Comments on: That ‘Married’ Couple From Malawi Was Actually Just Celebrating An Engagement. Still Illegal, Though

By: leliorisen

leliorisen — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 20:44:09 +0000

I have been blogging quite a bit on both the Uganda and Malawi stories.

For those who have yet to check out the newspapers in those countries, especially the forums where Ugandans and Malawians comment on the stories, it is a truly eye-opening experience.

Today I featured some of the more outrageous reader comments from the Malawian daily “The Nyasa Times,” and also provided the link.

It is in my piece, “Malawi & Uganda: The Religious Right’s Wet Dream.”

You can check out the coverage by clicking on my name above.

By: Sugabelly

Sugabelly — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:08:51 +0000

@Kevin: Erm no. I’m Nigerian. There are traditional engagement ceremonies and then there are traditional weddings. The two are very very VERY different.

Most Nigerians have TWO weddings. One traditional one and one Christian or Muslim one. Most Nigerians have ONE engagement ceremony – the traditional one – which is viewed as the only important/valid one anyway. The western practice of asking with a ring is simply out of habit. It holds no validity until the man formally sends his family to the woman’s family to negotiate for her.

This was not a wedding, it was an engagement… unless otherwise stated.

By: John from England(used to be just John but there are other John's)

John from England(used to be just John but there are other John's) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 01:53:08 +0000

This is too depressing to comment about and get a good discussion.

Queerty is too snarky and tunnel visioned.

It’s an odd story and I feel sorry for the guy dressed up as a woman because he seems pretty sad about the whole thing.

I think he was being used by the other guy, who may have wanted asylum?

I’m being cynical but this doesn’t add up.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:50:27 +0000

I know that at least in (parts of) Nigeria what’s now referred to as an engagements ceremony is the former traditional wedding ceremony. Then the missionaries arrived, and of course you can only have a wedding in a church :)