The Beautiful Bride - A Nigerian Story Part 1
A True Nigerian Folkore told by my grandmother. Well most of the story has been modified by me and a lot of things has been added also to make it more enjoyable.
I've always wanted to write about this and I guess this is the day start. Enjoy Part 1.
The land was fertile and most of the inhabitants were farmers. There were a few artisans and traders as well as fishermen. The swamps in the environment were cultivated during the dry season by farmers who planted rice, maize and vegetables. The people were peaceful and fun-loving.
They gave a lot of attention to the family.
It was the practice to betroth young girls of about five to ten years of age to boys or men who would marry them in future. Such betrothal favoured highly rated families. Whenever two families were linked through such a betrothal, the occasion was celebrated with exchange of gifts and festivities. The two families henceforth nurtured the relationship until the couple were ready for marriage.
Even though, some young girls who were betrothed grumbled, the men invariably had their way. Men who were the beneficiaries of such actions had a feeling oftriumph and fulfilment while many girls nursed their unhappiness quietly.
Most of the marriages were, however, successful. Everyone worked hard to sustain them. Divorce was rare and most of those whose marriages came about through such a method tried to make them successful.
But as time went on, things started changing the ladies began to resist their parents. They wanted to marry the men of their choice. There were violence from ladies who were forcibly taken husbands' homes. Many enlightened citizens of Iniga began to speak against this practice. In course of time, their were being heard.
The king of Iniga and his chiefs deliberated extensively on this and came to a conclusion that the practice must be stopped. He called the town-crier to announce that there would be a crucial meeting in his palace.
The town crier took his gong and visited all the nooks and crannies of Iniga with this message:
Men of Iniga
Women of Iniga
Children of Iniga
I have a message from the king
Come to the palace tomorrow
An important matter will be discussed
He would beat his gong and repeat the message. People gathered round to discuss the issue. Many were not sure of what the king planned to discuss with them. They had a lot of respect for the king and were ready to answer his call.
By 10 am on the appointed date, the palace was full of people. Old and young, men and women thronged to listen to their elegant and cheerful king. The king was in the inner chamber while his chiefs sat on their seats in the palace quadrangle. After some time, the king came out. He was in a guinea brocade embroidered agbada with a crown which did not cover his face. He held a white flywn and beamed with smiles as he sat on the seat a reserved for him already. He exchanged banters with his chiefs. Later, his second in command, Olisa, announced that the king would address them on an important topic which would be of interest to all the citizens of Iniga As the king rose to speak he waved his white flywhisk and there were shouts of Kabiyesi, kade pe lori, ki bata pe lese (Kabiyesi, may you wear the crown long - Chants of royalty to a Yoruba king.)
He waved it again and the audience said the same thing again. He waved the flywhisk for the third and last time and the spectators shouted 'Kabiyesi, ekeji orisa, Kade pe lori ki bata pe lese (Kabiyesi, second only to the gods, ma you wear the crown long).'
The king then began his address to the people Fellow citizens of Iniga. We don't call a female by the name Kumolu if we do not have a strong reason for doing so. We have a tradition which is becoming quite outdated It worked quite well in the past and some of us were beneficiaries and were quite comfortable with it. But things are changing. New ideas and practices are giving way to old ones. It was our tradition to betroth young girls to boys and even to old men. Three of my fifteen wives were given to me like that, young girls are betrothed without their consent and these innocent girls cannot take a decision at such a tender age. They cannot understand what is involved in marriage. But the tradition is now very unpopular I have intervened in a number of cases. Many girls have absconded from Iniga because they were not ready to marry the men chosen for them. Those who were forced to their husbands' homes became violent and some ended in the hospital After series of considerations with my chiefs, we have come to a conclusion. The practice of giving young girls to their future husbands must stop today. Henceforth, nobody must give young girls to boys or men for marriage. Those already betrothed could continue if the two parties are genuinely interested. But, if not, they should regard the relationship as closed as from today. To continue this system is to throw dust in our eyes. This tradition should stop forthwith. We are in a changing world. We must change with the world if we want to be relevant,' he concluded.
The king sat down and was given a loud applause. Ήaa, good talk, good decision,' said some of the girls present. Thank you Kabiyesi. You have hit the nail on the head. There is no doubt that you have taken a wise decision. It is for the progress and peace of Iniga citizens. Thank you very much;' said lyalode. Some boys and men who were beneficiaries of the old tradition grumbled but were not bold enough to speak out. The people dispersed to their homes. The decision was the topic of discussion for several weeks. Some young girls celebrated it. There was no doubt that the majority of the people of Iniga supported the king and his chiefs in their decision.
...to be continued