OROMIYA, Ethiopia -- If you were to visit 65-year-old Ayatu Nure and his family at their compound in the Oromiya region of Ethiopia, you would probably find eight of Ayatu's 12 wives harvesting banana roots for dinner, while chasing after their combined 78 children. At first glance, this unlikely family appears carefree -- but a closer look reveals that many of Ayatu's children are hungry, possibly even malnourished. Their main source of food -- banana roots -- doesn't provide much nutrition, but unfortunately this is the only thing Ayatu can afford.
In this remote, densely-populated region of Ethiopia, it is common for men to have multiple wives. In Ayatu's case this tradition has backfired. Years ago, he had enough land and food to satisfy everyone's needs. This changed when Ayatu had to sell land or cattle to make the dowry payment for each new wife he took, usually a sum of between $500 and $1,000. Now, the family compound is almost bare from overgrazing, two of his wives have moved with cattle in search of greener pastures, and two others died from unknown illnesses in the 1990s. The situation is so desperate that Ayatu cannot afford to send his children to secondary school, and he is marrying off two of his 15-year-old daughters to ensure they are fed. Thirteen others are living with their married siblings.
Living with two wives and eight children in a neighbouring town is Ayatu's eldest son, Dagne. Dagne said he and his father made a mistake by taking more than one wife and blames it on a lack of education, "Men and women don't have the knowledge of birth spacing or the desire to seek this information," said Dagne.
Ayatu's family is enormous by any standards. In Ethiopia, having at least five children per mother is the norm. "The population is growing at a rate of 2.7 percent annually, said Dr. Monique Rakotomalala, the Ethiopia representative for UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. With the population of the country now at 73 million, she is concerned. "That means two million new people every year." At this rate, the population could double over the next 24 years, severely stretching existing resources. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Ethiopia's Minister of Health, says the secret is smaller families. "We have to educate our communities and tell them the benefits of smaller families because it will bring a better quality of life to each household."
To assist families like Ayatu's, the Government of Ethiopia has launched a network of 29,000 health extension workers to teach both men and women about family planning and provide contraceptives to those who want to delay childbearing. So far, two of Ayatu's wives are using long-term implants. Many women in remote villages opt for this method because of the distance between their homes and health centres. Yet, health extension workers visiting families in this pastoral landscape also face difficulties as they have to walk long distances to reach one household, and sometimes lack sufficient stock to meet the demands of many communities.
Ayatu admits he failed to acknowledge the consequences of having such a large family, and wants to be a role model for young people so they will not make the same mistake. "I wasn't educated," said Ayatua. "Nobody asked me. Nobody told me of the consequences".
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There is also a much brighter side to this; Africa has 95% of the globes DNA reserves ready to repopulate the globe if some global crisis happens.
If you allow the cream to rise to the top, then the people bringing down the IQ of the gene pool will stop procreating and presto - no more Rush Limbaughs.
Those of us left will build a much better, more organic society without religion, tribalism, sexism, racism, homophobia or any other "ISMS".
What right does government have restricting the social life of consenting adults? If two men want to share one woman - why is that anyone's business? If four women, adult women, want to share me (I'm being modest) what right does government have to say no? Why is there such oppressive control over the social expression of human beings? Why is it a big deal if two men or two women - or four men want to marry each other?
Most men aren't monogamous anyway, they have girlfriends on the side, office flings, love strip clubs, or prostitution or porn - so it's hypocritical for anyone in these type people to be against someone who wants to openly have a marriage contract w/ more than one spouse, instead of sneaking around.
If you ask both men and women if they had the opportunity to cheat on their mate w/ out them ever finding out and you had no ridiculous fear of hell - most would say yes.
Better to be open and honest from
The mind boggles...I have one wife, 2 children and 3 step-children and that's hard enough.
Furthermore, doesn't Ethiopia have recurring problems with famine? What is the mindset that allows someone to bring 78 children into the world where it's quite likely a lot of them will starve?
I am aware that there are sociological/political reasons for big Ethiopian familes and I'm cognescent that there might even be some sort of religious explanation for a man to have multiple wives and dozens of children. Surely, even in Ethiopian cultrure, there must be room for a modicum of common sense that would mitigate such wildly dangerous behavior.
I just don't get it.
Actually, I dont think Bush cared at all for choice, I think the idea here in line with the popes is keep Africa poor and suffering.
True, the average woman may have 7 children -- but she does so to end up with 2 maybe 3 adult children; if you asked these women would they have less children if they were guaranteed a reasonable success rate of life most would not hesitate to say "yes!" But that cannot be guaranteed in a world where resources -- like lives -- are seen as cheap commodities for the rapacious need of the first world consumer who needs to stand on "moral high ground" all the while unwilling to see the trail of blood which starts at their fancy cell phones, televisions, and jewelry.
Women in third world cultures may not have the option of saying no occasionally. The ultimate responsibility has to reside with the man, who should realize that, if nothing else, he should just tell his libido no, no sex today.
1 ) the women involved seldom get to choose and accept the new partners.
2 ) child production tends to get totally out of hand. 1 child per parent is replacement, more is population expansion.
3 ) Income often fails to support all family members.
As a life choice polygamy is not necessarily always wrong, but it is often a source of inequality.