A Botswana Wedding

This past week-end, I had the privelage of attending a Botswana wedding. Over the years the weddings have become increasingly westernized but still maintain many of their traditional elements. Instead of giving a ring to the bride, the groom performs what is know as labola or 'brides price', where the groom gives cattle to the brides family. He does not "pay for the bride", it is seen as a gesture of good will or thanks towards the brides family for raising their daughter. Sadly, with the increasing western/capitalist influence and the importance of cattle in Botswana, labola has become unregualated and is now determined by 'the worth of the woman', causing tension between some families.

Everyone who wants to can attend the wedding, and it has been explained to me that the families want as many people as possible to come. At the wedding, men will usually sit together under the shade of a tree and drink traditional beer made from sogom, while the women cook and sing. The bride and groom are seated on a platform above the crowd, and everyone will be seated around them to eat. Throughout the wedding you will here high pitched wails from the women which are a display of happiness and celebration. After everyone has ate, the bride maids and grooms men will line up in two rows and perform some semi-traditional dance. The dancing here i would describe as "jerky" but stationary, with the majority of the movement in the feet. While dancing the bride and groom will ralk in between the two rows towards there car and drive off to their new home together.