Bride Wealth and Religio-Cultural Conflict in Africa

A case Study of Dinka Anglicans in South Sudan

Abstract

Bride wealth has been a significant point of conflict between Christian religion and African religion which goes hand-in-hand with its cultural heritage. Some African Christians have held this practice close to their hearts. In some cases, where bride wealth negotiations have taken place, questions have arisen concerning its alleged conflict with biblical teachings. Is African culture in conflict with indigenous religion of Africa? Does the Christological exhortation in Matthew 5:17 that God’s mission is not to destroy people’s laws and the resultant cultures but to strengthen it? In view of this, a research on bride wealth and its dalliance with Christianity is critically important as we seek to explore how African Christians understand biblical teachings regarding the practice. The goal of this article is to specifically explore a theo-cultural reflection on bride wealth with particular reference to the Dinka Anglican church of Sudan. In turn, this will provide vital lessons for African ecclesiastical context in regard to bride wealth and its resultant rituals and practices. Methodologically, the article samples the Dinka of Sudan; and through extensive study of literature regarding bride wealth. In the nature of things, are there specific cultural elements that contradict biblical teachings? Are there practices that requires refinement and/or abandonment altogether? Does the Dinka case help us to understand the broader African context in its entirely? Such questions inform the methodology in this article.