AFRICAN PEACE MAGAZINE MARCH ISSUE

CULTURE
WEIRD CULTURE
IN AFRICA
Africa is undoubtedly one of the most
blessed continents in the world. Filled
with abundance of natural resources,
beautiful landscapes you can't get
enough of looking at, to the amazing
people and culture. The diversity in
religion, ethnicity ad tradition makes
Africa what it is today. But some
traditions are........ well, a bit diverse
which makes a person who is not a
part of the tradition to wonder which
planet your ancestors migrated from.
But I say it is the tradition and culture
that makes us who we are no matter
how unusual or strange it is.
LOBOLA
This tradition has to do with the
institution of marriage. Families of
bride and groom will be punished if
they didn't agree to this tradition.
Lobola involves negotiation of price
that groom will pay to marry the girl.
T h e L o b o l a p r o c e s s i s o f t e n
complicated and has certain protocols
that have to be adhered to. For
example, although the two families
concerned might have lived next to
each other for years, all negotiation
b e t w e e n t h e p a r e n t s m u s t b e
conducted in writing and not by
telephone or by a quick visit. The
reason for this seemingly absurd rule
is that although the families might
have known each other for years, they
do not know each other on the level of
the Lobola exchange. In other words,
they do not know each other at the
level of the seriousness and sanctity of
marriage.
AFRICAN PEACE MAGAZINE / 22