dowry A cause of violence

Two years ago it came as some unexpected news when a certain young woman emerged winner of the Tarime Urban Parliamentary seat. Her win was greeted with a celebration.

Esther had comprehensively beaten a long list of male contenders who were once untouchable something that came as a wakeup call on the changing times in Mara or may be Tanzania in general.

Then there was this woman on TV urging women and government to take deterrent measures to stop domestic violence.

According to her what has been happening in Mara was a disgrace to the country the image of the country.

My friend Mwita Marwa thinks the problem in Mara is rooted in only one thing; cut women! I wondered whether Marwa was really serious with what he was saying.

“I come from Mara bwana. I know what I am saying. Women are paid for huge dowries which sometimes can add up to dozens of cows. However, if the woman isn’t circumcised, she worthless,” he said, as he thumped his chest.

According to Marwa, circumcision makes the women less horny and hard working. “One woman is equal to one tractor. So every man there wishes to have as many as possible to increase productivity.”

“What if you get a lazy bride?” I asked.

“There are no lazy women in Mara. You know why?”

“Of course I don’t,” I said.

“Ha, wife battering is part of the romance in Mara. A lazy woman gets most of that from her husband.”

My thought of that being a crazy ingredient of romance on triggered a delirious laughter as he went on to pelt me with his so-called facts.

“To the man, a woman is not only a wife but also a faithful servant. She also has to produce as many children as possible, family planning is unheard of,” he said.

“To the father marrying off his daughter; it is a source of wealth, yes, a daughter is supposed to fetch as many cows in bride price as her beauty can attract. The cows she brings help her father and bothers to marry more wives for the family.”

That’s why cows are so precious in Mara. Men hunt cows for dowry. This cattle rustling leaves many dead and others seeking for revenge. One revenge leads to another and the vicious circle of violence continues.

If it is because men need cows for dowry that is causing all this trouble perhaps the government should introduce other ways of combating the acquisition of wives. Maybe a bajaji for parents who let their daughters get married for not more than a single cow.

As I was still mulling over my conversation with Marwa, I met this belle in a bus who sat next to me. She was all that you can call truly beautiful, that curvy figure that most men crave for, a smooth skin, just name it she had it all, she even had dimples that showed each time she gave me that killer smile.

However, the problem came when she introduced herself as somebody Chacha. This is when I remembered Marwa’s intriguing story, “she must have scars, not with all the beatings,” I thought.

“Are you from Mara?” I asked, just to make sure.

“Yes, I am actually from Tarime.”

As a coincidence we alighted at the same bus stop. We really got talking and as I was preparing to ask her if she too had undergone that other procedure, a mob chasing a suspected thief interfered with our conversation.

To my surprise this beauty joined the mob. She picked a rock and hit the guy.

“Why was she doing this?” I wondered. “Does she know what the victim had stolen? I was shocked. I managed to pull her away from the mob. She wasn’t pleased at all. She shrugged me off

“Leave me alone! Thieves must be punished,” she said. “Are you sure he is a thief?”

“Can’t you see he is being beaten? He has to be a thief.

“What has he stolen?” I asked.

“Wewe bwana, are you one of them?”

“What?”

“Yes you, in Mara people like.....”

I didn’t wait to hear the rest.