IS ‘BRIDE PRICE’ EXPLOITATIVE? AN ESSAY IN AFRICAN SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND PHILOSOPHY
The highpoint of a marriage ceremony in African context is the payment of bride price. So much importance and emphasis is been placed on it that without bride
price the marriage is considered null and void. However, despite this importance, most African men find it difficult to pay the price (levy) of their bride. This is so because either the price is too high or, in the case of a cross cultural marriage, the bride family ceases the opportunity as a means of exploiting the intending groom. Thus, this paper explores the meaning and concept of bride price in traditional African marriage system and argues that given the exorbitant, unbiblical,
unnatural and the exploitative nature of bride price that it should be abolished. Above all, this paper further employs the hermeneutical method of inquiry to examine the concept of marriage in Africa and reaffirms the proposition that bride price commodifies the woman and as such it should be abolished if the voice of the feminist is to be held.
