An influential traditional priest, Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII, aged 63, has caused an uproar in Ghana by marrying a 12-year-old girl in a customary ceremony held on Saturday.
Despite criticism, community leaders defend the union, saying that people do not understand their customs and traditions.
While the legal minimum marriage age in Ghana is 18 and the prevalence of child marriage has declined, child marriage persists, with 19% of girls marrying before 18 and 5% before 15, according to Girls Not Brides, a global campaigning NGO.
Videos and photos from the elaborate event, attended by dozens, have circulated on social media, sparking widespread condemnation by many Ghanians.
During the ceremony, women speaking in the local language Ga were advising the girl to prepare for marital duties and to use the perfumes they gifted her with to enhance her sexual attractiveness to her husband.
These statements have fueled outrage, as they suggest the marriage is not merely ceremonial. Critics are calling for authorities to annul the marriage and investigate Mr. Tsuru.
Leaders of the Nungua indigenous community, to which both the girl and the priest belong, have condemned the public’s opposition to the marriage, saying the criticism “comes from a point of ignorance”.
Nii Bortey Kofi Frankwa II, a local community leader, said on Sunday that the girl’s role as the priest’s wife is “purely tradition and custom”.
He further explained that the girl commenced the rites to become the priest’s wife six years ago, but the process did not interfere with her education.
The girl is slated to undergo a second customary ceremony to purify her for her new role as the high priest’s wife. This ceremony will also prepare her for marital duties such as childbearing, according to local media reports.
Mr Tsuru is a “Gborbu Wulomo”, or traditional high priest in the Nungua indigeneous community in the capital, Accra.
As a spiritual leader, the priest holds a prominent position among the community’s traditional leaders. He conducts rituals on behalf of the community, offers prayers for its welfare, upholds cultural traditions, and presides over traditional ceremonies like the induction of tribal chiefs.
Government officials have not yet addressed the controversial marriage.
While Ghanaian law acknowledges customary marriages, it expressly prohibits child marriages disguised as cultural or traditional practices.
Melissa Enoch
Follow us on:
Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour has condemned the commercialisation of GMO seeds, warning of threats to Nigeria’s food…
Oleksandr Usyk has secured victory over Tyson Fury in Riyadh, successfully defending his heavyweight championship…
Albania plans a one-year TikTok ban from January after a schoolboy’s death sparks concerns over…
A suspect accused of killing five people by driving into a crowded Christmas market in…
A US Navy F/A-18 Hornet was mistakenly shot down over the Red Sea by the…
NNPC has reduced petrol ex-depot price to N899 per litre, sparking competition with Dangote Refinery…
View Comments
((08132115039) (+234_915__6089_111)E-AUCTION E-AUCTION E-AUCTION Some Auction Vehicles/Cars For Sale
Bag of rice 18,5OO
Vegetable oil 15,0OO
Golf3= 400,000
Camry Tinny-Light=500,000
Tundra 1,300,000
Toyota Exterra=850,000
Toyota Camry big daddy=650,000
Toyota Venza= 1.7million
Toyota Avalon=850,000
Toyota Rav4=950,000
Toyota Prado=1.3million
TOYOTA HILUX=2million
Toyota Sienna=850,000
TOYOTA 4-RUNNER=950,000
Toyota Corolla=650,000
Toyota Matrix= 700,000
Toyota Highlander=950,000
Toyota Picnic=500,000
Tacoma 1.850,000
Toyota Hiace Bus=950,000
Toyota Tundra=1.5million
Toyota Sequola=900,000
BMW 5-series=1.960,000
BMW 3-series=1.640,000
BMW X6=2.670,000
Ford Edge=700,000
Ford Escape=600,000
Honda Elantra=600,000
Honda Baby-Boy=700,000
Dyna Truck 900k
TIPPER Head 6mill
((08132115039) (+234_915__6089_111)
Honda Accord=550,000
Honda CRV=650,000
HONDA CIVIC=500,000
HONDA EVIL-SPIRIT=750,000
HONDA ODYSSEY=500,000
Honda Pilot=850,000
Nissan pathfinder=800,000
Nissan Amanda=750,000
Infinity=950,000
Benz C250=N1.300,000
Benz C300=1.6MILLION
Benz ML350=2 million
Benz ML300=1.5 million
Benz ML550=2.6million
Mercedes-Benz C-Class ₦1.3Million
Mercedes-Benz E-Class ₦1.8Million
Mercedes-Benz GLK ₦3.Million
Es330 1.6
Lexus C5 350=950,000
IS250 1m
Lexus Rx300=1.2 million
Lexus Rx330=1.5 million
Is350 2mill
Gx470 1.8mill
Lexus Rx350= 2 million
ES350 2mill
Land Rover Discovery ₦3.2Million
Land Rover Freelander ₦3.6Million
Land Range Rover Sport ₦4Million
Acura MDX ₦1.8Million
Pequot 206=350,000
Pequot 406=470,000
Pequot 607=650,000
.....
((08132115039) (+234_915__6089_111)