01-11-2009, 01:27 PM
Exactly what Pam said, Math.
The country is beautiful, I would LOVE to go there one day. EVERY country has their own issues, they just vary.
The tribes just think it's right. It's the way they've done things for thousands of generations, and in a way, I feel like a bit of an asshole telling them to stop, when I have no idea behind their ways of thinking and their traditions.
A young African girl cannot be sold for marriage if she is uncircumsised, as men believe that she is 'oversexed' and dirty. It's the family's way of getting a good deal. A virgin for camels, or land, or an abundance of food and water. Their way of life is so hard for them, that they will take anything they can get. Hence why so many African families have so many children. The more girls they can marry off, the better off the other family members will be.
How do I know this? "Desert Flower" by Waris Dirie. It's a damn good read. Written by a nomad woman who ran away from her African family after her father tried to marry her off to an 80yo man in exchange for 5 camels.
Believe me, you'll think differently about the country if you hear the point of view from someone that was born and raised there.
The country is beautiful, I would LOVE to go there one day. EVERY country has their own issues, they just vary.
The tribes just think it's right. It's the way they've done things for thousands of generations, and in a way, I feel like a bit of an asshole telling them to stop, when I have no idea behind their ways of thinking and their traditions.
A young African girl cannot be sold for marriage if she is uncircumsised, as men believe that she is 'oversexed' and dirty. It's the family's way of getting a good deal. A virgin for camels, or land, or an abundance of food and water. Their way of life is so hard for them, that they will take anything they can get. Hence why so many African families have so many children. The more girls they can marry off, the better off the other family members will be.
How do I know this? "Desert Flower" by Waris Dirie. It's a damn good read. Written by a nomad woman who ran away from her African family after her father tried to marry her off to an 80yo man in exchange for 5 camels.
Believe me, you'll think differently about the country if you hear the point of view from someone that was born and raised there.
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