A while ago, I was listening to some random radio show and there was this fella who called in to lament on how his girlfriend swindled him. Apparently, the lady asked the guy to send dowry to her parents via Mpesa. As a result, she’d move in to live with him legally.
Surprisingly,the guy was naive enough to send the money… okay not naive. It’s more of stupid.
Anyway, being me (I’m one inquisitive mortal) as such matters always do, this one got me summoning my grey matter as well.
Has it come to this? Have we deserted our customs and traditions so bad that an issue as simple as dowry (which-by the way- is a mode of appreciation) has become commercialized? So bad that it has to embroil these brutes (you can call them Service Providers)! Lord have mercy.
It only gets worse when the people who are the center of all this decide to sell themselves, or whatever it is they do. I mean, make me understand how a lady takes advantage of the fact that a guy is supposed to pay dowry and pockets the money that was actually meant for her parents.
I don’t know who to blame, but at least I know that as long as such matters are at hand the key role players are the love birds and their parents.
Let’s tackle this from the guy’s perspective.
I am a guy and I don’t believe in this dowry shenanigans. Far from that, assuming I was an advocate for this chauvinistic trend, there was no way I would pay dowry via Mpesa.
Traditions aside, let common sense and sanity prevail. It’s a woman for crying out loud. Not some house-hold item. How about you try being courteous enough and take that dowry to her parents in person? I mean, if you can afford the cash to “pay up” for her, a little time is not too much to ask for now. Is it?
*GAG*
Someone show me the washrooms. I need to throw up. Such levels of ignorance makes me nauseous!
How about the lady? One word, CHARLATAN!
On to the parents. I believe it is their sacred duty to educate their kids on matters pertaining to traditions. It is of great importance that children get to learn about their traditions, no matter how crude or unreasonable.
When it’s all said and done, we’ll always come home to the painful truth, which in this case is the fact that ours is a lost generation! A generation that thinks understanding our very own way of life is boring.