Analysis and Repositioning of Africa’s Presentation, Portrayal and Perception in Media Communication- African Marriage

Over the course of time, the institution of marriage has been defined and redefined, and as such the presentation, portrayal and perception of marriage in the media has changed over time. The proposition that marriage has been repositioned implies that marriage is a historical concept and guided by subjectivity i.e. the customs that guide the institution of marriage for one group of persons may completely differ from what guides another group.

Despite the acknowledged subjectivity on what constitutes the principles guiding the institute of marriage, experts have buttressed the fact that across cultures, when defining what marriage entails, there are some staple expectations from this institute… “In most societies there is an expectation of relative permanence, co residence, a division of labor, sharing of resources, a sexual relationship, procreation and cooperation in child bearing and training” (Hendrix, 1996: 173). Literature by Ayisi (1997) reiterates this describing marriage as “the means by which a man and woman come together to form a union for the purpose of procreation”.

Africa as a continent and Nigeria specifically, are much grounded in culture, and, the process for legalizing marriages must satisfy these expectations which are specific to the culture within which the marriage is to be recognized. As stated by Ayisi (1997:9) “…for every marriage to be legal, certain requirements have to be fulfilled, and it should be preceded by certain customary observances”. Where people are governed by only one set of guiding principles, the process is relatively simple, however, Nigeria is a country of numerous cultures and, following the colonization and independence thereafter, the process of legalizing certain institutions, such as marriage, became even more complex. This process has been documented through various media forms and, for the purpose of this essay, I will be using one of the three major tribes within Nigeria (Igbo) as a representation of Africa’s presentation, portrayal and perception of marriage.

The marriage process within the tribe of the Igbos happens in several stages and is generally referred to as the “Igba Nkwu”. During the courtship period, the relationship is not officially recognized as legitimate until the proposed groom shows interest by making his intentions known to the bride’s family. The process begins with The Visit and First Formal Introduction where the groom, usually accompanied by his father and two kinsmen makes his way to the bride’s home where he is received by the bride’s parents who ask him to state the purpose of his visit. Upon stating his interest in their daughters hand in marriage, the daughter is called out to either accept or reject this proposal. A positive response from the daughter means the process progresses to the second stage while a rejection of the proposal means the process is terminated. This process is so eloquently captured in the eighth chapter of the classic novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, where Akueke’s suitor, accompanied by his father makes his way to her family home to make his intentions known.

The Second Introduction is more extensive than the first and involves more people who are considered to have been significant in the upbringing of both the bride and groom. These groups of people who are referred to as the Umunna are the extended family and kinsmen of the now betrothed. As the saying goes “it takes a whole village to raise a child” therefore the Umunna within the bride’s community must also have a say in who takes her as a wife. This is the stage at which the bride price and the list are discussed. The list is usually determined by the Umunna and comprises of some standard items such as yam tubers, palm wine, kola nut etc. While there is a minimum standard which cannot be under fulfilled, there is no level of giving that is considered as too much. This process is captured where Obierika extends an invitation to Okonkwo who was not a part of the first formal meeting, to join him as part of the Umunna who were to oversee the dealings with the Umunna of the groom’s family. … "My daughter's suitor is coming today and I hope we will clinch the matter of the bride-price. I want you to be there." (Chinua Achebe, 1958).

The bride price however is solely determined by the parents of the betrothed who have a separate conversation to that held in the presence of the Umunna. Upon payment of the agreed amount, the Igba Nkwu which is regarded as the most important marriage rites any Igbo couple should perform is the final phase of the nuptials. This celebration usually takes place in the bride’s compound or any location determined by the bride’s family where the couple, having fulfilled all the necessary traditional requirements is publicly celebrated and presented to the community as man and wife. As recognized by Hendrix (1998, 734), some of these processes can be generalized across Africa E.g. the bride price is one of the “defining aspects of African marriages” and full payment of the stated amount transfers certain privileges and rights from the family of the bride to the groom.

While the Igbo traditional marriage requirements discussed thus far have displayed some similarities to many other traditional customs within Africa such as that of the Kenyans (Mbiti, 1969), it is important to point out some key differences which have not been represented thus far. Arranged marriages still exist within certain parts of Africa and this is the case for a number of reasons such as that highlighted by Ayisi (1997, 7) where he points out that “…African marriages are affected for” the purpose of childbearing and “…a childless marriage” is therefore deemed “meaningless”. It therefore follows that “…in some parts of Africa, parents choose marriage partners for their children even before they are born in order to ensure that they do get someone to marry” (Mbiti, 1969:107) and achieve the objective of procreation. Another possibility is that these marriages are arranged to strengthen ties between families which already have an established relationship with each other. Affection is therefore given the backseat and factors as important as input from the proposed bride and groom having a say in who they are paired with as life partners is undermined however, some couples even in todays “modernized Africa” are very open to the practice of arranged marriages and are happy in these relationships. This practice is still quite common amongst the Hausa tribe of Nigeria and in some cases, the Igbos.

In the precolonial era, the customs highlighted above would have been enough to legitimize the relationship between a man and woman however, colonialization brought about what some consider the dilution of the African culture and with the introduction of new religious and legal belief systems, the principles and the customs guiding the institution of marriage were also adjusted to account for this. “All across Africa, traditional cultural weddings are dying out with the influx and normalization of the so-called White Western wedding” (Africanholacaust.net, 2015)

This has birthed what one may consider a complex process towards legitimizing the relationship between a man and woman where marriages within Africa now seem to happen in three folds; The Traditional Marriage which ensures that all traditional customs are fulfilled and the marriage is indeed recognized in the eyes of the traditional system, The Court Marriage which ensures that in the eyes of the national legal system, the marriage is recognized as legitimate and of course the Church wedding which ensures that in the eyes of the religious beliefs introduced to the system by means of colonialism, the marriage is also legitimized. There are some similarities between the traditional practices and that of the Church wedding; firstly, there is a courting period where the couple gets to know one another. Secondly, progress of the marriage is dependent on the ladies’ consent being given. Thirdly and as earlier stated, there are some standard expectations such as “permanence, co residence, a division of labor, sharing of resources, a sexual relationship, procreation and cooperation in child bearing and training” (Hendrix, 1996: 173). The major difference is that in the case of the church wedding, it is more of a decision between the couple and very little lies with the community as in the case of the Umunna within the tradition of the Igbos. Another major difference is the religious beliefs and the Supreme Being before which the commitments are being made.

It is important to note that this essay speaks broadly about a complex topic which is subject to the couple’s personal preferences and religious beliefs therefore, while this is the case in most situations, it varies from person to person.