It’s Eni-Itan & Temil’Olu’s wedding day. Two individual families (the Amune’s and Alafia’s) are about to become one big family. Everyone is excited. Some are shedding tears of joy, especially the mothers of the bride and groom, while some can’t wait for the ceremony to be over so they can devour the delicious foods as is the usual practice in this part of the world. There are some interesting characters like Cleo who seem to earn a living from pulling people’s legs, especially her Mom. Will this wedding go smoothly? Let’s hope neither the bride nor the groom has skeletons in their cupboard.Marriage started before the wedding, there was marriage during the wedding, and marriage would continue after the wedding. So, the wedding is really the first child of the marriage.
Is the wedding day about the bride, the groom, or the bride & groom? Why is it her wedding day? In Her Wedding Day, T. Yomi Obidi tries to explain how and why it is ‘her wedding day’. This book is a fictional story narrating the activities and traditions revolving around engagement and wedding ceremonies in the culture of the Yoruba’s. The setting is in Lagos, Nigeria. The book has seven entertaining and educative chapters. This book is a good material to read and learn a few things about the culture and traditions of the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria. There were some write-ups and songs written in the Yoruba language which I think the author could have interpreted them so that readers from other places and races could understand. He tried to explain some Yoruba terms, though. Although the story is a work of fiction, the culture and traditions narrated therein are real.
At the wedding ceremony, there were some interesting Yoruba foods like amala, pounded yam, epefu, ewedu, efo, omi toro, and gbegiri; and some Yoruba dresses like agbada and ashoke displayed. Of course, you would learn a few things about the Yoruba tribe and their cultural values. I have lived in Lagos for almost three decades, but I never knew some things about the Yoruba’s until I read this book. I just got to know about chief speakers who escort the bride to her groom’s house, and they are somewhat extortionists.
What I like most is how the Amune’s gave their daughter out to the Alafia’s in marriage without demanding a huge dowry like most African parents would, especially in this part of Africa. Instead, Mr. Amune requested and warned Temil’Olu never to raise his hand against Eni-Itan or abuse her emotionally, and if he abides by this request, he has paid her dowry. The Alafia’s were surprised and decided to do the same for their daughter. The Amune’s had every right to demand a huge dowry for their daughter, Eni-Itan, considering her status. Yomi said about the Yoruba’s, “The bride price had a high direct correlation with the educational attainment of the bride, in addition to the family from which she came, her beauty, and a few other things.”
What I disliked most was how the chief speakers extorted a huge amount of money from the Alafia’s in the name of tradition. I felt angry. The engagement tradition was also upsetting. Why all the unnecessary waste of time for just engagement? I felt like Temi, “Can we just get done with this thing and let’s all go home?” Well, we have to respect other people’s traditions. But like Eni and Temi agreed, “It won’t be like this for our kids.”
The author’s writing style was narrative and expository. The book’s pace was well-developed, though the pace was slow in the beginning. The tale was so engaging that I found myself playing the role of one or two characters. The book was properly edited, though I noticed some errors like missing commas, a wrong spelling, a wrong tense, and a wrong pronoun. However, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars for its creative and expository presentation.
The romance was light with no dirty scenes. I must commend the author for making his points as regards the romance between Eni and Temi whilst keeping it clean. The book had a perfect end and I enjoyed the author’s humor. I recommend this book to young adults, youths, married individuals, and people who would like to learn more about the honorable Yoruba people of Nigeria. Grandpa Amune and his son, Mr. Amune, have great marital lessons to teach you.
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Her Wedding Day
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