Prof. Emmanuel K.Twesigye For some reasons - in some European countries Belgium, Denmark and Sweden in particular, there is proposed bill to legalise polygamy.
And guess who drafted the bill - women from the socialist and communist block (!) as men a becoming a rear species or increasing turning to the fell men! In essence women are making sure, their right are not tramped upon by some macho-women or chauvinistic males claiming power over them - so women can co-own a man with whomsoever they want. I believed in human ways changing - that to me is a discarded hypothetical contrivance or rather a mutilated theory. In fact in the USA some religious sects are practicing polygamy despite the laws in place� times rebound! Bwanika (Sociologist) ................ 2005-02-20 00:12 skrev Emmanuel K. Twesigye <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >From Prof. Emmanuel K.Twesigye, OWU, Delaware, OH, USA. > > >AFRICAN CULTURE AND POLYGAMY: > >The African Culture, Economy and Traditional Religions are traditionally >deeply rooted in polygamy. Polygamy itself will become absolete when the >economy makes it impossible. > >There were many reasons why polygamy was culturally and socially >attractive to both men and women in Africa. They include the following: > >1. A larger family offered more prestige, social, economic and political >protection. Nepotism is rooted in this principal of self-identity and >rewarding those relatives who will love and protect you because of >blood-relationship. One\'s identity and fate were tied in with his family >and the polygamous extended family privded many close relatives. > >2. Kings, chiefs and other politicians have sought to create >important political alliances through intermarriages. > >3. Some women found a co-wife who was like a sister or mother. In this >case, life improved for both of them because they formed a loving bond, >shared work, advised each other, kept each othe company, >took care of each other children, and took turns in cooking for the >husband and did not feel they had to cook everyday. If the husband >misbehaved, they boycotted him and he soon learned to respect them. > >However, there was cases of jealous women who did not want to share a >husband and tried to bewitch either the husband, the co-wife and her >children and made life hell for everybody. This is not a result of >polygamy. It is a result of a bad woman/wife. Some men are also mean >jealous like that and they beat their wives for talking to strangers. >These kinds of men and women are trouble even in monogamous marriages. >They are ever spying on their spouses to ensure that they are not having >secret affairs. Monogamy does not work well for them. Maybe single lives >are the best option for them. > >4. Polygamy generated wealth for the family. Many hands to work in the >field, whereas others looked after cattle, goats and sheep. The rural >people found polygamy ideal for that reason. But now school fees have gone >up so much that having many wives and many children is not a good idea, >since they wealth they generate is less that the wealth required to >maintain them. This is the means to exterminate polygamy than through >legislation. This means that the rich presidents and ministers can keep >their wives as official wives with real spousal rights and legal >protection rather than keeping them as illegal wives or concubines without >any legal recognition and protection. > >5. Polygamy gives the wives the legal, social, cultural and political >power to demand their legal rights and protection under the law. Their >children are not illegitimate/bastards to be ashamed of. The children have >the rights and recognition by society as legal and full members of the >family and the community which is rarely the case with those labeled >\"bastards\" or \"illegitimate\" children. Some cultures are still harsh on >these children and their parents. > >6. Wars have killed millions of men in Uganda leaving wone and widows. >Some of these widows prefer to be remarried even if the man already has >another wife. If they partners are tested for HIV/AIDS first, the widows >may benefit from a polygmaous remarriage, unless the first wife is so >jealous that she is unable to live in such enlarged family. In which case, >she should feel free to divorce her husband. > >7. Polygamy helped families by preventing divorces in order to get married >to another, often younger and more attractive woman. Those who resent >polygamy may end up divorced and alone as it the case of the serieal >monogamy in the West. That is polygamy, but living with one wife/spouse at >a time until you get tired of them or find somebody better! More than 50% >of the American marriages end up in divorce! Is that what some Africans >want? > >8. Polygamy has been a cultural and moral antidote to prostitution in >Africa. When too many women are either not married or divorced and men are >prevented to have more than one wife, there will be an increase in the >vices of prostitution. > >9. Polygamy has enabled the rich people to have two homes, one in the >urban area where they work and one in the rural areas where their homes >are and food is grown. > >10. Polygamy has provided sexual variety to men more than women, >therefore, >let us ask the rural area women whether they support the law to abolish >polygamy and for them to lose their sexual, legal, social, and property >rights they now enjoy as wives, especiall if they are the second and third >wives or more! > > >In conclusion, I am personally a poor man who can hardly afford to >maintain a big family of one wife, four chidren and the estended family, >therefore, for me polygamy is an economic impossibility or harship. It is >economically unworkable. It is not a matter of legality or moral pressure >that polygamy will die out as a cultural value, it will be because of >economic necessity. In the West, some