Africa- “When I came back from… GuineaMy father told me that I had to prepare for my wedding. I knew nothing about the matter, and no one told me about my husband. In fact, I only saw him on the wedding night.” This is what the Nigerian “Belkisa” says from Tebu tribeHer father sent her to Guinea to complete her master’s degree, and she currently works as a customs employee.
The Tebu tribe represents 3.5% of society in NigerIt is spread in the Diffa region, where the borders between Niger and Niger meetNigeria AndChadThey are the local tribes that most adhere to the traditions of marriage, of which parents choose their children’s wives as its most evident manifestation. There are also Arab tribes present in the Tao and Zinder regions who still adhere to this tradition to this day, and they represent less than 10%, then they are followed in that “TuaregWhile it is less common among the “Zarma” tribe.
In a previous interview given to Al Jazeera Net, the civil activist Ibrahim Al-Qasim, who was, until 2017, the president of the Nour Al-Huda Charitable Association in Niger, said about the reasons that led to the extinction of this custom within the Zarma tribe. He said that the latter mixed and intermarried with the French during the days of colonialism, and he added, “The Zarma tribe Today they represent only 24% of society, but they hold all administrative and ministerial positions.
The Zarma tribe enjoyed more French closeness than others, and for this reason, many of their customs and traditions disappeared or blended with their Western counterparts, according to Al-Qasim.
Between dowry and gift
In Niger, you cannot book an appointment to get married as you please, as it only takes place on Saturdays and Sundays in the morning for single people, while for widows and divorced people, Thursdays and Fridays are designated for them after the afternoon prayer.
Regarding the dowry ceiling, Al-Qassim says, “President Seni Kontshe, who ruled the country between 1974 and 1987, had introduced some laws to facilitate marriage for young people, and to improve the situation of divorced women as well, as he set the value of the dowry at 50,000 African francs (about 89 dollars), regardless of the situation.” social allowance for the husband, and anything more than that is considered a gift.”
He confirms that the state’s constitution is still subject to the Maliki doctrine regarding transactions, as a woman who divorces her husband before a judge must pay 50,000 CFA francs, or the price of the legal dowry only.
Regarding the value of the dowries, a Benyami taxi driver told Al Jazeera Net that the dowries are not less than 300,000 CFA francs (530 dollars) and not more than 1 million CFA francs (about 1,769 dollars). Some people buy gold chains and clothes for the bride and present them with 300,000 CFA francs, but the majority of couples prefer to provide 500,000 CFA francs ($884) so that the bride can do as she wants.
Traditions by tribe
Regarding marriage traditions in the Tebu tribe, Balkisa says, “The bride’s mother spends her dowry on party preparations. There are banquet expenses for two full days. A cow worth 200,000 CFA francs ($354) is barely enough to feed the guests, then the expenses for the dress and henna, and the rest is for the house’s furniture, but Usually there is nothing left for furniture, so the couple manages their affairs for at least a month on a mat, a bucket and a jug for ablution, a bag of rice and food sent by the bride’s mother, until their financial condition stabilizes.”
In the capital, Niamey, a Taraki woman who works as a wedding dresser talks about the marriage traditions in her tribe, saying, “The average dowry in our country is 400,000 CFA francs (about 700 dollars), and the bride’s father often spends it all on furniture, while he pays for the wedding expenses from his own money.”
Regarding the wedding traditions of the Hausa, the largest tribe in Niger, representing more than 54% of society, Fatima Ahmed, a teacher at “Fronco Arab,” spoke to Al Jazeera Net, and said, “Traditions differ between a virgin bride and a married bride. For the former, marriage has two days: one day for the feast and the other for henna.” At two o’clock, there is only one day, and it ends with the end of the feast and the bride going to her husband’s house.
The right to serve, see and speak
Fatima explains the details of the celebration, saying, “In the groom’s house or in a tent attached to the house, the relatives sit after the end of the marriage ceremony to eat breakfast, and before three in the afternoon the feast is ready to be served, which consists of milk and meat, and they leave for the meeting in the evening, where they go to pick up the bride.” From her family’s house.”
She added, “Before the wedding, the bride is not allowed to leave the house for 3 days. In fact, she is not allowed to make anything. Her closest friends serve her like a princess. When the groom and his friends come to take her, the bride’s relatives demand the right to the maids, and the groom usually pays them 5,000 CFA francs.” “About $9) which is an old tradition that indicates that the husband is ready to sacrifice everything for his wife’s comfort.”
The matter does not stop at the maids’ right. Rather, the bride goes to her husband’s house in a special dress that covers her entire body, including her head. When they arrive at the house, her family demands that she pay what is called the right to speak so that the husband can hear his bride’s voice, and the latter only reveals her face. If the husband pays for the right to see her as well.
Fatima says, “If the wife is a virgin, she returns to her father’s house at dawn the next day for the nail polish and henna. The rituals of beautification and beautification continue until the evening, when she goes to her husband’s house, uncovered and adorned this time.”
She continues, “The wedding ceremony ends with a feast of ‘yasa’, which is chicken with spiced vegetables. Among the Hausa, Tuareg, Arabs, and even the Fella, weddings are not mixed, but among the ‘Zarmawi’, women dance and sing, and their notables even bring a popular singer to the wedding.”
Sanctifying marriage
The average age of marriage in Niger for men is 25 years. If he is over 30 and not married, he becomes a fertile subject for gossip, as he is accused of being physically incapable or of being a “womanizer.”
Fatima talks more about how Nigerian society views the issue of marriage. She says, “Marriage here is very sacred. Some mosques do not accept people who are not married to lead in them, even if they have memorized the Book of God. We say to those who marry that they have completed their religion, but whoever marries four women is considered a complete man, and it is noted that He deserves Lebanon because he is a source of pride.”
On the morning of the wedding day, the bride and groom wear the same dress and the same color, and dates and cola pits are distributed to those present, two cola pits and 3 dates, as is customary.
The jurist sits with the guardians of the bride and groom and reads the sermon. Then he announces to the people how much the groom paid as a gift for the bride, since the value of the dowry has been determined legally and it applies to everyone. Then verses from the Holy Qur’an are recited and the crowd departs with the closing prayer.
The right to live
Regarding the traditions followed within the Hausa family, Fatima says, “When a woman marries from the Hausa tribe, she must take care of all of her husband’s belongings. She does not allow anyone other than her to clean his clothes and bedroom, or even prepare food for him.”
In 2001, the Nigerian government signed a clause related to women’s rights, stipulating that every wife who has been beaten by her husband has the right to take her case to the judge and summon him to court.
Fatima Ahmed confirms that the recognition of women’s rights came after a long movement by the Human Rights Association to reduce the widespread phenomenon of domestic violence in society. But despite all these efforts, it seems that Nigeria is still preoccupied with providing the “right to live” as a priority before fighting for the rest of the rights.