Wife inheritance

Written Tuesday, 18 March 2008

There is an old custom here, which I believe is practiced throughout much of Africa (although I'm not positive, so don't quote me) that when a man dies, his brothers should marry his widows. In the West this is referred to as wife inheritance, and is usually viewed as an outdated, anti-feminist practice – the wives being passed around as if they were property to be inherited.

And maybe there's how it was in the past. Maybe there are still elements of that now. But I think the main purpose of the custom is to protect the widow and her children – rather than being just a "poor relation" dependent on the charity of others for survival, the widow, through marrying her late husband's brother, strengthens her ties to her husband's family and remains an integral part of that family. And any children she may have are more likely to be treated well by a step-father who is also their uncle (in West African tradition your father's brothers are considered to be also your fathers) than by a step-father who has no prior relation to them.

I bring all this up because my village host father is in the process of "inheriting" his deceased brother's wife. (Negotiations and arrangements are under way for the marriage). I am curious to see how it all works out and how our family dynamics will be affected.