Bukavu (DR Congo) (AFP) – “I am able to rating is to obtain in order to seven wives,” told you Congolese church pastor Chirhuza Zagabe, a partner so you’re able to five spouses and you will father off sixteen youngsters.
Into the 2012, the fresh sixty-year-dated married around three female simultaneously within his church during the eastern Democratic Republic from Congo. The guy repudiated you to having “bad behaviour”, but now has five old between twenty-six and you can forty eight through other marriages.
Zagabe’s problem implies that polygamy continues in the vast main African nation, in which supporters firmly back the technique of being married in order to much more than one individual even with they being commercially banned for lots more than simply three decades.
Doing a couple of percent of your world’s population inhabit polygamous houses, with respect to the American think-tank, Pew Browse Center.
The routine was really widespread inside the sandwich-Saharan Africa, in which a projected eleven per cent of populace reside in polygamous property.
The fresh new proportion within the DR Congo is actually a couple per cent. Instances abound away from Congolese dudes boasting regarding with an excellent “second work environment” that everyone knows — also the first lover.
Polygamy are really common inside the sub-Saharan Africa, where a projected 11 % of your own inhabitants reside in polygamous property Guerchom NDEBO AFP
When videos purporting showing one age go out try released towards YouTube history day, the fresh new movies ran widespread toward social networking.
They informed the storyline off an earlier Congolese people which allegedly fell so in love with a woman who’d one or two look-alikes which were thus convincing the guy wound-up marrying all of the about three.
Some statements pitied the fresh new so-called groom. “He’ll endure”, blogged that customer. “We will see seen every thing,” told you a new, if you are an admirer remarked: “The new lad was solid.”
A cinema director from the eastern town of Goma shown he was behind the movie, he states try according to a real story and you can utilized actors to boost the difficulty out-of polygamy.
Old-fashioned society
All of the Weekend, Zagabe teaches you and you will praises this new deserves off polygamy throughout the Lord’s Primitive Church, that has been established in 1983 that is certainly DR Congo’s of a lot religious sects.
Several dozen regarding their flock excitedly listen to his preaching from inside the Bukavu, the main city out of Southern area Kivu state, having feminine on one hand of one’s main aisle and you will men on the other side.
Zagabe’s sermon says humanity’s story come with one to men and many lady. “Rather than staying in adultery and you will debauchery, Goodness authorised man for multiple wives,” the guy informed AFP.
“Polygamy is a person business one to happens far-back inside our conventional African and Congolese society. It isn’t a great divine facilities,” told you Raymond Kongolo, a great Catholic priest during the Bukavu.
DR Congo’s composition and you may household members code has obviously mentioned while the 1987 one polygamy is an offence, according to Joseph Yav, legal counsel and you can law teacher on the southern area city of Lubumbashi.
‘Blessed of the God’
One of Zagabe’s congregation try Kalungu Kalebe, having a couple spouses and you may seven college students. Instead of transgressing legislation, brand new forty-year-dated believes he’s “blessed from the God”.
Fellow parishioner Nathanaelle, fifteen, said she is actually “ready” in order to get married a person along with other wives. “That will not irritate me personally at all,” she added.
Rakel, one of Zagabe’s wives, sees the youngsters out-of their almost every other partners while the her very own, also the three offspring she has borne him.
Yet another out-of Zagabe’s spouses, Yaelle, said she resides in balance along with his other partners. But she pointed out that neighbours which used to see their particular when she was truly the only wife about household features given that eliminated coming. “They escaped off united states,” Yaelle told you.
“This polygamy business is a departure within people, it’s impossible!” told you Nicolas Lubala, an excellent 42-year-old Catholic just why are chechen women attractive who accuses the fresh Kinshasa-based Ancient Chapel out-of “causing moral depravation”.