HomeOld_PostsMarriage as backbone of nation building

Marriage as backbone of nation building

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MARRIAGE is sacred in Zimbabwe and Africa because it strengthens relationships that enrich communities and nations by bringing forth new life as well as new hope.
Most cultures in Zimbabwe celebrate the coming of the rains, the first harvest and the birth of a child.
Marriage is that cultural process which ushers in new life.
It is a cherished and most celebrated rite of passage since the dawn of African civilisation.
It is a civilised union of man and woman.
It is the ideal set up for a child to be raised into full functionality.
Marriage is a journey through life which enhances and enriches communities.
It promotes sharing, tolerance, consideration, empathy, selflessness and other virtues. Lack of marriage is the death of a nation and a people.
Communities that fail to recognise marriage become decadent and self-destructive with a range of social problems.
It is the institutionalisation of complementary relationships between male and female energies, enshrining in the child sentiments and values from both sexes.
This is the formula which is secured with marriage.
Extended family systems are based on the marriage union by sharing responsibilities and enshrining balance.
Even if a woman is unable to contribute by having her own biological children her role as a mother is expressed in a communal set-up, hence the adage: It takes a village to raise a child.
Parenting is communal, and the harmony of male and female energies is critical in enshrining balanced humans.
In all the communities, the bride plays a very special role and is treated with respect because she is a link between the unborn and the ancestors.
Women are mothers of civilisation which earns them a high status in society, thus protecting women and children is a biological human instinct.
And if a community cannot get a man and woman into equitable agreement and commitment then we cannot build a nation.
In a good marriage, partners should complement each other.
It is a journey through lives which enhances and enriches entire communities by promoting sharing, tolerance, consideration, empathy, selflessness and other virtues.
There are many steps that take place before marriage, starting at a very young age where training takes place in how to be a suitable partner.
In some cultures, such as the BaTonga and the Shangaani, girls go to initiation lessons where elderly women teach them what is involved in marriage and in some ethnic groups, they even learn secret codes and languages so that they can communicate with other married women.
Among the BaTonga, there is even a time where elderly women of the village gather with the bride and give advice and gifts.
Weddings can be very elaborate, involving feasting and dancing for days within a community. They can be very simple, or they can even be performed in huge marriage ceremonies involving many couples.
Historically, marriage has been used in political unions between nations, and different ethnic groups to secure peace, trade and development.
It is a communal relationship, a rite of passage which bonds two people and enshrines obligations and values.
While couples may divorce, there are guidelines and ethics in every culture governing all aspects of married life and separation.
Marriage is dignity and a true sign of commitment.
It defines our humanity and contributes to making us more human.
The Patriot correspondent in the UK, Dr Masimba Mavaza, once alluded to marriage breakdowns in that country where couples have failed to respect matrimonial unions due to a number of factors.
One of the reasons given was that a Diaspora marriage is compounded by a social culture of the single mother syndrome, which, according to some experts, is a manifestation of immaturity and lack of moral responsibility.
Another factor cited in the breakdown of Diaspora marriage was the depletion of African men from the marriage pool, mainly caused by: inter-racial choices, imprisonment, sexual-orientation, especially when most men preferred being gay, have had profound consequences on African-Diasporans finding suitable partners, especially if they are educated and looking for men from that social class.
However, according to some social commentators, it has become impossible to discuss the social development and reconstruction of African people and not include the issue of marriage.
The Diaspora community has the lowest marriage rates of any ethnic group, a direct legacy of colonialism.
During colonialism the first African institution that was destroyed by whites was marriage.
According to some scholars, during the apartheid era in South Africa, the male-female relationship was placed under stress due to forced settlement and seasonal mine work which took the men far from their homesteads.
These isolated men then sought refuge in casual relationships with prostitutes, ultimately leading to a health crisis.
This threatened the greatness of many African nations, because marriage was central in most African kingdoms where these males came from.
However, countries like India, China, Europe and Central America, Japan, all have strong traditions of marriage as backbones of nation building and nationhood.
Marriage has been a political stabiliser in the growth of every major empire, it was even used to broker unity between belligerents in Europe, African and Asia.
The entire history of political power in every nation was linked to marriage.
It is important for Zimbabweans to value the institution of marriage and shun the influence of former colonial masters who will never tire of separating families and entrench some of their foreign values such as homosexuality, feminism and other vices that are threatening to derail the hard-won independence.

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