Rt Rev Dr George Kotei Neequaye, Anglican Bishop of Tema addresses the audience at the Conference.
I want to take this opportunity to thank the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints and the organizers of this Strengthening Families Conference for inviting me to this Conference. I am thrilled and most grateful.
Bride Price in Ghana
I was talking to a young man recently and asking why he is living with his wife and two children, and yet they are not married. He pointedly said, “I can’t pay for the Bride Price and the subsequent wedding.” So, he is trying to save towards the Bride Price and the Wedding. But it is tough to save in Ghana, especially if you have children and other responsibilities. The different responsibilities are taking care of yourself, supporting your wife, and caring for extended family relations.
The Bride Price refers to the monies and items you must give to your intended wife’s family if you declare your intention to marry her. Traditionally, you have no control over the bridal list that is compulsorily given to you by the family of your intended wife, and the bride’s price varies from family to family in Ghana. Some of the bride prices in Ghana include knocking schnapps (some families will ask for money in place of the schnapps), and then the marriage items are correct. These include six pieces of cloth, six headgears, the engagement (Marriage) ring, the engagement (Marriage) Bible, a Hymn Book (and that depends on which Church you go to), coal port, fufu mortar and pestle, at times, sewing machine, money to appease the father and the same pacification for the mother of the bride. The brother-in-law of the Groom will also have to be silenced with money for taking his sister away from him. Finally, thanksgiving money and items like soft drinks, and so on to thank the bride’s family members present at the ceremony.
Looking at the current salary structure of the average Ghanaian, it means unless the parents of the Groom support him, he will take years to be able to raise money to pay for the Bride Price. What should the Church and the nation do to lessen the high cost of Bride Price?
On the part of the Church, since the Bride Price is traditionally compulsory and they can’t legislate against it, the Church could form a small committee to go and sit down with the parents of the would-be bride to negotiate the Bride Price. In addition, if the Church is in good standing financially, she could also support the young man, their member, to pay for part of the negotiated price.
On the part of the nation, a committee could be put together by Parliament to meet with all the traditional leaders to look at what can be done so that young men who want to marry are not overburdened.
The above is just to give a teaser to the discussions that will be done today at this conference on the Pride Price and its effect on Marriage.
