A Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, has criticized the labeling of African marriage as “traditional marriage.”
Chika Mba stated that in order to make our country and continent great, we must embrace our own identity and traditions. “If we reject even our own names and adopt European names for ourselves and our children, how can we claim to want a better Africa?” he questioned.
“We call our own marriage ‘traditional’ and then go on to hold another wedding, which is unnecessary. When you wear traditional attire and perform the rites, that is the wedding you don’t need another one,” he stated.
He made these comments during the launch of the Africa Wiki Challenge by Open Foundation West Africa, a challenge aimed at addressing the underrepresentation of African content online, particularly on the Wikipedia platform.
Mba described the modern wedding as an unnecessary financial burden that contributes to poverty. “There are so many expectations around it. You want to wear the white gown, someone else’s cultural attire which is expensive, all because you are ignoring your own culture.”
He further noted that these practices are neither biblical nor found in the Quran. “So why engage in them and punish yourself?” he asked.
“There is a degree of economic stupidity in the so-called white wedding-whether you accept it or not. From what I know, I urge you to think deeply about it,” he added.
“The abuse of our own culture and identity directly contributes to poverty, impoverishment, and failed relationships,” he asserted.
He concluded by emphasizing that African weddings be they Ghanaian, Nigerian, South African, or from any part of the continent are far more affordable and culturally meaningful.
By Francis Quasie