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Which reduction in the latest bridewealth diverges on extremely commercialised money claimed in towns inside the Ghana and you will elsewhere (Shope, 2006; Posel & Rudwick, 2013)
New commission of bridewealth occupies a significant standing throughout the relationships procedure round the ethnicities from inside the northern Ghana, also Dagaaba, Frafra and you may Builsa nations. Among the many Dagaaba, this new bridewealth, kyeuri, generally constitutes such as things as libi-pe?le (cowrie shells, pick Shape step 1 ), fowls, smoking and you can cola crazy. In some instances, the level of cowrie shells must be commensurate with that which was taken care of this new bride’s mom. In other hours, bonds out-of solidarity amongst the vaimo belgialainen family otherwise settlements of your own bride to be and you will bridegroom result in a decrease in the fee, just in case the new bride’s agnatic kin determine you to definitely in the past the groom’s friends billed a premier brideprice having a marriage, he’s likely to also insist upon an expensive commission. Nonetheless, there are also standardized relationships payments along side Dagaaba configurations. At the moment, on average 2000 cowries, or cash equivalent, are often approved since bridewealth for the Serekpere and its environments. This amount is short for a beneficial grave reduction away from some 20,000 and you can more than cowries which had been approved in identical urban area regarding 90s. During the framework out of neoliberal economic formula, and dwindling farming productivity levels inside sensitive ecological zone, our correspondence having gatekeepers revealed that the brand new cutback into amount regarding cowries is meant to create marriage reasonable. Importantly, the percentage is not contingent on the newest factors of your bride to be, that’s, if the bride to be is highly experienced, separated, has already given birth or perhaps not just like the reported elsewhere (Borgerhoff Mulder, 1989, 1995; Anderson, 2007). The traditional norms governing the technique of bridewealth are prepared aside if the flexible aside from the bride’s socio-financial position or perhaps the amount of rights transported.
Anderson (2007: 159) records one to within the configurations all over Africa, the wedding fee try normatively increased because of the groom’s ‘father, parent and you may father’s brothers, sufficient reason for mother’s brothers and then make short contributions’
The new bridewealth one of many Dagaaba, given that all over communities during the outlying northern Ghana, is an intricate procedure of negotiations within agnatic kin off the wedding couple and you may, generally, a 3rd party, titled a great dendeo, a married relationship liaison. Generally speaking, a marriage liaison are a guy on the groom’s village whom has some interactions on the bride’s payment. The dendeo leads the latest groom’s household members into the bride’s agnatic kin, basic in order to formally request their turn in relationship and to afford the brideprice. The newest affairs of dendeo on bride’s loved ones signify the latter was considerate toward bridegroom and his awesome kin. The former in addition to pleads with respect to new groom’s kinsmen if the the bride’s family relations are looking for to help you fees an inflated brideprice. While the bridewealth could have been relocated to and you will acknowledged by bride’s kin, the wedding partnership is created and you can legitimated.
Normatively, the yirdandoo, your face of one’s friends, instead of the dad of your own bride to be, is the custodian of your cowries brought given that matrimony costs. At the a team dialogue from inside the Nator, close Serekpere, appearing new part of head of your clan, Mwinyella, a report fellow member, told me, leading in order to his paternal uncle who is your face away from their clan, that: ‘it man try my dad and thus whenever i get married they would be his obligation to help you [pay the bridewealth] for me’. Yet, having household without info designated because bridewealth, the bridegroom along with his agnatic kin have the effect of elevating they. That it varies, to an extent, regarding Dagaaba account demonstrated here. But really it resonates which have bridewealth means one of certain Frafra congeries, where normatively the newest groom’s father and you may dad’s brothers are responsible for paying the bridewealth and you may where he’s not able to increase it new bridegroom transforms so you can their dad’s or mom’s brothers for assistance.