Africans are free to choose mates on the basis of capability.

The bride has no choice in this arranged Ghanaian marriage. Until the 19th century, arranged marriage was seen as a contract between two families, not two individuals. Today there are still cultures where parents arrange marriage for their children. In their book, marriage east and west David and Vera Mace quote an Indian girl defending this practice. She says, I had rather have my parents choose for me, it is so important that the man I marry be the right one. I could so easily make a mistake if I had to find him for myself. Our society places a high value on individualism and freedom of choice in mate selection. Young men and women begin socializing together at early age. They attend the same schools; go on dates unchaperoned and eventually selected partners for themselves. There are several theories about just how a person picks a mate from any number of possible partners. One would be miserable if your father had arranged for you to marry the son or daughter of one of his business associates. In the other hand, the coming together of a man and a woman from different clans to establish a family such that offspring could ensue to replenish and perpetuate the tribe, is a solemn, social and happy occasion in all communities in Ghana. This is the marriage for the most part, consenting adults go through an institutionalized process recognized by society, and witnessed by the living and the ancestors. In normal circumstances, dissolution of this union also entails solemnity, institutionalization and social recognition. Much of the socialization mechanism in Ghanaian societies is really a preparation for marriage. This is because it is only when a person is married that he or she is taken seriously in social deliberations. Whiles the process of mating is important, this requires only a brief comment. There is no society where individuals have a completely free hand in the choice of marital partners. Parental pressure, influence or consideration of one kind or another, has always been thought proper but in contemporary Ghana, especially among educated urban dwellers, romantic love is now regarded by some as the main basis of the choice of marital partners. Even then traditional considerations still remain. One such consideration is tribal origin so important is this tribal consideration that parents whose wards marriages fall on the rocks are often head to despaingly

mutter to their children: I admonished you to marry from your own locality; or if you had married nearer home.. Another factor in the choice of marital partners is language for the modern educated partners; the other factor is the level of social status and class position of the partner. Religious affiliation is an equally important factor these days. But above all else is parental consent. Differences in details and elaborateness exist in mate selection and institutional preferences. Among the Bimoba, for instance, traditional marriage permitted the following systems: exchange marriage, betrothal marriage, elopment marriage and kont marriage (cf Laari, 1987).

MARRIAGE

IN

THE

NORTHERN

SECTORS

OF

THE

COUNTRY

HAS

TRADITIONALLY BEEN OF THE FORMS I HAVE JUST MENTIONED. LET ME CONCENTRATE ON MARRIAGE CONSENT BY THE FRAFRA ETHNIC GROUP IN THE NORTHERN PART OF GHANA (UPPER EAST REGION) THE MAIN POINTS Firstly, the knocking stage; this is the first stage of the mate selection in the Frafra ethnic group. After having been seeing the woman outside for some time that is in the case of the freechoice marriage, the man will pay his visit to the womans house with his friends. Upon his arrival to the house may not declare his intentions but only the girl or she and her mother may have an idea about the visit and may not declare it. On his visit the man will have to present to the girls family gifts such as kola nuts, guinea fowls, local gin and tobacco. This will continue for about two times after which the man will then declare his intention. The acceptance of the items will indicate an approval of the mans proposal. Contrarily, if it the arranged marriage, it is

the mans parents particularly the father and other elders in the lineage who will visit the womans family. The local name for the knocking stage is demhigo. Secondly, the initial investigation; after the knocking stage, a kind of mutual spying is begun, each group trying to find out if each person in the other group is worthy their child. Both try to find out about things such as is there no bad disease in the family? Is the girl not too lazy? Is the man not a bully? Is he a good- for- nothing person? Is there a reasonable chance that he can look after their children well? Is there no record of witchcraft in the family? This is mostly done through trusted people around the mans family or the girls family. It can be the mans or the womans fathers best friend who lives in the same area with the man or the woman and may know something secret about them. This could also be done through a relative mostly a woman who is married to the same area as where the man or the woman is coming from. While the enquiry continues the man is expected to be presenting gifts to the woman and her people, the acceptance of which is a good indication that a favorable answer to the request can be looked forward to. Upon the favorable answer from the womans people the handing over of the bride to the groom is done. Thirdly, handing over of the bride to the groom is done in two ways; one way is done through a relative that a woman who is married to the same area as the man is coming from and who helped in the investigation. Under this, the first thing is an invitation of the man to the girls house where pieces of advice will be given by the brides people to both the bride and the groom. After which the woman has to return home and she will be given a day to come back and take the bride with her to the husbands home. But before the bride is taking away from her home, gifts such as calabashes, brooms, pots will be presented to the bride by her mother and aunties. Also her best meal will be prepared for her on that same day. After this, the bride and the woman will

begin their journey in the evening. On the arrival of the bride to the mans village the bride is not sent straight to her husbands house but will have to stay with the woman for about three days. During this three days of stay in the womans house, there will be beating of calabashes and dancing to welcome the new bride. The beating of calabashes is locally called wama wege and this serves as a marriage market for young men and women who are searching for their partners. After the three days of celebration, the bride is finally sent to the husbands house and there the beating of the calabashes will continue to create the awareness of the arrival of the new wife in the house. This will continue for some days and stop. The couples are expected to live with or near the husband kin, usually the fathers kinship group called the patrilocal residence. The last but the least, payment of the bride wealth; the payment of the bride wealth is locally called solika. After the bride is handed over to the groom, the marriage is not sealed until after a fowl locally called nuo nua is presented to the brides family and the process is called nuo wege. This fowl is not received into the brides home directly but its sent to the paternal uncles house. This is the most crucial part of the bride wealth and after this the marriage is shield even though the actual items are not yet paid. At this stage any child born to the woman is likely for the man. This is then followed by the actual items that is, the cows, hoe and tobacco, thus cows can also be converted into sheep, seven sheep for a cow. Mostly the bride wealth is determined by what bride wealth was paid for the brides mother that is the brides mothers bride wealth determines her bride wealth. In the case where the groom is not financially sound enough to pay the items, he will be allowed to pay later; it could be one or two years or even after the bride has given birth and her children grown up and are able to pay their mothers bride wealth. The importance of the bride wealth is just to show an appreciation to parents for grooming their wife and not a price paid for the bride.

When the couples are now living together as husband and wife, the husband has the responsibilities to always organize a group of people especially his colleagues to go and work for the parents of the girl in every year. Therefore the importance of passing through these processes are to create opportunity for companionship or friendship between the two families, it serves as security and protection, it also gives adults status and social acceptance, it acts as agent of socialization and finally it establishes legitimacy for sex. In conclusion, in this customary marriage by the Frafra ethnic group, the procedure is too long and also costly, which means that if one is not having those kinds of items to pass through the processes then, the person will not have access to a wife except for exchange marriage. Therefore mate selection in a customary marriage is a process not an event.

REFERENCES: Nukuuya G. K. 1992 Tradition and change in Ghana. An introduction to sociology, Accra, Ghana Universities press. Rt. Rev. Dr. Sarpong peter 1974 Ghana in Retrospect some aspect of Ghanaian culture. Odetola, T.O and Ademola, A. 1985 sociology an introductory African text. Henslin James M. 2nd ed. Marriage and family in a changing society.