Written by Odoh Ugochukwu.
Few days ago, footages emerged from a, should I term it, a botched marriage proposal, between a good looking young man and his girlfriend. The rather ‘disturbing’ pictures from the scene of the ‘sacrilegious’ event shocked many, including myself to the marrows.
A bodily built young man was seen rolling his neatly sewed and properly fitting ‘senator’ ragalia on the muddy water. At first, we all thought, citing the seriousness exhibited by the man on white, that probably, he was pleading or rather, soliciting for help for a dying person to be rushed to the hospital. Only to realize that it was all a failed marriage proposal. His girlfriend reportedly turned down his proposal and refused to reply with the much anticipated ‘I do’ before the general public.
This then prompted the son of man to run after his girlfriend, kneeled, begged and rolled on the floor, like he was prostrating before the Biblical Jesus on the streets of Jericho, pleading that he be accepted.
What has remained a mystery is how we arrived at this juncture and strange process of picking a wife partner. What used to be a norm is fast turning upside down. I still remember the practice and procedures of getting a life partner.
Like it has been practised from ages, when a man is old enough to live with a wife. It’s either he gets one for himself or he’s helped by others. In this, he’s at the liberty to make a choice from the array of ladies being brought to him.
In fact, in extreme cases, an intending wife will, after the man must have indicated interest by formerly intimating her parents is sent to the man’s house where she spends some days, perhaps for proper evaluation. Whichever way the process goes, the man is traditionally made to be on the driving seat in regards to marriage thus preserving the sanctity and regards naturally bestowed on a man.
It’s regrettably bad that gone are the days of such heavenly ordained practices. Men have flagrantly decided to ‘de-robe’ themselves and instead, put on themselves a clothe of mockery and caricature.
It all started from partially kneeling to propose marriage to a lady before it generated into kneeling with both legs like one wants to take holy communion.
As if that isn’t enough assault on the ‘manhood’ and manliness of men, some freestyle lovers with hairs beaming all over the pubic areas have added rolling on mud waters into their despicable process of picking a wife.
I’m afraid that in no distant time, going by the voguing trend, the women will take over the driving seat as regards to marriage.
Perhaps by then (I do not wish to be alive by then), instead of men paying bride price to take a wife home, a woman will pay the ‘groom price’ to take her husband home. During this time, a man will now have to leave his father’s house to her wife’s place. Then, after the traditional ‘thanks Sir’ that follows every meal, a ‘thanks Ma’ will instead be echoed from the man who will be probably wearing a skirt and blouse to reflect the situation of events.