Marriage

With This Ring I Thee Wed

There are two types of marriages here in Ghana.  The first one is the Traditional marriage. The second is the Legal marriage.

The Traditional marriage is typically entered into by having an interested groom approach the potential bride's family elders and asking for their permission. An investigation is done into the groom's background and family and if the elders agree a dowry is asked for (usually traditional things such as cloth, an alcoholic beverage, jewelry, and a few other ceremonial items particular to that tribe's traditions). After the dowry has been paid, a get together of sorts is arranged and both are declared husband and wife. This type of marriage, while widely practiced and acknowledged, is not considered a legal one.

The Legal marriage necessitates the interested parties to apply for and register a marriage license. Of course all the normal legalities are met with this. After all is said and done, usually a Western type of wedding is done. This marriage is becoming more and more popular due to the fact that a woman is then protected in cases of divorce while she is not in the Traditional marriage.

Decree Nisi 

Divorce is a bit more involved in Ghana than in Western countries. Here a desire for divorce is brought up not with the spouse, but with the spouse's family elders. (Ghana is a very family focused culture and everything, every decision, every action is done within that context.) When an intent to divorce request is brought to the family, the family does everything within their power to dissuade the divorce. If the desiring spouse cannot be convinced otherwise the elders then confer with the desiring spouse's family as to how to divide the assets.  If the divorce happens during a traditional marriage, the man has the right to just ask the wife to leave and does not have to give her anything. Women in this situation are usually left destitute without any recompense and with the full duties of a single mother. This is the main reason why many younger women opt for the Legal marriage. In Legal marriage they are automatically awarded the house if there is a divorce, plus some reasonable financial assets. Of course what they are awarded is relative to the couple's financial and domestic situation. Children are almost always awarded to the mother in both Traditional and Legal divorce situations.

Something to note: In this culture it is far easier for a man to divorce than it is for a woman. Divorce still has a HUGE social stigma attached to it for a woman.