groom which makes the whole marriage legal. The couple may obtain a certificate in a government office, but in Saudi Arabia, the focus is greater on the religious aspect of marriage as traditional (Al Darwish 43-44). The amount of the buyout (mahr) is an important part of the negotiations. The average price for the bride is about $ 27 thousand. Mahr is paid in money, not gold or sheep, as was the case before. As we can see this is different to the optionality of the traditions of the African tribes. Besides, in the Umuafia tradition, there is no signing of the contract. There is an agreement which is fully accepted only after the buyout takes place. In Saudi Arabia, the situation more reminds of a business deal – goods first then money.
The marriage traditions in each country do contain some differences, nonetheless, there are many similarities between them. Despite our general belief of the African tribes being barbaric and “lagging behind”, the study has shown them to be progressive, businesslike, but at the same time valuing their traditions and adhering to them no matter what.
Works Cited
Achebe, Chinua. Things fall apart. New York: Anchor Books, 1994. Print.
Al Darwish, Ahmad Q. It's not the 14th Century, It's the 21st: The Changing Saudi Society. Partridge Singapore, 2014. Print.
Beckwith, Carol, and Angela Fisher. African ceremonies. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2002. Print.
Kyalo, Dr. Paul. A Reflection on the African Traditional Values of Marriage and Sexuality. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development. Vol. 1(2). 2012. Print.
Mawere, Munyaradzi and Annastacia Mbindi Mawere. The changing philosophy of African marriage: The relevance of the Shona customary marriage practice of Kukumbira. Journal of African Studies and Development.Vol. 2(9). 2010. Print.
Winddrum, Shakmah. African initiations: rites of passage through the eyes of an initiate. United States: S. Winddrum, 2005. Print.
