Have you heard of a tribe called ‘The Latuka’ tribe of South Sudan? They are also called the Otuho tribe and they speak the Otuho language.
What makes this tribe popular is its bizarre custom that allows men who wish to marry a girl to first kidnap her from her home and then return to ask for her hand in marriage from her father.
According to their history, the Latukas practice a communal lifestyle where nothing is kept from anybody: they practice a system of sharing and as such, no single person rules over them.
Instead, they have a group of elders who are vested with the authority to guide them.
A lot of the passed-down traditions haven’t changed in Latuka including the bride kidnapping tradition that has been criticised over the years.
Here is how the bride-kidnapping custom goes;
In Latuka, when a young man wants to marry a girl, he kidnaps her from her home. It is after this act that he goes to visit the girl’s father along with his elder male relatives to ask for the blessing to marry.
With the girl still in his possession, her father is left with a choice on whether or not to agree to the proposal by this suitor.
The response of a “yes” or “no” from the father comes with its separate ceremonial activities.
If he says ‘YES’ and blesses their marriage, he is expected to beat his prospective son-in-law to show consent.
This action explains that the man is willing to be beaten for her. It’s about the sacrifices he’s willing to make for the woman he loves.
However, if he says ‘NO’, the choice is left in the hands of the suitor: The young man is at liberty to decide whether to return the kidnapped girl to her father’s house or go ahead and marry her as he so wishes.
One of the reasons people kick against the tradition is because it leaves no room for the woman to make a decision for herself.
The woman in question in question doesn’t have a say in the whole thing, even when her father doesn’t agree, it takes the glory of God for the man who kidnaps her to let her go freely.
Like many unfavorable traditions in Africa, the marriage rite of the Latuka tribe belongs is considered one of the cultures that needs changing
