Rozii’s thoughts on polygamous marriage.

Roziiii… that’s what they call her in her village Ilambilole – Iringa Rural. She is the tenth of a total of 15 children in a large family with one father and four wives. Her mother is the oldest of her father’s wives.

Rose turned 17 on January 12, 2024 (belated happy birthday!). This year she is in tenth grade at St. James Kilolo Secondary School. Rose says she continues to take advantage of the educational opportunities offered to her through Schulbank eV and is determined to pursue her dream of becoming a community development officer after her university studies.

She criticizes a Maasai tradition in which men marry many wives and father many children, but are unable to provide adequately for them. In her own family, for example, her father has four wives and a total of 15 children, including five boys and ten girls. In today’s world, this often means that women and children lose their freedom and basic needs such as shelter, food, healthcare and a good education are not adequately met. Rose’s dream is to complete a comprehensive university education in the social sciences and then be the best ambassador for her Maasai community. She wants to address outdated traditions that are no longer relevant in the modern world.

In the past, Maasai traditions placed a lot of trust in marriages with several wives, but today such relationships are often characterized by mistrust. This can lead to sexually transmitted diseases.

HIV & AIDS and cause family conflicts with serious consequences for the children. Despite her criticism of such marriages, Rose enjoys her family life as there is a lot of love in her family. Every wife has her tasks such as cooking, bathing, protecting and raising the children, without making any distinctions.

At school, Rose is an outstanding student, both academically and behaviorally. Last year, she scored an A with 9 points in the national tests. In her free time, she likes to play volleyball and is known as the “army general” at her school because she doesn’t like it when important things go wrong. I wish Rose all the best in realizing her dreams.

Edgar Mgembe