Marriage is a union between a man and a woman who are in love with each other and have purposed in their minds and hearts to live as one with each other, loving and bearing all things with the mind-set of procreating and establishing a family.
Marriage indeed is a beautiful thing, when you marry the right person. Marriage to the wrong person means bondage for the other partner. There is a world pandemic, especially in Ghana and Africa, where certain families and certain tribes do not wish their children or family marry from other tribes.
Africans some months back were chanting STOP RACISM NOW; but unfortunately, there is serious racism in their various country. This time, the racism in our native countries is known as Tribalism, this pandemic is killing a lot of relationships, in fact, beautiful and peaceful relationships.
A real story is told of a young lady, who wanted to marry a man from a different tribe, the lady goes ahead to inform her family that she is bringing a man from a tribe and boom, the sorrow begun. This young couples were two different tribes, the lady’s family, especially the father, disagreed highly on the daughter’s choice of husband. The question is why? The father said, the man is from a tribe he didn’t like, he said he didn’t want his daughter getting married from such a tribe. Reason being that, they have bad record.
He vowed never to agree to the union and true to his words, he did not agree. They broke off the beautiful engagement and the girl got a man from the tribe her father wanted, he agreed to the marriage, the daughter married the man and few years down the lane, they got divorced. The daughter wasn’t happy! If only the father had agreed to allow her marry the man she had earlier brought.
It is strongly believed by Africans that, when you want to marry and your parents don’t agree, the marriage will fail, but truthfully there are marriages, parents agreed on and yet they still break.
Time and seasons have changed! People have now come to the knowledge of certain things, parents must learn to let go off histories in the past and give themselves and their young ones the chance to be happy.
Our world today has witnessed a lot of changes, for instance, you come to Ghana and Akan parents, mostly don’t want their kids marrying from other tribes like the Ewes and Northerners. Gone are the days, now civilization has taken over tribalism. There are equally bad nuts among Akans just as there are in other tribes.
In our children’s quest to marry, we must seek first the hand of God in the relationship, financial status, not to say a billionaire, but the person should be able to support your child. Look at the character and personality of the person, these counts.
The tribe people come from is not the ultimate decided for marital success or happiness. Let us stop the racism in our Countries and among ourselves. Racism isn’t just about country to country or blacks and whites, but tribalism, let us stop the old mentalities about tribes and clans in our native countries and focus on the additions or improvements we will get in the union. Love is love, knows no tribes, colour, language! Let us stop TRIBALISM NOW!
Written by ©Benjamin Freshhope Mensah