people are even to poor to get >married and some homeless people do not think of marriage as a good idea. >They can not afford to provide a home for themselves and thier spouses. > > >Polygamy and even the marriage institution will ultimately die out if the >society and the economy can not support them. > > >Emmanuel K. Twesigye, PhD >Aden S. & Mollie Wollam Benedicts Professor >of Christian Studies >Ohio Wesleyan University >Delaware, Ohio 43015, USA > > >Phone: 740-368-3827. >E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >18 Feb. 2005 >===================================================================== > >On Thu, 17 Feb 2005, kandekye kagyenzi wrote: > >> Well, Well,.... Polygamy, >> >> Not that I am for polygamy, but I think we should not loose our culture >> because Europeans have suggested so. I think the road we have taken to >> westernise our culture will on its own phase out polygamy. We should not do >> it because the western worl has said so. The west should address their >> divorce rate before they get into prescribing marriage antedotes. >> >> Kandekye Kagyenzi >> >> Vukoni Lupa-Lasaga <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> This is worth trying but (especially if posturing is the motive) >> outlawing polygamy won\'t end it as a socially acceptable practice. The >> beneficiaries of patriarchy will conspire to see that such a law becomes >> a dead letter, just like the law that prescribes the death sentence for >> defiling a minor. A well planned universal primary education will do >> much more towards ending polygamy. In the best of worlds (where we can >> afford everything we want), a mix of policies including at its core a >> law that outlaws polygamy and an aggressive promotion of female >> education would be the way to go. >> >> >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >> >> > Time to end polygamy( THE NEW VISION) >> > >> > THE United Nations Human Rights Committee has asked the government to >> > outlaw polygamy. The UN argues that polygamy is incompatible with the >> > constitutional requirement for equal treatment of men and women. >> > >> > The UN statement came in reaction to the government’s White Paper >> > proposing various amendments to the constitution. >> > >> > Yesterday was St Valentine’s Day, which celebrates the ideal of >> > romantic monogamous love. This may seem unrealistic amid the grinding >> > struggle of daily life in the countryside, or the crass materialism of >> > the cities. Nevertheless, it should give us cause for further >> > reflection on the UN’s proposal. >> > >> > Polygamy is unacceptable for a multitude of reasons. >> > Firstly, it is indeed discriminatory. Men are legally permitted to >> > take more than one wife, but not women. >> > >> > Secondly, it is very unusual to find children of polygamous marriages >> > who are happy with the arrangement. Most polygamous children suffer, >> > in some way, from neglect. >> > Thirdly, most polygamous men cannot afford to support their additional >> > wives and children. They increase human suffering. >> > >> > Fourthly, it should be the human right of all Ugandan children to >> > continue education as far as they are capable. Regrettably, the state >> > cannot yet afford to pay for secondary and tertiary education, so the >> > responsibility falls to the parents. Yet how many polygamous children >> > get the chance to complete university? >> > Fifthly, it perpetuates Uganda’s rampant population growth. >> > >> > Sixthly, if the government conducted an opinion poll of women and >> > children of polygamous marriages, there would almost certainly be a >> > huge majority in favour of abolition. >> > Government should not worry about religious or cultural >> > discrimination. Polygamy is almost unheard of in advanced Islamic >> > countries like Iran or Egypt. It is considered outdated and backward, >> > even within Islam. Nor would it fundamentally undermine African >> > culture to eliminate polygamy. >> > >> > Government should take note of the UN recommendation and advance >> > legislation to end polygamy in Uganda. Men should only be allowed to >> > marry one wife. >> > *Ends* >> > >> > Published on: *Tuesday, 15th February, 2005* >> > >> >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >> > >> >_______________________________________________ >> >Ugandanet mailing list >> >[email protected] >> ><b><a href=http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet >> >TARGET=\"_new\">http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet</a></b> >> >% UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM <b><a >> >href=http://www.infocom.co.ug/ >> >TARGET=\"_new\">http://www.infocom.co.ug/</a></b> >> > >> _______________________________________________ >> Ugandanet mailing list >> [email protected] >> <b><a href=http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet >> TARGET=\"_new\">http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet</a></b> >> % UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM <b><a >> href=http://www.infocom.co.ug/ >> TARGET=\"_new\">http://www.infocom.co.ug/</a></b> >> >> >> --------------------------------- >> Do you Yahoo!? >> Yahoo! Mail - You care about security. So do we. >_______________________________________________ >Ugandanet mailing list >[email protected] ><b><a href=http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet >TARGET=\"_new\">http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet</a></b> >% UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM <b><a >href=http://www.infocom.co.ug/ >TARGET=\"_new\">http://www.infocom.co.ug/</a></b> > > Bwanika ________ http://www.idr.co.ug --> for your consultancy needs _______________________________________________ Ugandanet mailing list [email protected] http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet % UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/
