Boekpayoo Customary Ceremony of Ga-Dangme in Nungua: Culture Versus Law in Ghana’s Fight Against Child Marriages
Abstract
Child marriage has been an age-long problem in Ghana’s quest of protecting the rights and development of young girls. Though there are various international and domestic legal frameworks to assist the Ghana government in taking proactive steps in fighting against child marriages, there are some deep-rooted cultural practices commemorated in some Ghanaian traditional communities that seem to derail the government’s efforts. This paper aims to analyze the Boekpayoo customary ceremony organized by the Nungua Traditional Council in Ghana at the Gborbu temple on the 30th of March 2024. It offers a deeper understanding of the appropriateness and legality of the Boekpayoo customary ceremony to show how Ghana struggles to end all forms of child or early marriage. This paper puts the customary ceremony under the lens of existing domestic and international legal frameworks and cultural anthropology perspectives. This paper has relied on and has been critically analyzed through secondary data from national and international legal instruments, cultural anthropology literature, and news reports. This study revealed that the procedure for the Boekpayoo ceremony, as well as the fitting appointment for occupying the position of Naa Yoomo Ayemuede, is legitimate, as it helps in the preservation and promotion of the place-identity history and culture of the Ga-Dangmes. However, the timing and selection of Naa Okromo need to be analyzed as they are not in accordance with the established national and international legal frameworks.
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References
Editorial Note/Clarification based on information provided by the Author after the article has been published: Term " Northern region" in Page 133, paragraph 2, line 5, is incorrect. The correct one is "Volta region"
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Kwakye-Opong, Regina. “Clothing and Identity: Ga Deities and Spiritual Responsibilities.” Arts and Design Studies 25 (2014): 47-60. https://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/ADS/article/view/17042/17399
McCleary-Sills, Jennifer et.al. “Child Marriage: A Critical Barrier to Girls’ Schooling and Gender Equality in Education.” The Review of Faith & International Affairs 13, no.3 (2015): 69-80. https://doi.org/10.1080/15570274.2015.1075755
Nasrullah, Muazzam et.al. “Knowledge and Attitude Towards Child Marriage Practice among Women Married as Children-a Qualitative Study in Urban Slums of Lahore, Pakistan.” BMC Public Health 14 (2014):1-7. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-1148
Nortey, Samuel, “A Cultural Appraisal of Odadaa: An Artistic Practice of the Lifting of the Ban on Drumming and Noise-making amongst the Ga People of Ghana”, Arts and Design Studies no. 2 (2012): 10-21. https://iiste.org/Journals/index.php/ADS/article/view/958
Nwimo, Ignatius O. and Sarah O. Egwu. “Girl Child Marriage: Implications For Community Intervention Programmes.” Journal of Law, Policy & Globalization 37 (2015): 141-149. https://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/JLPG/article/view/22558
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Soylu, Nusret, Muhammed Ayaz, and Tuğba Yüksel. “Early-Married and Sexually abused Girls Differ in their Psychiatric Outcomes.” Child Abuse and Neglect 38, no. 9 (2014): 1552-1559. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2014.05.017
Xinzhong, Yao. “Tradition and Modernization Revisited.” Journal of Peking University (Philosophy and Social Sciences) 52, no. 3 (2015): 51-59. http://journal.pku.edu.cn/EN/Y2015/V52/I3/51
Zhavoronkov, Alexey. “Nihilism and the Crisis of Tradition: Arendt and Contemporary Radical Conservation.” Russian Sociological Review 17, no. 4 (2018): 144-157. http://dx.doi.org/10.17323/1728-192x-2018-4-144-157
Zheng, Hangsheng. “On Modernity’s Changes to ‘Tradition’: A Sociological Perspective.” History and Theory 51, no. 4 (2012): 105-113. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2303.2012.00649.x
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Adom, Dickson. General Knowledge in Art. Kumasi: Adom Series Publications, 2014.
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Field, Margaret Joyce. Religion and Medicine of the Ga People. London: Oxford University Press, 1961.
