Oct. 8 2023
October 8, 2023
Hakuna Matata
The phrase made popular in the movie “Lion King” means “no trouble” in Swahili, but I think we don’t understand how it is used here in Africa, or at least this is how it seems to me.
I think in the past, I have understood it to mean no cares, no concerns, but people do care and they give everything they have to help others, they just don’t get hung up in schedules that are out of their control. They make due with resources they have available and we love it.
Yesterday was a wedding at the Church Branch we go to on Sundays. A young adult who attends our weekly Institute of Religion class was getting married and we were asked to provide a little cake and a treat. We didn’t get nervous until after the wedding ceremony.
We learned that these marriages are a big event for these families. We sat in one of the rooms with both families and the bride and groom at a head table and then the festivities began. There is so much tradition here and the attached video shows a good sample of what happens at a wedding reception. I’ll share the meaning of the tradition when I find out what it really means.
People kept showing up beyond the 30 we expected and since we were the only ones who brought treats, the prospects didn’t look good on having some food for everyone.
The bride and groom cut the small cake and then their friend cut it into smaller pieces and the groom, with toothpicks, put cake into special guests mouths which we were both honored to be part of.
Somehow everyone got something to eat and there was enough water and soda to pass around. It was so simple, and also, various beautiful cloths were shared, but no other obvious gifts.
The couple are not to show affection in public, but they were so fun and we love them. They had two small children who we did not know anything about and dowry’s are still part of marriages here which makes it difficult for couples to afford to marry.
They expected about 30 guests to be at the wedding. It was supposed to start at noon, however, at noon, no-one was anywhere in sight. Friends of the groom were getting things ready. Remember, hardly anyone has cars. We found out the wedding party were all riding an old bus to the church and were caught up in a traffic jam. (See the note about driving in an earlier blog!)
Friends of the groom brought in a case of soda’s and then they started walking out of the gated church building to a narrow, busy street with no sidewalks and little shops lining both sides. They called to us for help and so Stacy and I went out and walked up the street with them to a tiny little shop and we found out they were buying more soda. We pitched in with the cost and they purchased two more cases of soda and a couple packs of bottled water and we walked the 100 yards or so back to the church.
Plates were put on a table with one cookie on each plate and a small piece of the wedding cake, which, along with the soda, constituted the refreshments. These people had so very little, yet they were so happy and grateful. They just made the shortage of food work and they gave what was most precious; their time and their love.
Pictures
Videos
We had the opportunity to be at an African wedding on Saturday. It was a great experience. We knew the groom and a few of the people. Our Branch President and three of his friends wanted to make it special. They involved us alittle too. It was very simple but filled with tradition and there was a joyful feeling there. Family is a big thing here. It was also another experience for us of not getting overly concerned about things. We were there early and found a few people who were involved but that was it. Five minutes before the wedding was supposed to start no one else had come. The people there were not worried, they had heard from the groom that they were stuck in traffic. That can happen here. They came 30 minutes later and had the wedding ceremony. The video was after the ceremony. We are enjoying being able to be a small part in the lives of people that we are getting to know and love. Oh, one of the traditions is to have the bride and groom cut the cake and then the groom shares it.
