Bride price

One of my colleagues,let's call him Onesmo, is what is known here as a part-time teacher. In fact he seems to teach as many (or as few) periods as the regulars, but he is also studying full-time,in his 2nd year of a 3 year diploma course, at a local business college. He is paid 150,000/- a month, about 60 quid, term time only, directly by the school, not by the munispaa (municipal offices). This barely covers his college fees and he has a wife and baby to support. They rent a couple of rooms with a shared bathroom and kitchen. To help make ends meet he has a fleet of 6 boneshaker bicycles, proudly labelled Onesmotrans which he rents out by the hour. Even so, he relies on help from his parents back in the village but as he is one of eight there is not much to go round. With all this, he rarely complains; in fact he is one of the most cheerful and hard-working members of staff. Last Monday he didn't look too chirpy though and I asked him what was up. Turns out that he and his "wife" are not actually married. Tanzania is a very religious country. If I tell people that I am an atheist they are dumbstruck. But living with your "fiancee" and having a few children before marriage is surprisingly common. But Onesmo's "father-in-law" had turned up asking when he was going to pay the bride price and when was the wedding going to be. He has apparently done this before, but this time he said he was taking his daughter and grandson away with him unless Onesmo immediately coughed up 100,000/- for the bride price and 400,000/- as an initial contribution towards the wedding costs. Onesmo said "I'm sorry, I am doing my level best but I have nothing to spare now, not a single coin." So the father took his daughter and the baby away. "But what did she say?", I asked Onesmo. She said "I don't want to go but I also want to get married." Two days later they were back, but the argument continues. Onesmo says when he has his diploma he will be able to get a better job and he will have more money. But the father-in-law says "If you have more money you might find a prettier girl than my daughter." The worst of it for Onesmo is that he has been unable to make any money from his bikes for the past few days because he has been too busy running backwards and forwards parleying with his father-in-law. He says an actual wedding ceremony costs very little and he could make an honest woman of her any time, but they want the big white dress, bridesmaids, pages, video, lavish reception. I told him this is a universal problem.