It’s supposed to be one of the best days in one’s life. It was supposed to be the best day for the Shumba family, finally their daughter who has been in London for some years was getting married. With everyone gathered for the traditional marriage of their daughter, this was supposed to be a happy day for the whole family, until the Jamaicans arrived in the village.
Culture is very dynamic, YES, but our traditions seem to have passed the test of time. With millions of Zimbabweans now living in different parts of the world, many are learning and taking up the values, moral and cultures of the communities in which they are no residing. But how much of these foreign cultures will be acceptable back in Zimbabwe?
But as Chenai(not her real name) found out, some things are not acceptable in our more traditional Zimbabwean culture. Chenai’s parents divorced because of her choices of partner. Her mother is now living in Malawi after she was send away by her father.
Chenai’s parents did not divorce because she was getting married to a Jamaican. IN fact it was because she was marrying a Jamaican woman. Since she came to England, Chenai has probably learnt that it’s okay for a woman to marry another woman. But for her father that was a NO NO NO. Now Chenai has to live the rest of her life knowing she was responsible for the divorce of her parents.
From what we have heard, Chenai did not let her parents know that the would be ‘husband’ was in fact another woman. Instead the parents were left to find out on the day of the traditional ceremony, from the Jamaican go-between (munyayi/sadombo).
Chenai’s mother was send away, because according to the father she knew all about her daughter’s relationship for she had visited her in England the year before.
It seems some things will never be accepted no matter how much culture changes. But for the Shumba family, life will never be the same again since the day their daughter decided to get married to another woman.
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