Polygamy in Igbo Culture

POLYGAMY   IN   IGBO   CULTURE In   the   whole   world,   there   are   five   continents.   Africa   is   the   world’s   second   largest   continent,   with   80   percent   of   its   area   in   the   tropics.   Africa   is   usually   portrayed   as   a   dark   continent   historically   and   physically   isolated   from   the   rest   of   the   world   but   it   is   not.   Nigeria   is   one   of   the   most   important   country   in   Africa.   It   is   located   in   western   Africa,   bordering   the   gulf   of   Guinea   between   Benin   and   Cameroon. People   living   together   in   a   community   have   their   own   tradition   and   customs.   Nigerian   people   do   not   stay   away   from   this   reality   especially   the   Igbo   community.   The   Igbo   community   is   one   of   the   three   major   ethnics   group   in   Nigeria.   Geographically,   it   is   located   in   the   Eastern   part   of   Nigeria.   In   this   paper,   attempt   will   be   made   to   describe   Polygamy   In the   Igbo   culture. As   we   are   moving   forward,   we   will   talk   about   the   importance   of   marriage   in the   Igbo   culture.   We   will   develop   what   polygamy   is,   analyzing   the   causes   of   polygamy   in   the Igbo   culture   and   thinking   about   the   consequences   of   polygamy   in   the   Igbo   culture. In   the   Igbo   community   there   are   two   different   types   of   marriage   systems:   the   first   is   the   customary   marriage   and   the   second   is   the   statutory   marriage.   The   statutory   type   of   marriage   is   foreign   to   the   culture   of   the   Igbo   community.   The   customary   marriage   is   indigenous   to   the   culture   of   the   Igbo   community. It   has   been   in   practice   from   ages   to   ages   and   handed   down   from   generation   to   generation.   Marriage   is   a   family   affair   in   the   Igbo   community.   It   is   a   contract   between   two   families.   Without   an   exchange   of   money   from   the   family   of   the   prospective   groom   to   that   of   the   perspective   bride,   it   will   be   very   difficult   to   claim   that   any   marriage   has   taken... [continues]

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