Lobolo, an institution that is central to the African conception of marriage As we approach the festive session, many of our brothers and sisters are thinking of getting married and planning different kinds of weddings. As we do so, we must not forget that Lobolo is the cornerstone of our African marriages as we know them. Lobolo or bohali are among the various terms used to denote a transfer of property, preferably livestock, by a husband or his parents or guardians to his wife’s family as part of the process of constituting a marriage. None of the English translations such as the ‘bride-price’ or ‘child-price’ does justice to an institution that is central to the African conception of marriage. The long-standing debate about the correct English word for this institution signals a profound disagreement about its meaning and function. According to the early view, usually associated with Christianity, lobolo could best be rendered by the term ‘bride-price’ because it represented the purchasing price for as bride. Due in large part to this interpretation, previously, our courts refused to enforce lobolo agreements on the ground that they were repugnant to the general principles of civilisation but was, at a later stage, protected by legislations as the view that it was repugnant was exposed as a complete fallacy as it is still the case. It is not true that the purpose of lobolo is to protect the wife and to provide a public measure of her worth and reputation. It is further incorrect that it gives the women financial or social security on divorce as the wife’s parents or guardians, not the woman herself, receive the cash or livestock and it is used for other agreed purposes which differ from family to family. The social and ritual significance of lobolo outweigh its economic value. For example, the amount paid is determined not by the donor’s means but by his sense of generosity. As its social and ritual function declines, lobolo now appears more like an ordinary commercial transaction with our fellow sisters cashing in, milking the brothers dry. This process is largely and strongly influenced by a constant increase in the amounts of lobolo being paid. An example is the SA soccer player who is reported to have paid lobolo of 1 million rand for his wife. The temptation to exploit this inflationary spiral is overwhelming. For many poor families the marriage of a daughter is a windfall that cannot be missed because it is the only way in which a family can meet its immediate financial needs. This continuing debate about the function and desirability of lobolo and that it leads to the subordination of women is both futile and baseless. This is so because the general economic milieu is largely responsible for this idea that, for example, the bride’s family must be compensated for the loss of a daughter as this loss represents, in large part, the expenditure on her upbringing and education. Lobolo is an institution that is central to the African conception of marriage and its symbolic function remains a powerful force. It is still the rock on which the customary marriage is founded. Equally important, today, its function is to mark marriage as distinctively African. Whatever its social, economic and political function, lobolo has proved to be a remarkably durable institution. It has survived major transformations in the economy and society not to mention the determined onslaught of missionaries, colonial governments and the courts.
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 05:54:30 +0000
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