86 Mothers in Law?!
A news headline in mainstream media recently, reported of a guy who has 86 wives in Nigeria and was being threatened with banishment unless he divorced 82 of them. Now thats a fascinating story. 86 is a big number (except maybe in Zimdollar terms). Dare I imagine the life these almost-100 people live. Reading around on the same subject, I came across Wayne’s comment: “Man, that’s 86 Mothers-in-law!”. I start to think of the damage this does to the social lives of the children in this (or should I say ‘these’) famil(ies). Talk about suffering for the sins of the father!
Even without looking at the story from a ZImbabwean perspective, it remains a horific concept to have 86 mothers-in-law. Watching Nigerian movies (if those can be relied on) and seeing the shenanigans the mother-in-laws get up to I would be damned to involve myself with 86 of them. This may be understood better by people who appreciate the African family system. We only talk of people as being our ’step’-anything in English. In our own languages, you are my brother, my sister etc even if you are my male or female cousin. Given this I do not see anything cosy about 86 people to kneel for, buy stuff for and if, they are like some mothers-in law, in Zimbabwe to say good morning to according their individual tastes and fetch water for. Man, thats a tight spot!
Outrageous as it is to consider, imagine a man paying 86 cows for the mother(s) in mombe yehumai!. Talk about milking the guy and the cows!
I am jumping ahead of myself here: Who on earth would stick with any of the kids from this family once they tell you I am number 38 in a family of 120. Gulp! If this information is intended for me this is my cue to vacate forthwith and never return!. Families of five are problematic enough let alone those with two wives. I do believe this guy has taken all the opportunities his children should have had at relationships. He has married all his children’s spouses away!
Needless to say, I am no proponent of barika (Shona for polygamy) and struggle to understand the reasoning behind it even when I try. I have to say, though, that 86 is a big number of anything (except in Zim dollars maybe) but especially in people terms. This guy has to view women as nothing more than accumulatable items! (I understand he wants to marry more) I do believe therefore I am giving these women some respect by, like Wayne, thinking of them as mothers-in-law. If nothing else they at least deserve that.
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