Anthropology: On Ethiopian Marriage Based On Movie

The movie we saw which was based on marriage of Ethiopian women it was indeed a very touching and disturbing movie. Well this movie showed life in the village for young girls between the ages 14-18. Their parents promise girls as early as the age of 8 years old. The reason for this the parents are usually very poor so they can have their children staying with them after the ages 14 years because they can’t feed them. The parents also get a little profit from their daughter marriage the groom and his parents always pay a sum of money to the bride’s parents. Girls don’t go to school but boys to go school. Girls are usually occupied with housework and take care of their younger brothers and sisters.

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As soon as the girl reached the age of 14-18 her parents have promised her to a man. Her parents then decide on a day she will get married. They will a big celebration on the day of the wedding they will be dancing eating drinking. This little girl is then taken to her husband whom she has never seen before and who is old enough to be her father. This young girl is usually is very terrified and is so very scared that she can’t stop crying. She is then taken to the groom’s house and forced to sleep in the same bed with a man she doesn’t know. Her parents tell the groom that they can’t sleep with her because she is too young to have a baby. The groom doesn’t have intercourse with his wife for a while but not for long. So when they do have intercourse the girl gets pregnant then her problems starts. Since she is still a young girl she is not fit to have a baby. So when it is time to have a baby this young girl has many problems. When she is giving birth to this baby her fistula gets broken and also she is also not able to control her bladder any more. So she has walk many mile to go to a hospital and get her bladder sewed. She has to walk many miles to hospital most of the times her husband doesn’t want her anymore because she can’t control her bladder. This young girl is neglected from her husband and sometimes she is forced to live alone.

This cycle is a very sad cycle. Parents can’t do anything about it their hands are tied back in this situation. The reason for that is because they are poor and they want their children to live with them but they can’t support all their children. The parents themselves live a hand to mouth feeding system. So it is all a matter of poverty and not being able to do anything about it. Parents do not enjoy watching their daughters have their fistulas broken but they have no choice. It is very sad to see this but as I said they hands are tied behind their back.