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Dowries Running Dry in Drought-Stricken East Africa
Women use donkeys to transport water south of Wajir, in Kenya, where food shortages caused by drought threaten millions. Many young rural Kenyans are also being forced to postpone marriage as the loss of cattle affects their ability to raise a dowry.
(By Chris Jackson -- Getty Images)
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Some of the rural men who moved to Nairobi took to having sex with prostitutes, a taboo in Masai culture. Cases of HIV infection began to increase in the Masai community, which historically has had a lower rate than the rest of the country, according to a government survey.
"We were losing all our self-respect," Samante said. "I wanted to try and remain a true Masai."
Strong Traditions, New Ideas
Samante and Kutingala's wedding was to be a village celebration with more than 1,000 guests. A month beforehand, Kutingala's parents prepared a traditional wedding chest for her that contained fabrics, beaded necklaces and silverware.
But at the end of November, after he had lost nearly all of his cattle, Samante met with his fiancee's parents.
"When I told them," Samante said, "they wouldn't even look at me."
The drought has forced elders to revisit a debate about dowry and its role in a rapidly urbanizing Africa. Some of the arguments against dowries draw on stories like Samante's. Community leaders cite examples of girls being forced into early marriage by fathers eager to get the dowries to replace their livestock. Last month, educators rescued 20 schoolgirls in the herding district of Samburu from early marriage, according to national television reports.
The Catholic Church in Kenya, which has helped coordinate relief efforts, has blamed the government for failing to prepare for the droughts. In recent weeks, several high-level officials have been accused of pocketing a total of $1.3 billion in public funds, money that critics say should have gone to irrigation projects.
"It's really a big issue to see our culture being stamped out by drought, corruption and urban ways," said Julius Lemanken, a Masai who works for World Vision, an organization that is helping fund feeding projects. "Sometimes, culture changes naturally, on its own. But could this have been avoided? Will my grandchildren be able to herd like I did? Will they even know our good traditions?"
Young Kenyans say they are caught between strong traditions, which they still feel they must obey, and new ideas about wealth. Masai children are taught a proverb that says: "All cattle of the world actually belong to the Masai. Even the ones in India and the west were stolen from our lands."
"I love cows. I can't remove this mentality. If I do, we are lost people," Samante said. "The minute I have money in my pocket, I just buy cows. When I have money in the bank and no cows, it's like I am poor and pathetic."
Samante still hopes to wed, maybe in a year when he can mate his few remaining cattle. He just hopes Kutingala's family will allow her to wait for him.
"She met all of my needs for a young lady," he said. "I was so very happy."
"He was a successful and kind man in my age-set," Kutingala said she told her parents recently. "I am still longing for our married life."
