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Tiv Nation Bans Cutting Of Cake And Other Alien Festivities At Traditional Marriages

By Njideka Agbo
31 August 2018   |   12:00 pm
African communities are finally paying attention to bride price conversations. The Tiv Area Traditional Council (TATC), Benue State has announced in a statement that they will no longer condone the celebration of certain "alien" activities at the traditional marriages held in their locality. A part of the communique stated that a girl must be at…

African communities are finally paying attention to bride price conversations.

The Tiv Area Traditional Council (TATC), Benue State has announced in a statement that they will no longer condone the celebration of certain “alien” activities at the traditional marriages held in their locality.

A part of the communique stated that a girl must be at least 18 before she can be given out for marriage. The communique also stated that the bride price must involve only the elders of the two families involved.

This decision was announced at the General Assembly (Ijirtamen) of the Tiv nation under its chairman, Tor Tiv, Professor James Ayatse.

A section of the communiqué reads:

“The practice of holding festivities in the house of the girl’s parents popularly known as Traditional Marriage involving cutting of cake, dances, parties should be discontinued as it is alien to the Tiv way of life. Celebration of a new wife is done by the Tiv People only in the husband’s house.

“Love should be the primary issue between the families concerned in marriage discussion and transaction but not money. Therefore, total expenses on marriage including dowry or bride price (kem kwase) and all sundry issues (Azaan a kwase) which at the moment vary from one community or family to another should not exceed One hundred Thousand Naira (N100,000.00) in Tivland.”

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