On Polygamy and Chauvinism in African Culture

Yul Edochie’s illicit affair with his “second wife” has once more raised the issue of African culture versus Western/Christian influence. A lot of people have shared various views on the debate. I have also read many of them. However, I want to add my voice to the discourse. I am not taking any stand yet.

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In the first place, we must make a distinction between colonial influence and Christian influence in African society. The Irish missionaries who brought Christianity to us were themselves under colonial rule until about 1918. What they brought to us through Christianity and education were the gospel values and not Western values.

Secondly, there were many practices in African culture that the influence of Christianity extinguished. Examples are the killing of twins, human sacrifice, burying of kings with human heads, idol worship, polygamy, and illiteracy. These practices fazed out not out of compulsion, but because our fathers were made to understand that they do more harm than good to humanity and the society. It is funny seeing people arguing that the white men forced us to give up these practices and that we must return to them.

There are other cultures that the early Christians condemned due to lack of understanding of the ideology behind such practices. Examples are Tsav in Tiv land, Ozo title in Igbo land, and masquerade dances. These practices were no doubt done during pagan feasts. However, the ideology behind them was not contradictory to the Christian faith and humanity. They ranged from the preservation of manhood/womanhood to entertainment and Thanksgiving festivals.

Polygamy was not in the original plan of God. God created Adam and Eve, he did not create more women. When Sarah insisted that Ishmael and the mother be sent out, God reminded Abraham that the child was not the child of promise. Yes, Jacob married two wives and had two concubines. David and Solomon had a scandalous number of wives and concubines. These are however no justification that God approved polygamy. It is just like saying that God approves of prostitution because a prostitute helped the Israelites as they were moving to the promised land, or that he likes violence because our country is bleeding in spite of our frequent prayer for Nigeria in distress.

Polygamy in Tiv culture has always been an option and not the norm.
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Many who married more than one wife did so because their first wife could not give the male children or any at all. The quest to have more children to help out in farm work and more male children to carry on the family lineage pushed many to polygamy. Also the “mysterious death” of children as a result of lack of medical facilities and proper enlightenment as regards genotype compatibility pushed men to marry more and more women. Like Jesus told the Pharisees, it was not so from the beginning. Those calling Yul Edochie “a true African“ for taking a second wife should have a rethink. If we continue this way, we may one day hail those who kill twins, do humans sacrifices and bury great men with human heads as true Africans.

Yul’s act is simply chauvinism taken too far. In Africa, we have little or no regard for the female gender. Just few weeks ago, the story of Osinachi emerged and I made a post here about it https://blurt.blog/r2cornell/@dicksonbem/domestic-violence-is-intolerable-speak-out.
Imagine if it was Osinachi beating the husband, he would have abandoned her and remarried and we will hail him as a true African. Imagine also if it was May Edochie introducing her child born by a “second husband”, your guess here is as good as mine. Some will say polyandry is not an African culture. But women are humans too.

Most African men have this belief that they can behave whichever way they like and get away with it. Otherwise, how will someone who irresponsibly impregnates a woman outside wedlock have the courage to introduce his side chick to the world as his second wife? Adultery is not a death sentence no doubt! But the way out is to apologize and make plans on how to take care of the child. Not to legitimize bastardy as Yul has done.