DISCUSSION: Should “Bride Price” be abolished and made unconstitutional?
September 26, 2009 by Dtiyah · 14 Comments
An African father giving his daughter away in marriage
“Bride Price” should be made unconstitutional. That is what Ugandan Deobrah Awori is requesting in a Ugandan court this month. Awori told the court that she tried in vain to stop her husband from forcefully marrying off their daughter, Evelyn, so that he could benefit from the “bride price” she received. The petitioners argued that demand for payment of a “bride price” by the parents of the bride from the groom – a tradition practiced by many communities in Uganda – gives rise to conditions of inequality during marriage. These, the petitioners argued, were contrary to the provisions of the constitution. The full report can be found at this link.
This is a debate that has been ongoing on different fronts. The Sunday Monitor recently did a study on the pros and cons of “Bride Price”. Below is an excerpt from the article done on the subject this week.
Examples of the negative aspects were varied and ranged from the denial of education to the girl by the parents in a bid to extract wealth from her, promoting early marriages and young men borrowing money to finance the bride price hence starting the new family in debts.
It was also noted that a man who fails to pay bride price is often looked at as inferior and in case of tragedy, to such a man in the form of death of his wife, he would be required to first pay bride price before being allowed to bury his wife. The same report noted that bride price has left many men unmarried because they can’t afford it which makes the having of children impossible for them.
Many women may also fail to return to their homes even under improper treatment from the husband because bride price was paid while others fear that their parents may not be able to refund the bride price they were given thus occurrence and continuation of domestic violence.
In the same report, interviewees shared real life experiences of bride price. Some couples revealed that they have been pursued by the bride’s family for failure to pay bride price while many women have been inherited after their husband’s death and some brides families requested for the return bride price after the death of the wife. Widow inheritance and victimisation of infertile women were among the many experiences shared.
On the positive side, it was noted that bride price has stabilised and resulted into loving relationships between the two families. The report also looked at the connection between bride price and HIV. It found out that women or young girls who are forced to get married for wealth accumulation by their parents maybe presented to men who are already infected since their goal(parents) is just to get wealth. It also noted that wife inheritance as well has accelerated the spread of the disease especially where bride price was paid.
Also looked at was the connection between bride price and domestic violence. The result revealed that 99 per cent of the interviewees had experienced domestic violence, mostly the widowed women.
Read the entire article at this link.
Loading ...Which of these Nollywood Actresses is Hottest?
September 26, 2009 by Dtiyah · 13 Comments
Dakore Egbuson
Genevieve Nnaji
Omotola Jolade
Rita Dominic
Stephanie Okereke
Loading ...Amabel Niba’s report on the fuss, fun and finery of the Spring 2010 Arise Promise of Africa Collective
September 26, 2009 by AVReporter · 2 Comments
Fashion Week is a thrill and pure heaven for every and any fashionista but it’s not all glitz and glamour. Days of entertaining disorderly queues to proudly get a seat assignment can wear down even the most resilient fashion lover. Still, the highs outweigh the lows, so I’ll be back next season. Here’s my recap of the Arise Promise of Africa Fashion Collective which was the focus of my journey to Bryant Park. Four designers excited our senses with color, texture, fringes and flair. We saw the good, the better, and the swag.
The Tifany Amber collection screamed spring with the vibrant kaleidoscopes of artist Kolade Oshinowo. Abstract digital prints, an interpretation of an urban Lagos scene painted by the artist, sat alongside fine Chantilly lace and glamorous metallic weaves taking a cue from Diana Ross in the 1974 Motown hit. Mahogany with voluminous skirts and billowing sleeves; a collection for city nights or luxury resort living and I could hardly resist. My favorites were many but I particularly loved the aquamarine chantilly lace overlay shift dress.
South Afica’s David Tlale also caught my attention with the short black fringed skirt with fringed black pleated top. Karolin who modeled the dress rocked it too. Black seemed to dominate his collection and I found that a little odd for Spring when vibrant colors seemed to rule but every girl needs a little black outfit and David Tlale added some flair to the lot. His inspiration was Africa’s diverse cultural heritage – from the San to the Ndebele tribes; attempting to capture Africa’s artistic wealth.
Eric Raisina captured the vibrancy of his home town, Madagascar. We experienced his inspiration from the bustling sensuous markets, jacarandas in full bloom, the deep blue of the Indian Ocean and the gradations of red laterite at the island’s centre. My favorites were the red silk ribbon stitched on leopard tulle halter neck long bias dress and the dark aubergine and silver tie-died silk chiffon trimmed long halter neck dress with pleated front.
Jewel by Lisa brought us Ankara prints laden with hand-embellishments that transcend global fashions. New York women will fit right in with this collection; the snippy shorts, slim leg pants, mini cocktail frocks and leather-mix biker jackets in a cacophony of color off-set with batik-inspired silk prints. She left an indelible mark on her Ankara designs and I could see a good number of her pieces in my closet; the multi-colored circle print beaded long dress, the red and mustard swirl print cocktail dress with crystal and glass beaded detail, the leather cut out mini dress and the list goes on.
Overall it was a great show and our senses were excited with color, texture and creativity. I could hardly resist the urge of getting my hands on some of the pieces for shoots and my wardrobe; falling prey to the beauty that had just unfolded like a kid in the candy store. After asking Folake Coker of Tifany Amber about some of her pieces she regrettably informed me that her clothes are currently not distributed in the US just yet; something she hopes to change sometime soon. That is an unfortunate predicament for some of these Africa based designers who get loads of exposure from fashion week but are unable to fully explore the potential and opportunities that result from the exposure.
I did have a major disappointment though. I noticed that despite all the hype last year about getting runway models to gain weight or using healthier models on the runway, a good number of the girls I saw at the Arise Promise of Africa Collective runway were not only really skinny but looked quite hungry with bones sticking out. I could not fathom why the designers made such picks because they only took away from some of the beautiful outfits. One case in point was the model who walked for Jewel By Lisa to showcase the multi-colored circle print beaded long dress. I believe her name is Iris. Seeing her bones stick out was awful. I was seriously concerned.
A model was reported to have actually passed out at Jeffrey Chow’s first collection for the Poleci presentation the next day with producers having to put cold Coca-Cola cans on her head and feed her fruit to bring her back. Hopefully next year, the designers will set an example with the girls they select to showcase their beautiful clothes.
Collection Gallery
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September 26, 2009 by belleniba · Leave a Comment
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Nigerian Author Uwem Akpan is humbled by Oprah’s bookclub pick
September 21, 2009 by AVReporter · Leave a Comment
Jesuit Priest and Nigerian author Uwem Akpan, told Reuters he was “humbled” that his debut collection of short stories was chosen by influential U.S. talk show host Oprah Winfrey for her book club.
Oprah picked “Say You’re One Of Them” as her 63rd book club selection, the first time she has chosen a book of short stories, saying these stories “left me stunned and profoundly moved.”
Oprah’s book club is the biggest in the world with almost two million online members and books chosen for Oprah’s book club invariably skyrocket to the top of the U.S. bestseller lists.
Akpan studied philosophy and English at Creighton and Gonzaga universities then studied theology for three years at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa.
He was ordained as a Jesuit priest in 2003 and received his master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Michigan in 2006.
His story collection was first published last year by Little Brown & Co, which is part of the Hachette Book Group that is owned by French publishing company Largardere.
