South Sudan: Inside African country where same-sex marriage is a thing

Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is taboo in Africa and is considered a crime that is punishable by law.

As of 2023, marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognised in 33 countries, constituting some 1.35 billion people (17% of the world’s population), with the most recent being Mexico.

Surprisingly, there is a particular tribe in South Sudan where marriage between two women is predominant, unlike other African countries that see such practice as being criminal, according to Flinders University report.

Dinka, a Nilotic ethnic group native to South Sudan with a sizable diaspora population abroad embraces same-sex marriage between two women.

The Dinka mostly live along the Nile, from Jonglei to Renk, in the region of Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile (two out of three Provinces which were formerly located in southern Sudan), and the Abyei Area of the Ngok Dinka in South Sudan.

The important values of Dinka culture in southern Sudan are unbelievable because the way Dinka did their own cultures is way different from other tribes in southern Sudan and the whole of Sudan.

Marriage in Dinka

There are three forms of marriage in Dinka. Among these is marriage between a barren woman and another woman otherwise known as “Ghost Marriage”. The purpose of this marriage is to procreate children for the continuation of her family line, in which case the children bear the name of the barren woman’s husband.

According to reports, a third party usually a man can either impregnate any of the two women for the purpose of procreation.

Other findings

In the Dinka/Jieng system of marriage, despite the expensive payment of dowries that range from 100-500 cows, our findings reveal women are treated godly and with dignity. Once a man gets married, his wife will not cook or sweep for 4 years. This period is called Anyuuc (Generous welcoming), and it is meant for a new wife to rest, relax and study her husband’s homestead values.

Her husband’s sisters will cook, wash, do utensils, collect firewood fetch water, and do other domestic work till later after 4yrs, her husband decides to arrange a very big party called Thäät (cooking festival), 3cows and 5goats can be slaughtered to initiate a wife into cooking for the family.

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Payment of dowry

In Dinka cultural practice, dowry is considered a gift paid by the groom in the form of cattle to the family of the bride. It is usually done before the couple can come together as husband and wife. The dowry price is determined by the socio-economic status of the groom’s family and the characteristics of the bride, including physical appearance and behaviour.

It is widely believed that attractive girls are preferred by many candidates. Dowry is always followed by a marriage ceremony, which starts immediately after the settlement of the bride’s price. The ceremony takes different forms and also depends on the status of the groom’s family.