Quarcoopome, Samuel S. “The Decline of Traditional Authority: The Case of Ga Mashie State of Accra.” In Chieftancy in Ghana. Culture,Goverance and Development, edited by Irene K.Odotei and Albert K. Awedoba, 395-408. Accra: Sub-Saharan Publishers, 2006.
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Journal Article
Adegbite, Olusola. "A Load too Heavy: Kayayei Practice and Ghana's Child's Rights Obligation under Domestic and International Law." Ohio Northern University International Law Journal 1 (2023): 1-27. https://digitalcommons.onu.edu/ilj/vol1/iss1/1/
Asomah, Joseph Yaw. “Cultural Rights Versus Human Rights: A Critical Analysis of the Trokosi Practice in Ghana and the Role of the Civil Society.” African Human Rights Law Journal 15, no.1 (2015): 129-149. http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/1996-2096/2015/V15N1A6
Assanful, Vincent & Peter Boakye. “COVID-19 and the Celebration of the Fetu Afahye Festival in Ghana.” Journal of Religion in Africa 50, no.3-4 (2020): 328-343. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/15700666-12340194
Ayetey, Julia Selman and Bolanle T. Erinosho.“International Law in Ghana: A Study of the Attitudes, Knowledge and Use of International Law by Judges and Lawyers.” African Journal of International and Comparative Law 31, no.2 (2023): 253-274. https://doi.org/10.3366/ajicl.2023.0446
Callaghan, Jane E.M., Yaganama Gambo, and Lisa C. Fellin. “Hearing the Silences: Adult Nigerian Women’s Accounts of ‘Early Marriages.” Feminism & Psychology 24, no. 4 (2015): 506-527. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959353515590691
Dau, Santino Ayuel Longar. “International Human Rights Standards Versus Cultural Practices: A Case Against Harmful Cultural Practices in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a Specific Reference to FGM.” Discover Global Society 2, no. 21 (2024): 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44282-024-00046-8
de Groot, Richard et.al. “Child Marriage and Associated Outcomes in Northern Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Study. BMC Public Health 18, no.1 (2018): 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5166-6
Ertürk, Yakın and Bandana Purkayastha. “Linking Research, Policy and Action: A look at the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women.” Current Sociology 60, no.2 (2012): 142-160. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011392111429216
Gangoli, Geetanjali, Melanie McCarry, and Amina Razak. “Child Marriage or Forced Marriage? South Asian Communities in North East England.” Children & Society 23, no. 6 (2009): 418-429. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1099-0860.2008.00188.x
Hamilton, Vivian E. “The Age of Marital Capacity: Reconsidering Civil Recognition of Adolescent Marriage.” Boston University Law Review 92 (2012): 1817-1863. https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/facpubs/1430/
Jeffers, Chike. “The Ethics and Politics of Cultural Preservation.” The Journal of Value Inquiry 49, no. 1-2 (2015): 205-220. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10790-014-9470-9
Karam, Azza. “Faith-Inspired Initiatives to Tackle the Social Determinants of Child Marriage.” The Review of Faith & International Affairs 13, no. 3 (2015): 59-68. https://doi.org/10.1080/15570274.2015.1075754
Krafft, Caroline et.al. “Conflict and Girl Child Marriage: Global Evidence." https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099224508032213918/pdf/IDU0ea79b47b0ab0b049730a3270150a58640978.pdf
Koski, Alissa, Shelley Clark, Arijit Nandi. “Has Child Marriage Declined in Sub-Saharan Africa? An Analysis of Trends in 31 Countries.” Population and Development Review 43, no. 1 (2017): 7-29. https://doi.org/10.1111/padr.12035
Kwakye-Opong, Regina. “Clothing and Identity: Ga Deities and Spiritual Responsibilities.” Arts and Design Studies 25 (2014): 47-60. https://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/ADS/article/view/17042/17399
