OPINION: Would you agree to have babies outside of marriage?

Marriage is one shrine in African societies that will never be desecrated. From the social architecture of African societies, we see that societies are built around marriages. Marriages are seen as matrimonial universities where the child is admitted into by birth to be lectured dutifully and nourished in the way of life of his people. This is why bastards have a stigmatizing social odour and are regularly pelted with prejudice in African societies.

Such unfortunate children to be born out of wedlock are padlocked from certain opportunities. This is because bastards are seen as some biological proceeds of an illegal bedroom transaction; hence they shouldn’t be credited into the population account of their community!

Marriages are so highly esteemed that woman see the Mrs. title as a Nobel achievement, they wouldn’t mind adding marriage among their awards in their CV. Married families are the supposed doors for children to be led into the world, any child born outside this came in through the back door and should be sentenced to the back seats. Couples are forbidden culturally to give birth before marriage. On the lady’s side, she sews a gown of shame for herself to be pregnant unmarried. But let us take a moment to look at all these again more logically.

Let us perfume our reasoning with more rationality and ventilate our minds stuffed with cultural bias. Let us take an illuminating peep at prevailing western culture. Having children outside marriage is no big deal. It is even more ridiculous that many of the celebrities we idolize have kids outside marriages. Resoundingly, Madonna and Guy Ritchie had a baby outside marriage.

If that is too far, take the last recent case of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie for example who had six children together outside marriage. We made no real big fuss of it. Many of us had congratulated Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper when they had their daughter unmarried. But we would later on rescind into our conservative shells to condemn the ordinary folks in our immediate societies who have babies outside marriage!

Let us face the modern reality. Isn’t marriage just some ceremonial dogma that we can do without? Must you kiss the bride the price before the priest, haven’t you been kissing her indoors before? Practically, marriage is just some traditional seal on a relationship but in truth it doesn’t make the relationship any better. Putting a ring on a finger doesn’t really make the finger a better person. Couples can readily make happy families outside marriages ignoring the raving criticism outside. They would diligently reinforce their relationship with love into bunkers to shield their family from bombardment of their pressurizing communities. Marriage is entirely bureaucratic and doesn’t really legalize babies. So now in view of all this, would you agree to have babies outside marriage or not?