Can marriages be conducted without money being paid alongside cows?
By Machar Garang Mabior, Bor, Jonglei State
April 15, 2016 (SSB) — Marriage is a mutual agreement between the couples also facilitated by the parents in both sides for a marriage to be successful needs the blessing from two side of parents the girl and from the man side, to settle marriage according to African traditional society, you must pay what girls parent demanded to be paid that involves cows, goats, farming tools and money depending on the agreement and the communities involved in the marriage settlement.
My argument is that there is no need to pay both cows and money in the marriages because money depreciates those marriages conducted when people had no cows, that was during the liberation period are now said to have not been conducted at all yet there was some amount of money paid equivalent to a cow assuming that if that money would have been used to buy cows then that money would have been enough to get a cow because one thousand of today is much better than one thousand of tomorrow because what it would have bought is much higher then what it will buy now.
On top of that is inflation, given the situation we have in South Sudan now South Sudanese pound is so fluctuating allot a dollar unlike those days when one hundred dollars used to be two hundred South Sudanese pound. So am advising that the marriages dowry should be paid in form of cows only because cow do not easily depreciates and the cow value remained as cow either one or two cows for some time this changes need the participation of all the parties being chiefs, opinion leaders, spiritual leaders, women, youth and the local government.
Suggestions:
- There is high need from our local leaders to draft customary laws guiding the marriages.
- Another concern is for our chiefs to monitor and evaluates on the customary enacted laws.
- There need to regulates on the number of days spent by the sisters in-laws escorting the bridge room to her husband home.
- Number of cows paid as dowries to be specified to thirty cows’ only minus money this is because of the high dowries being paid and our population is eight million According 2008 censuses, instead we should be campaigning on increasing our population.
- Following the eloped girl by the youth should not be a reason but adult will be the ones to follow when the girl is eloped and the number regulated and reduce to five people only and when the marriage confirmed then more people will follow.
- A woman/man who wants divorce should start from the customary court and not directly to the convention court.
- Violent concerning marriages should be denounced.
- Competition over a single girl should be discouraged because it creates hatred in between the competing parties.
Machar Garang Mabior resides in Bor, Jonglei state, South Sudan and can be reached via his email: Machar Garang <machar_garang@yahoo.com>
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