McCleary-Sills, Jennifer et.al. “Child Marriage: A Critical Barrier to Girls’ Schooling and Gender Equality in Education.” The Review of Faith & International Affairs 13, no.3 (2015): 69-80. https://doi.org/10.1080/15570274.2015.1075755
Nasrullah, Muazzam et.al. “Knowledge and Attitude Towards Child Marriage Practice among Women Married as Children-a Qualitative Study in Urban Slums of Lahore, Pakistan.” BMC Public Health 14 (2014):1-7. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-1148
Nortey, Samuel, “A Cultural Appraisal of Odadaa: An Artistic Practice of the Lifting of the Ban on Drumming and Noise-making amongst the Ga People of Ghana”, Arts and Design Studies no. 2 (2012): 10-21. https://iiste.org/Journals/index.php/ADS/article/view/958
Nwimo, Ignatius O. and Sarah O. Egwu. “Girl Child Marriage: Implications For Community Intervention Programmes.” Journal of Law, Policy & Globalization 37 (2015): 141-149. https://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/JLPG/article/view/22558
Sarfo, Elizabeth Anokyewaa, Joana Salifu Yendork & Anthony Vernon Naidoo. “Understanding Child Marriage in Ghana: The Constructions of Gender and Sexuality and Implications for Married Girls, Child Care in Practice.” Child Care in Practice 28, no. 2 (2022): 228-241. https://doi.org/10.1080/13575279.2019.1701411
Soylu, Nusret, Muhammed Ayaz, and Tuğba Yüksel. “Early-Married and Sexually abused Girls Differ in their Psychiatric Outcomes.” Child Abuse and Neglect 38, no. 9 (2014): 1552-1559. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2014.05.017
Xinzhong, Yao. “Tradition and Modernization Revisited.” Journal of Peking University (Philosophy and Social Sciences) 52, no. 3 (2015): 51-59. http://journal.pku.edu.cn/EN/Y2015/V52/I3/51
Zhavoronkov, Alexey. “Nihilism and the Crisis of Tradition: Arendt and Contemporary Radical Conservation.” Russian Sociological Review 17, no. 4 (2018): 144-157. http://dx.doi.org/10.17323/1728-192x-2018-4-144-157
Zheng, Hangsheng. “On Modernity’s Changes to ‘Tradition’: A Sociological Perspective.” History and Theory 51, no. 4 (2012): 105-113. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2303.2012.00649.x
Thesis/Dissertation
Ayertey, Theresa. “Child Marriage: A recurring issue in Ghana and South Africa (Cultural Perspective).” MA Capstone Thesis, Central European University, 2020. https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2020/ayertey_theresah.pdf
Danquah, Francisca Mary. “Child Marriage in Ghana: Assessing the Legal Implementation of Child Rights Standard.” Master of Human Rights’ Thesis, the Faculty of Graduate Studies, the University of Manitoba, 2023. https://mspace.lib.umanitoba.ca/server/api/core/bitstreams/c6d04c4a-7323-4130-8c9f-c525e6d077e2/content
Kotey, Naa Kuorkor. “Ethnomedicine and Children’s Medical Knowledge among The Ga of West Africa.” PhD. Dissertation, Department of Anthropology Washington State University, May 2012. https://rex.libraries.wsu.edu/view/fileRedirect?instCode=01ALLIANCE_WSU&filePid=13349944670001842&download=true
Kroop, Mary Esther. “A Comparative Study of Ga and Adangme with Special Reference to the Verb.” PhD Dissertation, University of London, 1968. https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/26205/1/618_A_comparative_study_of_Ga_and.pdf
Nortey, Samuel. “The H]M]W] Festival in Accra: Its Artistic and Other Cultural Aspects.” PhD Dissertation (African Art and Culture), School of Graduate Studies, Faculty of Fine Art, College of Art and Social Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, February 2009. https://ir.knust.edu.gh/items/9e4e0d79-0c1a-4d1a-b727-0e1e1149b8da/full
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Published
2024-09-05
How to Cite
ADOM, Dickson.
Boekpayoo Customary Ceremony of Ga-Dangme in Nungua: Culture Versus Law in Ghana’s Fight Against Child Marriages.
Udayana Journal of Law and Culture, [S.l.], v. 8, n. 2, p. 129-159, sep. 2024.
ISSN 2549-0680.
Available at: <https://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/ujlc/article/view/115045>. Date accessed: 21 nov. 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.24843/UJLC.2024.v08.i02.p01.
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