In many areas and communities in Northern Ghana, marrying from the same clan is discouraged to allow for cultural diversity.
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This makes it possible for families from one clan to marry from another.
The practice binds both clans together especially during funerals, festivals, naming ceremonies, conflicts as well as other festivities.
There are a lot of cultural barriers that could prevent people from marrying others but many are mostly ignored.
Dos and don’t
The staple of a clan maybe forbidden by another; and what is said or practiced by one clan is forbidden by another.
Animals such as: goats, dogs, snakes, pigs, frogs and crocodiles which are delicacy to other people is a no-go area for some people. Even though my dad, for instance, enjoys eating snakes, my mom doesn’t. And again, whereas my dad eats mad fish, my step mom doesn’t.
Likewise, even though it’s culturally forbidden for my dad to eat frogs, one of my step moms is culturally permitted to eat them and whereas I’m also permitted to eat crocodiles, my wife would have nothing to do with the meat because she’s forbidden from eating the reptiles, but all of us are happy in our marriages.
At Boli in the Upper West Region where I come from, we eat what our dads eat without any problem because ours is a Patrilineal system.
But some people won’t eat something just because their mother or father is culturally prohibited to eat it or a member of the family forbids it. They also forbid it to show that they respect the culture of their parents.
The entire Family is often informed about what is forbidden for them particularly to the woman that cooks for the household or when a new bride arrives.
Wives are those who cook the food in the house so they know all these. Should any family member desires to cook a meal culturally forbidden to the people, the person cannot use the regular cooking utensils in the household but would rather be given a different set of utensils to do so.
But even in that case, there must be an information indicating to all members of the family who share the same belief with them to the effect that those cooking utensils had been used in cooking a meal forbidden to some members.
After preparing such meals, they also make sure everyone is protected from eating the food they are culturally forbidden to take.
There are dire consequences even for those who unknowingly eat what they are forbidden to eat . And it is believed that for those who dare break the taboo by eating what is forbidden for them, would face more devastating consequences for their actions although there’s always a remedy should they arise.
This is how disciplined man can be in obeying his cultural beliefs and hence, denying himself or herself the consumption of what their clan forbids no matter how appealing that meal may appear to the person.
Even religious leaders dare not break such taboos. But the question is, why does society continues to record broken homes or divorce on daily basis when we can sacrifice our interests to live together?
Why do we still have ethnic conflicts, chieftaincy and land disputes?
What is really preventing two people from living together in peace and harmony?
Well, that is a topic for another time.
…..to be continued.
Written by Yakubu Abdul-Gafur.
A broadcaster, Upper West Region
Wa- Ghana.
yaagafur@gmail.com/ 0205760601
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