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GIJ diploma 2 weekend students thrill audience with Kenyan traditional marriage at Creative Cave event, wins first place

Diploma weekend students of Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) on Friday evening 18 October 2019 staged a play of Kenyan traditional marriage at the second edition of the creative cave event at the forecourt of the school. 

The performance of the ‘diploma two’ weekend students thrilled audience at the 2019 edition of the event. 

The group emerged first in the drama competition.  


The traditional marriage ceremony in the Kikuyu culture of Kenya is one of the most documented cultures depicting certain practices among the Kikuyu people.

When the man would like to marry a certain woman he and the group of men visit her father. There he expresses his wish. This tradition is called the "kuhanda ithigi"("planting twigs"). The groom-to-be has to bring some gifts.

What follows is yet another visit and It is known as the "kumenya mucii" ("getting to know the home"). Now the groom's parents visit the bride's parents. There they determine the date when the ceremony of "ruracio" ("dowry payment") will be held.

On the set, the bride- to- be and her relatives do all the cooking while on the other side the father and young men relatives roasted some meat while waiting to receive dowry. This is called ruracio.

A feast where the groom and his family bring the dowry at the home of the bride to be. On the arrival the groom’s family will find the gate closed. This is a sign to show that they must sing their way in. Then the bride -to -be and her female relatives welcome them in with songs and dances. 

After settling in and before any eating, the bride to be is taken away by her fellow female in-laws and relatives, there she is given some advice meanwhile the groom starts ( kuhanda ithigi) planting a branch of tree which symbolizes that the lady has been booked by the groom. He then starts the payment process together with his parents and elders to the parents of the lady and their elders.

If the groom did not bring all the required dowry negotiated earlier he is expected to remember to finish his payment, failure to which spells dishonor to that family.

After this, the bride- to -be is finally recalled and becomes a bride. They all happily feast and eat together. The bride’s family then gives some items to the bride to carry to their home such as kyondo – weaving basket, ciihuri-calabash, lesos, nyungo- pot, mukwa –new rope, a blanket and bed sheets for the bride’s mother, handkerchiefs for the sisters and honey for preparing “muratina” (beer).

As the bride leaves with the groom the bride’s parents then wait to do the last process which is itara- getting to see the nest or nestling place of their daughter.

See pic and video below...









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