What Price - Bride Price? full documentary

Bride Price can lead to Early Forced Child Marriage (EFCM). Bride Price, sometimes referred to as lobola is both a cherished but highly controversial culture practised throughout Africa. It is the price paid in cows or money by the groom to the parents of the bride.

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MIFUMI is a developmental NGO and women's rights organization. The organization has worked for over twenty years to reduce the burden of poverty; addressing issues that hinder development by initiating developmental projects.

This inspirational documentary tackles important side effects of bride wealth, namely child marriages, domestic violence and poverty. It features a cross-section of survivors of domestic violence, judges, community leaders, policy makers and rights activists. The makers believe there are various aspects of the practice of bride price that violate the Constitution of Uganda as well as binding International Human Rights laws. We take the viewer into the lives of ordinary Ugandans as they share their experience on dowry. This enlightening documentary also provides a wealth of information on the practice of Bride Price in different cultures in Uganda.

Bride Price gives rise to conditions of inequality between men and women which is prohibited by the Constitution of Uganda, which provides that all persons are equal before the law. Bride Price has close links to poverty. Young men and their families have to work hard to accumulate the wealth necessary to pay Bride Price. Because of grinding poverty, parents and clan members ask for exorbitant sums or commodities as Bride Price. Women, especially widows, have now become vulnerable in the face of relatives who want to take away their husbands property and leave them with no support. Girls are married off early to raise income for the family. The demand for the return of Bride Price by men when a marriage breaks down forces many women to remain in the marriage and endure violence and abuse. Demanding refund of Bride Price does not take into account the contribution of the woman to the marriage, the children she has produced and the products of her labour. Finally, a sad practice has crept into the custom of Bride Price whereby when a woman dies before Bride Price has been paid, her relatives refuse the burial to take place until it is paid. The relatives haggle over Bride Price while the body is laid out in the home. This is inhuman and degrading treatment because people have a right to dignity of the person, even in dea

Embarking on this documentary was another exciting step in MIFUMI’s bride price campaign. MIFUMI’s ambition was to translate the stories and experiences of survivors from mere paper reports and voice testimonies to complete visual representations. The goal of the project was to amplify the Survivors’ voices telling their own story.

The documentary initiated national debate on the Practice of Bride price in Uganda.

The making of the documentary spanned 9 districts Tororo, Mbale, Soroti, Amolatar, Ngora, Pallisa, Kumi, Mbarara and Kampala. It involved professionals from the legal, education and medical fraternities. It extended to include politicians, social workers, representatives from cultural institutions and most importantly a broad selection of survivors including women, men and children. The interviewees were selected to represent the broad selection of cases relating to the bride price issue that MIFUMI has encountered over the years. Many of these cases also were intended to highlight to viewers, the contextual and underlying factors that fuel the practice and the extent to which it has negatively affected society’s fabric.

MIFUMI came to learn that traditional and cultural practices across many societies are the main drivers of violence against women and girls. Some cultures perpetuated male dominance and power and control over women and girls, denying women and girls their rights, entitlements and enjoyment. To this end, MIFUMI continuously campaigns for changes and reforms in these cultural practices. MIFUMI successfully lobbied the government and was given the mandate to hold the first social referendum in Uganda in December 2001 which resulted in a successful verdict with 60% saying YES to the reform of bride price.

Early Forced Child Marriage (EFCM) is sometimes referred to as Child, Early and Forced Marriage (CEFM).

The referendum pushed the campaign into the public domain exciting debate and that served to strengthen its position in the Domestic Relations Bill.

MIFUMI also held the first international conference on Bride Price in 2004.

MIFUMI has pushed for reform in laws resulting in enactment of The Tororo Bridal Gifts Ordinance into law in 2009, and a NO-REFUND ruling on Bride Price by the Uganda Supreme Court on 6th August 2015.

If you wish to support MIFUMI then visit our website www.mifumi.org