It is the responsibility of the bride's relatives to see she has as wedding gifts all the necessary equipment to run a home. Oh the groom will probably furnish the house with things like mattresses a bed, a wardrobe a television/entertainment center any of the big fancy stuff that he wants and can afford but the, rugs and blankets and sheets and kitchen utensils will come with the bride. They will also go with the bride if she gets divorced, which is a good thing since this is a one time deal. Any future marriages by the woman will be modest affairs attended only by the couple the imam and two witness and gifts are limited to the dowry and any other thing her husband wishes to bestow on her. Read More...

Tags: Women, marriage, gift giving, furnishings

Jawara koy from a mispronunciation of the arabic word zawia meaning a place (house or whole neighbourhood) of repose where travelers, students, and others could stay and find meals and koy the Songai word for proprietor, thus the sheik or chief responsible for such a place who financed it and often offered charity to, or took care of debts of, the impoverished who made use of it. Read More...

Tags: gift giving, charity, traditions, superstitions

Weddings in Africa are complex, nuanced affairs. They are also rarely without challenges. Never have I attended one that didn’t have a share of the participants grumbling over some gap in the organization or imagined slight on the part of someone involved. It is an event full of details and frustrations for the organizers and also one of great importance to the life of the bride who will only ever have the one wedding of such pomp. This is where she is fussed over and celebrated and where should receive as gifts all the materials needed to start a household, from dishes and utensils, to quilts and carpets to clothing and cosmetics. Here is an insiders account of one wedding, as all wedding not without its tribulations but ultimately coming to a satisfactory conclusion. Read More...

Tags: marriage, traditions, gift giving

Demands for gifts can be annoying but you are not the only one dealing with this. Gift giving is an integral part of the culuture and can become quite complicated. Read More...

Tags: gift giving, travel, marriage