Rights of passage and their financial implications

By AJEM EMP.
Published July 19, 2009

A newly-wedded couple pose for pictures with their bridal party after exchanging vows recently in rural Kenya. Unlike most flashy weddings that many Kenyans are used to, this couple decided to keep their wedding simple.

In the last couple of weeks, two events shaped my thoughts for this article. Michael Jackson of the Thriller album fame passed on in circumstances that are yet to be fully explained to the satisfaction of the vast majority of his fans. He was an icon in the music industry and was adored by many. His life ended abruptly and many mourned. In my office, it instantly became a common excuse by the ladies for every mistake they made at work: MJ is dead so I could not keep my concentration!

Last week, I was privileged to attend what I will call a “village wedding” in my rural home. Some of my dear readers may not relate with what I call a “rural home” in the Kenyan context, so I will explain. In this country we have three cities and about 10 major towns. Others are urban centers or mostly government administration centers (formerly market places) housing district headquarters. We currently have 254 districts, which I referred to as urban centers.

A majority of our population reside in rural villages as peasant farmers. They grow crops for subsistence and keep a cow or two for milk. They use firewood for fuel and draw water from local rivers for domestic use. Our rural folks tend to have very large families, and make great sacrifices to ensure at least one or two of their children get tertiary education in the hope that this will enable them get formal jobs in cities to provide for their aging parents and siblings.

The Kenyan government has in the last few years set a side a reasonable portion of the national budget to fund youths in the villages to start up income generating activities. This is through a revolving fund from which enterprising youths borrow money to establish or improve their business. Interestingly, a new industry commonly known as “boda boda” has now emerged as a consequence of this development. Jobless youths borrow from the revolving schemes to buy bicycles, motor cycles and “tuk tuk,” which they use to provide commuter services from the main road networks to residential areas or offices for a fee. My cousin whose wedding I recently attended was one such “boda boda” taxi operator.

There is the saying, once a Hollywood star always a star. Somebody tell me, is it true that some enterprising Americans sold tickets to mourners who attended MJ’s funeral service, and that there was an over subscription? Was the money used in the funeral arrangement, or did it go to MJ’s estate?

The bride and groom pose for photos after celebrating their nuptials in an extraordinary village wedding. Courtesy photos

For some strange reasons, human beings appreciate the dead more than they do the living. Is it not a fact that we immortalize people killed by the same society when we brand them (the dead) heroes? Do you know of any living heroes?

We love to give the dead decent funerals and spend enormous amounts. In the African context, the aging and sickly tend to request of their kith and kin to be accorded decent burials when they die. Because most human beings desire to have decent interment, it is important that they plan for the same while alive. A decent funeral for a middle class in Kenya would cost in excess of US$ 3,000.In the case our brethren in the Diaspora, the amount more than doubles.

Many local insurance companies in East Africa today offer family funeral expenses insurance covers at very low monthly premiums. These policies usually pay the sum assured within 48 hours of death and relieve families of the burden of soliciting for funds through “harambees,” in the event a family member dies. I do highly recommend that each family has a funeral expenses policy covering all members of a household. If you have relatives livings abroad, ensure that you either include them in your family cover or that they have their own death insurance policies.

And now back to my cousin’s wedding! Communication from their home to the church for the bride groom and the bride’s maid was provided by the best man, who rode the team on my cousin’s motor bike. Unlike the flashy weddings I am so used to in the cities, where the latest limousines line up, the only motor car in the church compound on the day was the presiding pastor’s old beetle Volkswagen. The flower girls wore “bathroom shoes,” also known as slippers to the church and carried flowers freshly picked from the local bushes on the way to the church.

I will not mention what was served at the reception, but do allow me to state that the total value of the gifts to the newly wedded couple in my estimation did not exceed US$ 100. On my way back to the city, I kept reciting lyrics from the late South African musician Lucky Dube: Love will conquer all. I wondered loudly why the same musician sang “there is no love without the dollar,” for I saw real love but no dollar was in sight!

I made some vows though. I have had to share this experience with you, my readers, to advise that marriage does not just happen. From the day you are born, the next right of passage is marriage. This is the only right of passage that you may have the honor of planning in your entire life, and you should give it your best shot. For many, it may be the only movie you script and star in.

If you are planning to wed in the next few days, months or years, start saving part of your income in an investment scheme. You may do this jointly with your fiancé (e). Upon maturity of the investments, you will have a pot of gold to facilitate your dream wedding. If you are lucky and your parents, relatives, or friends underwrite the cost of your wedding, you may move on to have a post-wedding holiday – proper honey moon.

Those who plan and work consistently and are disciplined in their finances, life will always be good.

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Tags: Business, finance