[HOME ] [ABOUT] [PHOTOS] [VIDEO] [BLOG] [HOUSTON] [TEXAS] [U.S. NEWS] [WORLD NEWS] [SPORTS] [POP CULTURE] [CONTACT]
PART I - The West's inability to comprehend African society
by Joseph Earnest November 11, 2011
Newscast Media HOUSTON, Texas --It was over two weeks ago that British Prime Minister David Cameron threatened to withdraw aid from African countries that did not embrace a lifestyle that by African moral standards is considered unacceptable. However, on a three-day visit to Africa, British Minister for Africa Henry Bellingham took a softer tone and said they would not require Africans to adopt a western lifestyle in regard to same-gender marriages or relationships.
Unfortunately, David Cameron did not completely make himself clear so Africans believed Cameron was attempting to force the gay lifestyle upon them, and was using financial aid as leverage. (pop-up)
Bellingham cleared things up when asked if the UK was urging African countries to enact gay-friendly laws.
"What we are saying is that we are members of the Commonwealth and we aspire to adhere to universal rights and part of those rights is protecting interests of minorities," he said.
"The UK will always be sensitive to local traditions, and we are not one of those countries that lecture to others," Bellingham added.
Cultural divide
In Africa, polygamy is widely practiced and accepted even in non-Muslim communities, so it baffles many who live on the continent when people of the same gender, particularly men, want to get married to each other yet there is an abundance of women. You still have traditional monogamous marriages in Africa, but in most of the cases, there is someone on the side.
In the West, some people marry out of loneliness, others do it for convenience, some marry for money, and a small percentage of couples marry out of genuine love. In Africa, the majority of people marry to start families, which is considered to be a manifestation of love, even though there are still some marriages of convenience. When a young man reaches a certain age, he is expected to marry and start a family. The same applies to a single woman in Africa. African songs are all about love. When women sing it is mostly about a broken heart, and when men sing, the majority of the songs are about conveying love, or lost love.
When Cameron made his remarks, African natives felt that the sanctity of marriage and family were being threatened, and the reaction was swift. Several African countries in the Commonwealth stood in solidarity and declared that they would rather have their British financial aid terminated, than embrace a lifestyle that is foreign to them.
How marriage works on the continent
I've written about this before, and have said, even though women are allowed to choose then men they wish to marry, it ultimately boils down to whom the parents consider acceptable. In Muslim countries in West and North Africa, the majority of marriages are arranged, so people really do not have much of a say in the choice of their mates. The same applies to Arab countries.
In sub-Saharan countries, the populations are mostly Christian, so there is more latitude in dating and mate selection. Despite the liberty in social dynamics that sub-Saharan Africans enjoy, when a girl informs her parents that she is in a relationship with a man, the very first question they ask her is, "Whose son is he?" Regardless of how successful a man is in the corporate world, or his level of education, if the girl's parents do not think the man comes from a family that is worthwhile, they will not let him marry their daughter.
I once heard a man tell his daughters, "I hope you never bring home a man from a [certain region]." I will not name the region so as not to offend anybody, but I asked him why he did not like people from that region, and he said it was a tribal issue. Intermarriages amongst tribes are becoming more common, yet there are still some regimented sections of African society that will not intermarry.
A good example is Hutus and Tutsis almost never intermarry, even though they are from Rwanda. However, it goes beyond just tribes and includes nations too. You won’t find an Ethiopian marrying a Somalian, even though both countries are neighbors. It is also extremely rare for Ugandans and Kenyans to intermarry, even though they may date each other, and both countries share the same border. Having traveled extensively in Africa and being able to read, write and speak the language, I am yet to see such cross-overs as explained in Rwanda with Hutu-Tutsi, Ethiopia-Somalia or even Uganda-Kenya marriages.
What is interesting though is that even though Rwandans from Hutu and Tutsi tribes almost never intermarry, the number of Rwandese marrying Ugandans is on the rise. It seems as though girls from Rwanda consider it a status symbol to be married to Ugandans, the same applies to Nigerians who are fascinated by women from this region. Continue to Part II - The West and Africa >>
Related story:
PART II - The West's inability to comprehend African society
|
|
Join the Newscast Media social networks
for current events and multimedia content.
Copyright© Newscast Media. All Rights Reserved. Terms and Privacy Policy