‘No Monogamy, No Marriage!’ The Complexity of the Sacrament of Marriage in Africa

Abstract

The calling of the synod by Pope Francis which is going to take place this year with the theme “The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization” necessitates theological and pastoral reflections on family life; especially forms of marriages in Africa. This essay articulates the complexity of the sacrament of marriage in Christianity in Africa, in the light of cultural diversities and emerging horizons in human relations; such as same sex unions. Focusing on the understanding of the sacrament of marriage from the Christian perspective, the essay attempts to highlight that one perspective framework, in matters of marriage, is inadequate
to holistically capture and animate it. Instead, local, contextual, anthropological, historical and socio-economic paradigms enormously animate the understanding and practice of marriage in Africa. The essay also shows that while Christianity insists on monogamy as the acceptable marriage form in its circle, this has not to any extent prevented the existence and contracting of polygamous marriages, even among its practitioners. This fact illustrates the pressure faced by many African Christians in mediating between the demands of their new faith and the demands of their cultural heritages, in matters pertaining to marriage.