Marriage Preparations

• Dowries or prices paid to the families of future wives are still a traditional practice through Africa. Southern African countries refer to it as "lobola," while east African tribes call it "mahari" and "wine carrying." Dowries may include currency, cattle, food and/or property. Arguments in support of the practice identify the practice as a tribute to the woman's family while opponents attribute it to domestic violence. Another premarital tradition for women still performed by the Efik people of Nigeria is called "nkuho." In stark contrast to Western societies' admiration of a slim female figure, nkuho seeks to fatten women for beauty and fertility. During nkuho, Efik women are isolated for approximately six months before marriage in rooms where they are fed six times a day and disallowed to exercise.
  
  

Chastity Preservation

• Many little girls in African countries undergo circumcision in an effort to deter desire premarital sex. Virginity determines a girl's bride price. Ethiopia's Jewish Falashas, Nigeria's Igbo and Sudanese nomads cut their girls in infancy. Egyptians practice female circumcision up to 7 years old. According to Palomar Community College scholar Dennis O'Neill, the practice may involve surgical removal of the clitoris and/or closing off the vaginal opening. Feminists protest female circumcision as a form of male subjugation and cultural domination.
  
  

Traditional Dances

• Africans dance for many reasons. Some are reenactments of past events. Some dances are ritualistic while others ask for entrance into the spirit world. Gender-specific dance, however, is usually done to communicate with the opposite sex. Ewe women of Togo dance the Atsia and perform community skits to express opinions on social gender issues. Atsia dances are characterized by the use of two horsetails. Ewe women also perform Takada, which are dances used as warnings to men expressing displeasure with current social conditions. Adolescent girls of Ghana's Ga-Adangme tribe dance Tokoe to attract men during coming of age ceremonies.
  
  

Weddings and Marriage Traditions

• New Karo brides of Ethiopia receive tattoos on their stomachs. Ghanaian women traditionally respond three times to confirm a personal decision to her father as to whether to marry a suitor. She must also agree to dowry acceptance. Kenya's Masai girls aged 13 to 16 do not have a say in who they marry. Grooms are older men who they are expected to follow on foot to their new homes many miles away from family and friends. Himba wives of Namibia are kidnapped and delineated household duties by their husbands' families.